FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
B.A.A. Half Marathon® Boasts Record Field, New Location
for 10th Anniversary on 10.10.10
Boston's most popular 13.1-mile road race starts, finishes at Franklin Park
and highlights the Emerald Necklace park system.
Boston, Mass. – The 10th Annual B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund will start and finish in
White Stadium in Boston's Franklin Park at 8:30 a.m. on October 10, marking
the biggest change of the popular race since its inaugural run in 2001.
Steadily rising in popularity among road races in New England, the B.A.A.
Half Marathon reached its field size limit of 6,000 just two hours after
registration opened on July 14. The race is not accepting additional
entrants.
The race course has been reversed from previous years, and still includes
long portions along the Emerald Necklace park system, and a running tour of
the animal exhibits in the Franklin Park Zoo. Runners will enjoy spacious
areas for pre-race warm-ups and post-race entertainment at White Stadium in
Franklin Park, where food, refreshments, and entertainment from
Boston-based musical group Brothers McCann will greet participants after
they finish.
"Moving the start and finish of the B.A.A. Half Marathon to Franklin Park
for the event's tenth anniversary has been a positive change for the race,
and we expect runners will enjoy the venue," said Guy Morse, the Boston
Athletic Association's executive director. "The Emerald Necklace is one of
the premier attractions of the race, and we are pleased to have been able
to highlight this unique landscape architecture masterpiece for 10 years
now." Since 2001, the B.A.A. has directed a portion of the entry fees
towards the Emerald Necklace Conservancy which works to preserve, maintain,
and promote this historic park system.
Franklin Park is one of the oldest in America, and is the largest jewel of
Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace park system, covering 527 acres in
Dorchester and Roxbury. Franklin Park also serves as home for several other
B.A.A. events, including the annual Boston Public Middle Schools Cross
Country Championship on October 21 which is staged in connection with the
Boston Public School Department and the Boston Center for Youth and
Families and the 21st Annual Mayor's Cup Cross Country and Youth Races on
October 24.
Runners in the Half Marathon are mostly from New England, but some will
travel from Africa, Europe, and Central America to the starting line with a
record crowd of 6,000 runners. The database of entrants in the 2010 B.A.A.
Half Marathon is located here. The field of professional runners who will
vie for a total prize money purse of $30,000 will be released in the coming
weeks.
The B.A.A. Half Marathon is presented annually by Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute and The Jimmy Fund. Through its Running the Race Against Cancer®
team of participants, more than 500 B.A.A. Half Marathon runners will
advance cancer research and improve patient care through their fundraising
efforts. Interested runners who have missed the chance to register through
the B.A.A. may still be able to join the Dana-Farber team. To learn more,
visit their website.
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit
organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a
healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston
Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the organization
manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and
year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the
Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial.
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