It was well before dawn on Sunday when the cyclists first began to congregate — a handful at first, then a few dozen, then hundreds. Not far away, the white lights of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge — the iconic starting point of the New York City Marathon — shimmered like a constellation in the dark sky. But these athletes were happy bathing in the fluorescent glow of a humble 24-hour Dunkin’ Donuts in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. In the past two decades, for a growing number of cyclists, the store’s parking lot has become an iconic starting point in its own right for one irresistible annual challenge: to ride the marathon course in the sliver of time after the roads are closed to traffic and before any official races begin.

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Organizations: New York Locations: Bay Ridge , Brooklyn