Could not be happier to properly put this route together after spending so much time running most of the individual sections in recent years and running a slightly shorter and less precise version of it a couple years ago.
I chose to start and finish at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge and run clockwise. The Brooklyn Bridge is arguably the most iconic setting on the entire route and seemed a fitting start point.
Highlights of the day - discovering the pedestrian bridge across the East Williamsburg train tracks tucked away on Scott Ave, catching glimpses of the sunrise over the Rockaway’s from Highland Blvd, the early morning solitude of the Jamaica Bay Greenway through Shirley Chisholm and Canarsie Parks, the energy of the crowded Coney Island boardwalk, and finally seeing the Manhattan skyline on the last push north from Red Hook.
I’ll stop there before this devolves into too much of a love letter to my favorite borough.
Weather was perfect - high-30s to mid-40s, no wind. Started a couple hours before sunrise to take advantage of cooler temps and quiet streets.
Carried 4 liters of water so that I could avoid stopping for refills and be completely unsupported.