good morning. It's Friday. Today we'll look at why Sunday's New York City Half Marathon follows the new route. It also gets details of the protest at Trump Tower by progressive Jewish groups to support Palestinian activists the Trump administration wants to deport the country.
Organizers of the New York City Half Marathon claim they love the Manhattan Bridge. But they are abandoning it.
The Brooklyn Bridge will be featured in the 13.1 mile race on Sunday morning. Runners flow into the lower roads tied to Manhattan, rather than the wooden pedestrian passages on the upper floors. According to the city's Department of Transportation, this is the first time a race has crossed that bridge.
The new route says it is “30 seconds to 1 minute faster.” Runners don't have to deal with some uphills on their way to the bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge is flatter than the Manhattan Bridge, he said.
So everyone sets a personal record. This sets a personal record because no one has ever performed the course.
Why is New York Road Runner making changes?
According to Metellus, the construction of the lower Manhattan area — specifically, part of the $1.45 billion Lower Manhattan Coastal Resilience Project aimed at protecting against flooding as water levels rise along with climate change.
This massive project left runners unable to pass through the regular section of the half-New York City route, from Manhattan Bridge to Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive. The driver will probably say the same thing. There is only one lane open during the day on South Street. And the bike lanes are completely closed.
Runners start at Prospect Park, just like usual. They run along the same Flatbush Avenue as usual – just before Mile 4, turn left onto Tilary Street, and about a block later, turn right at what the city calls Brooklyn Bridge Boulevard.
There are other ways to get there, but “Tilary makes the most sense,” Meteras said. “It's a wide intersection. It's big enough to safely clear athletes and take them to a Manhattan-bound bridge.” With this change, runners will place the runners on the FDR about a mile south of where Manhattan Bridge is located.
Of the over 27,000 participants, you may notice a difference of around 23,000. A road runner in New York says that over 4,200 people will run the first half of the marathon. Four defending champions have signed up: Kenya's Abelkipchumba and Norway's Karoline Berkeliglovdal are open for men and women, with Dutch ghatsipper and US Susanna Skolani in the men's and women's wheelchair division. Also running is Connor Manz, who broke the American man's record in the half marathon at 59:17 at the Houston Half Marathon in January. Kipchumba's time in half of New York City last year was 1 minute and 10 seconds faster.
When it became clear that the route would need to be changed, the New York Roadrunner cited “seven or eight variations of the course,” Meteras said. “The Brooklyn Bridge would be a last option as we wanted to maintain the sanctity of the course we had to cross the Manhattan Bridge.”
Will the runners return to Manhattan Bridge in 2026? Metellus called it a “million dollar question.” He said construction is expected to continue for at least 10 months. “So we're looking at what decisions are being made about where we should go next year,” he said.
One of the awards in half of New York City is the Committee Cup. This is based on the era of the top three runners in each city department and office that enter. As Transport Commissioner Idanis Rodriguez pointed out last year, the top three finishers in his division were second behind the top three of the police station, ahead of the top three of the fire station.
The city's agency committee serves as the honorary captain, and while Rodriguez is not running, entrants in his division include Joshua Benson, an assistant commissioner whose portfolio includes the city's speed camera. It measures the speed of the car, not the runner.
weather
Expect high clear skies in your mid-50s. It is partly cloudy in the evening, lowering 44 degrees.
Alternate parking lot
Hanging for Purim.
Around 150 demonstrators, led by a progressive Jewish group, flowed into the lower level concourse of Trump Tower, supporting Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who the Trump administration wanted to arrest and deport him.
They recited “Fighting the Nazis, not the students” – their words repelling the coral marble tiles – and raised the flag. It was read as “Free Mahmoud, Free Palestine.” Police said 98 protesters had been arrested.
The demonstration came when Halil and seven anonymous students filed a lawsuit attempting to block Columbia University from creating student disciplinary records to a House committee that requested them last month. The lawsuit stated that the committee's request and compliance with Colombia violated Halil and its First Amendment rights and Colombia's obligation to protect student privacy.
After the Trump administration revoked its $400 million grants and contract, Columbia announced disciplinary action against students who occupied campus buildings last spring. The punishments included “multi-year suspension, temporary revocation of degrees and expulsion,” according to the statement.
A legal permanent resident, Halil was a graduate student in Columbia. His arrest marked an escalation of the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on protests. Officials described it as anti-Semitism and threat to the safety of Jewish students.
Many of the Trump Tower protesters were Jewish and had problems with their views. When their protest began, they pulled their coats and revealed a t-shirt on the front saying “not our name,” saying “The Jews will stop arming Israel in front.”
Security guards posted music in the lobby and stopped more people from joining the group. About 15 minutes later, officers, who were watching from afar, warned that those who did not leave would be arrested.
Some people started walking slowly. Others stayed where they were and continued to chant. Eventually, officers began to restrain the demonstrators, zipping their hands behind their backs and lifting them up to their feet to carry the escalator to street level.
Metropolitan Diary
A long day
Dear Diary:
After a long day navigating the trade show booth at the Javits Center, I headed for train 7. When I pulled in, there was an empty seat in the car I was in. I sank with gratitude for it.
Next to me was a gray-haired woman with her hands on a large canvas bag that peers in. She looked worn out as I felt.
Suddenly, memories emerged. My friend once confessed about her complaints. After a long day, what she really wanted was, “How was your day?”
I smiled and looked at the woman.
“How was your day?” I asked.
She offered a small tired smile.
“It's long,” she said. “I can't wait to get home and have a quiet dinner and lift my legs.”
I nodded.
We didn't exchange any other words. There was no energy for conversation.
As the train was late until it stopped at Queensboro Plaza, the woman stood up and ready for the exit, paused and made eye contact.
“Thank you for asking,” she said before disappearing into the crowd.
– Carol Bradbury
Illustration by Agnes Lee. Submit your submission here and Read more Check out the Metropolitan Diary here.
