Amazing stories of the Brooklyn Half Marathon's final finishers

Tens of thousands of runners are expected to take part in the RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon on Saturday -- racing from Prospect Park to Coney Island.

But some of the most powerful stories belong to those who say finishing the race is about more than time on the clock.

Surgeries, skin graft, and years of rehab

For 28-year-old Jessica Aguilar, every mile carries extra meaning, because making it to the starting line is a victory.

"Every mile I do run now, I take it with so much gratitude because there was a point in my life that I thought I would never do that again," said Aguilar, a Coney Island resident.

Aguilar was once a collegiate runner. She said five years ago, her life changed in an instant.

"I was crossing the street. A drunk driver, pick-up truck, dragged me under his car while he was trying to do a donut," Aguilar said.

The driver allegedly fled the scene. Aguilar lost part of her leg and, for a time, the ability to run.

"I felt like I wasn't myself again. The one thing that I enjoyed the most, that helped me solve everything, I couldn't do," she said.

After three surgeries, a skin graft and years of rehabilitation, Aguilar is now preparing for her third half marathon. The federal officer and single mother said her daughter inspired her to try again.

"At her school, they put a bunch of signs up about parents running a half marathon in order to help fundraise money for her school," Aguilar said. "And she said 'I saw a bunch of pictures of you running mom, you could do this.'"

Aguilar now trains by running to work five days a week from Brooklyn across the bridge to Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan.

"I finished right before midnight"

Meanwhile, Brighton Beach based actor Teresa Hui is preparing for the race in her own way, warming up with mobility aids before speedwalking through training.

"I have multiple disabilities, I have osteoarthritis, I have fibromyalgia, and I also have endometriosis. So I'm much slower than I used to be when I first started running," Hui said.

Despite the physical challenges, Hui has completed 25 marathons, including 17 New York City Marathons, along with what she estimates are at least 100 half marathons.

Hui said the support she receives from spectators and fellow runners keeps her coming back, even when she finishes at the end of the pack.

"No matter how slow I finished, there were always so many amazing people, so many beautiful faces waiting," Hui said. "Last year, I was the second to last final finisher of the New York City Marathon. They shut off the timers by the time I got there, I finished right before midnight."

The RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon is one of the country's largest half marathons, stretching from Prospect Park to the Coney Island boardwalk.

If you stay until the very end, you might notice that some of the strongest people aren't the first to the finish line.

"I'm going to keep on going, forever," Hui said.

For runners like them, the race about the determination it took to get there.

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