2009 B.A.A. Marathon On-Line Registration Up & Running

Registration
for 113th Boston Marathon Openrd on
September 3

Six new organizations added to
official Boston Marathon Charity Program

Boston,
Mass. ‰ÛÒ Online registration for the 113th Boston Marathon, scheduled
for April 20, 2009, will begin at 9:00 a.m. eastern time on Wednesday,
September 3. Held on Patriots’ Day, a Massachusetts holiday, Boston is
the world’s oldest annual marathon. Since 1986, the principal sponsor
of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial Services.

For the second consecutive year, the
field will be limited to 25,000 entrants. In 2008 the field filled by late
February and race organizers expect the 2009 race to each its limit even
faster.

To qualify for the 113th Boston
Marathon, runners must meet the designated time standard for their age group.
Qualifying times must be run on or after September 29, 2007 at a certified
marathon. Qualifying standards may be viewed at http://www.baa.org/BostonMarathon/Qualifying.asp. Seeding of the race is based on
qualifying times, which are subject to review and verification. In 2008, runners
with a qualifying time faster than 3:35:00 began in Wave One of the race, while
all others began in Wave Two.

In addition to online registration,
runners may download a PDF application at www.baa.org, or request a hard-copy
application by emailing registration@baa.org. Entries will be accepted until the
maximum field size of 25,000 athletes has been reached.

Official Boston Marathon Charity
Program Adds Six New Organizations

The official Boston Marathon Charity
Program recognizes a select group of charities every year, providing each with
entries to be used for fundraising purposes. In 2008, more than 1,200 runners
represented the Charity Program’s 24 organizations, combining to raise more than
$11 million. The Boston Marathon Charity Program has now raised more than $85
million over the past two decades.

Membership in the Charity Program is
for a period of up to three years, so while six charities took part for the
final time in 2008, the B.A.A. recently selected six new charities to
participate in 2009.

New members of the Boston Marathon
Charity Program:

• CYCLE Kids
• GoKids
• Massachusetts Down Syndrome
  Congress
• Perkins School for the
  Blind
• Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
• WalkBoston

Returning
organizations:

• American Liver Foundation,
  New England Chapter
• American Stroke Association-Tedy’s
  Team
• Boston Living Center
• Boston Partners in
  Education
• Bottom Line
• Children’s Hospital Boston
• Dana-Farber Cancer
  Institute
• Good Sports
• Habitat for Humanity Greater
  Boston, Inc.
• Home for Our
  Troops
• Lazarus House
  Ministries
• The Leukemia & Lymphoma
  Society
• Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of
  Cruelty to Children
• Melanoma Foundation of New England
• Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center
• National Multiple Sclerosis
  Society, Central New England
  Chapter
• The Esplanade
  Association
• The New England Center for Children,
  Inc.

Contact information and descriptions
of each charity can be found on the B.A.A.’s Charity Program webpage at http://www.baa.org/BostonMarathon/Charity.asp. Applications will become available
tomorrow, and runners of all ability levels are encouraged to apply
early.

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
Services.