Roughly 200 runners ran 13.1 miles from a Ridgewood side street through Brooklyn and Queens on Saturday, June 13, closing out the tenth edition of the Brooklyn Queens Brewery Express Half Marathon with a finisher’s medal, a limited-edition pint glass and a slice of pizza at the end. QNS covered the race.
The BQBE Half Marathon is unsanctioned. It runs without official permits, road closures or governing-body backing. There are no closed streets. Runners ran through open city blocks, following volunteers stationed at turns and refilling at aid stations along the way.
The Queens Rebels Run Crew organizes the race. It started at 78-60 73rd Pl. From there the course ran through Myrtle Avenue, Bushwick Avenue and Jamaica Avenue, through Glendale, Ridgewood, Bushwick, East New York, Jamaica, Woodhaven and Richmond Hill before finishing at Bridge and Tunnel Brewery in Ridgewood. The 5 p.m. start meant runners went out into heat above 85 degrees, carrying hydration bottles and energy gels.
Nia Holden won the women’s race in one hour, 32 minutes and 57 seconds. Chinedu Ogueri won the men’s race in one hour, 35 minutes and 45 seconds.
Adam Golovizki founded the Queens Rebels Run Crew and directs the race. He started the event in 2016. This was the tenth year.
“Reaching Year 10 is a milestone that I’m proud of. I never felt any pressure to keep going with it, and it is always something I really enjoy doing,” Golovizki told QNS. “Each year, people start mentioning the race to me before I’m even thinking about it, so I find that very motivating.”
About 2,000 runners have raced the BQBE Half Marathon over ten years. Golovizki said the field has held steady lately, with close to 300 registered and almost 200 actually racing each year.
“When I founded the race in 2016, I knew almost every racer personally,” he said. “As we started attracting runners from all over for years two and three, I was always sure the race would become a victim of its own success by becoming too overblown. However, the past four years have been somewhat the same, with close to 300 registered and almost 200 racing each time. I’m happy about that.”
For Golovizki, it’s less about growth than who shows up. He said runners come from out of state and out of the country, but he cares most about the local crowd.
“For me to get the running community together from all over the city is my greatest contribution,” Golovizki said. “Previously, when there was less saturation of running groups, people had to travel to get together, which made it more special. I was happy to see that old school vibe at the finish [line] this year.”
He said he plans to keep the race close to what it already is, adding small upgrades like chip timing and custom medals rather than reinventing it.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Golovizki said. “The race is only a success because of what the racers bring to it, I just lay the framework.”
The finish line runs into Bridge and Tunnel Brewery.
Featured image: Photo by Huy Duong (@huyduong99)
