Local athletes Mulgeta Birhanu Feyissa, Felicia Pasadyn, and Galo Vasquez storm to victory
Nearly 28,500 athletes complete the 13.1-mile course from Prospect Park to Coney Island for 43rd edition of sold-out race
Notable and inspiring athletes including Alan Bersten, Matt James, and Patina Miller participate
Largest Boardwalk Kids Run in history with more than 1,200 youth ages two to 18
New York, May 18, 2025 – New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit that “runs” New York City producing 60 annual adult and youth races including the TCS New York City Marathon, hosted nearly 28,500 athletes during the sold-out RBC Brooklyn Half, the original, premier running event in the borough and one of the country’s largest and most anticipated half marathons, Saturday, May 17.
With the second-largest field in RBC Brooklyn Half event history participating, the course took athletes on a 13.1-mile journey from Prospect Park to the iconic Coney Island Boardwalk. On the way to the finish, athletes raced alongside the largest Boardwalk Kids Run in event history, with more than 1,200 kids ages two to 18 participating in free youth races and dashes.
The Manhattan-based West Side Runners led a 1-2 punch in the men’s race, with Mulgeta Birhanu Feyissa taking victory in 1:04:57, 14 seconds ahead of his run club teammate Tilihun Ayele Tariku.
In her first-ever RBC Brooklyn Half, Felicia Pasadyn broke the tape in 1:15:37, ahead of last year’s winner and U.S. Olympian Kim Conley.
Galo Vasquez of Westchester Track Club won the nonbinary division in 1:13:18, their second title in as many months, after also winning the division at the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half in March.
Notable and Inspiring Runners
Among the nearly 28,500 finishers were notable, inspiring, and local Brooklyn runners including:
- Alan Bersten (1:38:43): “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer who ran his first-ever half marathon with NYRR Team for Kids, New York Road Runners’ premier charity supporting the nonprofit’s free and community programs
- Matt James (1:24:32): Reality TV star and entrepreneur who ran a new half marathon personal best
- Patina Miller (1:56:13): Tony-award winning actor and singer who runs with Define New York Run Club
- Natalia Trevino Amaro and Tina Muir (2:35:50): Sustainability advocates who ran the RBC Brooklyn Half—Natalia’s first-ever half marathon—in support of NYRR Team for Climate whilewearing sustainable fashion designed by Natalia
- Jaclyn Keely (2:42:14): A Brooklyn resident who was diagnosed with lung cancer at 28 years old and ran the RBC Brooklyn Half less than a year after undergoing treatment
- Robert Denker (3:08:48): A long-time NYRR member and New York City resident who sold Good Humor ice cream on the Coney Island Boardwalk in his youth. Now 81 years old, he continues to race competitively.
After the race, Bersten appeared as a featured guest on a live taping of the NYRR Set the Pace Podcast Presented by Peloton during the RBC Brooklyn Half After-Party at Maimonides Park in Coney Island.
“I’ve always wanted to push my body,” said Bersten. “A lot of people don’t consider dancers as athletes, but I think this is a great opportunity … to prove to myself that I’m more than just a dancer.”
“The only thing that got me through the finish was everyone else passing me and encouraging me,” James said after running a new personal best. “[That’s] the best thing about running these New York Road Runners races.”
“I made the original trash skirt for Tina in 2023, and she’s been wearing it ever since,” Trevino Amaro shared about the custom, sustainable running skirts she designed for the race. “She sent [the skirt] back to me and I split it so [Tina and I] could each have a half. The other half I added fabric scraps to combine running and fashion waste into one.”
Boardwalk Kids Run
In addition to the adult half marathon, more than 1,200 kids ages two to 18 finished the free Boardwalk Kids Run, one of more than 20 free Rising New York Road Runners youth events the nonprofit hosts during the year to encourage kids to be physically active and build their confidence to cross any finish line. The Boardwalk Kids Run took place near mile 12 of the adult race and included members of Rising New York Road Runners, the free running-based youth program for more than 100,000 kids across the five boroughs, including 35,000+ in Brooklyn.
The RBC Brooklyn Half has been New York Road Runners’ marquee event in the borough since 1981. Throughout the year, the nonprofit hosts six races that run in the borough and offers free and accessible programming, including NYRR Open Run, free weekly community-led runs in five local Brooklyn parks; NYRR Striders, a free walking and fitness program for older adults with sessions at four Brooklyn sites; and NYRR Group Training, coach-led workouts in Prospect Park for runners of all levels.
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) served as both the exclusive title partner and exclusive financial services and investment banking partner of the RBC Brooklyn Half for the fourth consecutive year. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, RBC donated $1 to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, for each social media post using #RBCBrooklynHalf during race week.
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About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
A New York City-based nonprofit, New York Road Runners’ vision is to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running – serving nearly a half a million people annually through its races, free community events, youth running initiatives, and school-based programs across the five boroughs. During its nearly 70 years, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, producing more than 60 adult and youth races each year, including the TCS New York City Marathon. Held the first Sunday each November, the TCS New York City Marathon features more than 50,000 runners—from the world’s best professional athletes to a vast range of runners across experience levels, ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.