B.A.A. Half Boasts Record Field, New Location

Boston, Mass. ‰ÛÓ The
10^th 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 21^st 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.