BAA Half Marathon Registration now Closed

B.A.A. Half Marathon® Registration is Now Closed

               

Third and final
event of the 2015 B.A.A. Distance Medley, held on October 11, quickly
reached its field size limit of 8,500 entrants

 

BOSTON ‰ÛÒ The Boston Athletic Association
(B.A.A.) today announced that registration for the 15th B.A.A. Half
Marathon, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund,
closed after its 8,500 entrant field size limit was reached.
The B.A.A. Half Marathon will be held on Sunday, October 11, 2015, and
will be the third and final race in the 2015 B.A.A. Distance Medley.
Registration opened on Wednesday, July 15 at 10:00 a.m. ET, and closed
at 5:00 p.m. ET, on Thursday, July 16.

 

Similar to 2014, the B.A.A. Half Marathon used
both a first-come, first-served and random selection process to fill the
8,500 runner field. A total of 2,640 runners pre-registered for the
event through B.A.A. Distance Medley registration,
which was held in January. In addition, up to 700 runners will comprise
the Dana-Farber Fundraising Team, raising at least $750 for the Jimmy
Fund.

 

Approximately 5,000 entries were available
beginning on Wednesday, July 15, with 2,000 selected by a first-come,
first-served basis. The remaining 3,000 entrants will be decided through
random selection of those applicants who submitted
an entry before the 5:00 p.m. ET closing time on Thursday, July 16. 

 

The B.A.A. Half Marathon is presented annually
by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. Through its official
team of participants, up to 700 runners will raise funds to advance
cancer research and improve patient care. Dana-Farber
has a separate registration, and spaces are still available 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.

 

 

EVENT NOTES:

 

·        
The B.A.A. Half Marathon‰Ûªs 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.‰Ûªs 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‰Ûªs oldest parks, in
Boston‰Ûªs Jamaica Plain and Dorchester neighborhoods.

·        
The B.A.A. Half Marathon is the third and final
race in the 2015 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, top finishers of the events are
eligible to win bonus prize money based upon podium finishes.

·        
A total prize purse of $55,800 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‰Ûªs and women‰Ûªs B.A.A. Half Marathon
champions will each receive $10,000 in prize money.

·        
At the 2014 B.A.A. Half Marathon, Ethiopia‰Ûªs Lelisa
Desisa successfully retained his men‰Ûªs title, finishing in a time of
1:01:38. Desisa‰Ûªs win was a precursor to his triumphant victory at the
2015 Boston Marathon in April. Kenya‰Ûªs
Stephen Sambu came away with the B.A.A. Distance Medley crown, having
finished in the top four at all three events.  

·        
Ethiopia‰Ûªs Mamitu Daska won the women‰Ûªs race at the
2014 B.A.A. Half Marathon in record fashion, setting an event record of
1:08:20 en route to defeating Kenyan Cynthia Limo by four seconds.
American Molly Huddle took third in
1:09:22. With her victory, Daska solidified the B.A.A. Distance Medley
title; she won both the B.A.A. Half Marathon and B.A.A. 10K in 2014, and
placed second in the B.A.A. 5K.

·        
Since the event‰Ûªs 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‰Ûªs
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‰Ûªs
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 promoting a
healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.‰Ûªs
Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon. The
organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive
charity, youth, and year-round running programs, including high
performance athletes and running club. Since 1986, the principal sponsor
of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial.
The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along
with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New
York City. More than 60,000 runners will participate in B.A.A. events in
2015. The 120th Boston Marathon will be
held on Monday, April 18, 2016. For more information on the B.A.A.,
please visit
www.baa.org.