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Boston Athletic Association to Launch Athletes’ Village, Virtual Community for Runners of All Levels
BOSTON—The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced the upcoming launch of Athletes’ Village, a virtual community for runners of all levels and abilities. Athletes’ Village will be a virtual hub for free monthly challenges as well as paid training programs, and will serve as a central location for participant and volunteer history, official race results, race updates, and race registration.
Photo by FayFoto
The B.A.A. seeks to engage with 125,000 athletes worldwide through the online Athletes’ Village in honor of and leading up to next year’s 125th Boston Marathon. “Whether you are an accomplished marathoner, looking to increase your physical activity in the new year, or brand new to the sport of running, Athletes’ Village will provide a space for you to achieve your fitness goals and celebrate your accomplishments with a global community,” said Tom Grilk, President & C.E.O. of the B.A.A.
The online community will formally launch on Tuesday, January 5th with a free, six-week Winter Warm-Up training program designed for new runners, runners recovering from injury, and anyone looking to be more active in 2021. Created by Mark Carroll, B.A.A. High Performance coach and two-time Olympian for Ireland, the Winter Warm-Up will provide structured weekly goals to increase participants’ aerobic abilities and build endurance for a spring 5K.
Athletes looking to take on an additional challenge can conquer the January challenges: logging 125 miles or completing a total of 125 minutes of activity throughout the month. Additional challenges for Athletes’ Village will be announced every month. Participants must create a free account to access content on the platform. “January is a perfect time to plan your fitness goals for the year.
Whether those goals include running your first or fastest 5K, we’ve designed training plans and monthly challenges that will push you to achieve your goals,” said Carroll. Athletes’ Village will also feature message boards for participants to connect with one another and build a virtual community. Those enrolled in training programs will be able to access program-specific message boards featuring training tips, exercise videos, and insight from the B.A.A.’s High Performance team runners and coaches. Runners and volunteers can create accounts in Athletes’ Village throughout the year.
“Athletes’ Village will challenge the most experienced runners, introduce the sport to new runners, and be a platform for all to benefit from running and living an active lifestyle,” said Grilk. The 125th Boston Marathon was postponed from April to Fall 2021; a date has not yet been established. Race updates will be shared when available in the Athletes’ Village platform in addition to www.baa.org and across Boston Marathon social media platforms.
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. manages the Boston Marathon, and also supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.
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