The Runners of NYC Podcast is back outside, and this time we took it to Brooklyn. Chris Chavez and Patryk Odedina posted up in Prospect Park on the day before the 2026 Brooklyn Half Marathon.

Same concept as always: we set up shop, see who's willing to stop, and let the conversations go wherever they go. Turns out the day before a big race is the perfect time to catch people. Everyone's out to pick up their bibs, everyone's a little anxious/excited, and everyone's got a reason they're toeing the line.

And the reasons were all over the map. We talked to a 61-year-old who's still lacing up to stay healthy, and a guy fighting his way back from a four-year injury. We meet a dad in a suit who runs for his kids, two friends building a business together over matcha and miles, and a visitor breaking down how the Atlanta run scene stacks up against New York. There's a woman who joined a girls run club and got completely hooked, two friends repping Texas, a runner who just finished Boston and is already chasing a New York City Marathon qualifier, and one impossibly positive guy in who's found his whole purpose in the sport.

It's a snapshot of who actually shows up the day before a race — and why they run at all.

Be sure to subscribe to Runners of NYC on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your shows.

▶️ APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/runners-of-nyc-podcast/id1438435120

▶️ SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/4DD2jtIBEcyVohfiimggvM

🗣️ Follow your hosts: @chris_j_chavez on Instagram | @regularpatryk on Instagram