Clinton Hill Block Party Turns Mile Nine of NYC Marathon Into a 23-Year Street Celebration

For the 23rd consecutive year, Clinton Hill in Brooklyn transformed into one of the most festive spots on the NYC Marathon route, as spectators lined Lafayette Avenue near the race's ninth mile on the 26.2-mile course. Danielle Strle, 45, chief product officer at the satirical news site The Onion, called Marathon Sunday "the best day of the year." She arrived dressed as a banana and said the party grew from humble beginnings. "We kind of started it by accident," she said, recalling that in the early days locals handed out bodega sandwiches. Over time the gathering expanded to include a grill, waffles, egg sandwiches, coffee, and orange juice. "We've just gotten bigger and bigger every year," she added.

This year's race fell the morning after Halloween, and many spectators turned up in their costumes from the night before — Strle was far from the only banana in the crowd. Some 60,000 runners took part, winding through all five boroughs before finishing in Central Park. A few blocks along the route, a party gathered around Emmanuel Baptist Church, where the choir came outside around 11 a.m. to serenade passing runners while barbecue was served nearby. Men's winner Andreas Almgren of Sweden and women's winner Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya both crossed the finish line in just over two hours. For everyone else, and for the cheering crowds, the result mattered little. "It's a real triumph of the human spirit," Strle said.