B.A.A. Half Marathon Registration to Open Wednesday, July 17
Third and final event of the 2013 B.A.A. Distance Medley, held on October 13, has a field size limit of 7,500 entrants
BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today announced that registration for the 13th B.A.A. Half Marathon , presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, will begin on Wednesday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Registration will be held online at www.baa.org and will be limited to 7,500 entrants. The cost to register is $65 USD. The B.A.A. Half Marathon will begin on Sunday, October 13 at 8:30 a.m. in Boston ’s Franklin Park .
The 13.1-mile, rolling course is an out-and-back route that runs along the Emerald Necklace park system, highlighting the beauty of the historic park system while furthering the B.A.A.’s mission of promoting health and fitness. The B.A.A. Half Marathon will begin and end at White Stadium in Franklin Park, one of America ’s oldest parks, in Boston ’s Jamaica Plain and Dorchester neighborhoods.
The B.A.A. Half Marathon is presented annually by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. Through its official team of participants, nearly 650 runners will raise funds to advance cancer research and improve patient care. Dana-Farber has a separate registration, open now, for those who would like to join the fundraising team. For more details or to register for the Dana-Farber team, please visit www.RunDanaFarber.org/HalfMarathon.
The B.A.A. Half Marathon is the third and final race in the 2013 B.A.A. Distance Medley, a three-race series which combines the B.A.A. 5K in April, the B.A.A. 10K in June, and the B.A.A. Half Marathon . Each of the three races has its own prize purse. In addition, the male and female B.A.A. Distance Medley champions, determined by the lowest cumulative gun time, will earn $100,000 in prize money at the conclusion of the B.A.A. Half Marathon .
Already registered for the three-race series are 2,050 runners, who signed up for the 2013 B.A.A. Distance Medley in January.
A total prize purse of $38,400 is at stake in the B.A.A. Half Marathon . Prize money will be distributed to the top ten runners overall, the top three in the masters division, and the top three in the push rim wheelchair division. Prize money awards are equal for men and women and are based on gun time results. The overall men’s and women’s B.A.A. Half Marathon champions will each receive $6,000 in prize money.
In the 2012 B.A.A. Half Marathon, Kenya ’s Allan Kiprono set a new event record, winning in 1:01:44. Kenyan compatriots Lani Rutto and Sam Chelanga rounded out the top three, running 1:01:55 and 1:03:22, respectively. Kiprono’s victory in the B.A.A. Half Marathon earned him the overall victory in the 2012 B.A.A. Distance Medley with a cumulative time of 1:44:09.
New Zealand native and Providence , RI resident Kim Smith won the women’s race in 1:10:57, missing the event record, set in 2010 by Kenya ’s Caroline Rotich, by five seconds. Ethiopia ’s Aheza Kiros finished second in 1:12:50 and Kenya ’s Hellen Jemutai placed third in 1:13:35. Smith won the 2012 B.A.A. Distance Medley with a cumulative time of 1:57:59.
Since the event’s inception in 2001, the B.A.A. has directed a portion of the entry fees from the B.A.A. Half Marathon towards the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, which works to preserve, maintain, and promote the historic park system. The Emerald Necklace park system was developed by America ’s first landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, and the B.A.A. Half Marathon features recreational use and appreciation of the landscape, waterways, and parkways as they were intended at the time of design in the late 1800s. The Franklin Park Zoo also has been an attraction of the B.A.A. Half Marathon since the event’s inception.
About the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.)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. The Boston Marathon is part of the World Marathon Majors, along with the international marathons in Tokyo , London , Berlin , Chicago , and New York City . Nearly 50,000 runners will participate in B.A.A. events in 2013. The 118th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 21, 2014. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.
