For
Release: Thursday, February 24, 2011
Boston
Athletic Association to Open Registration for
Third
Annual B.A.A. 5K on March 2
Click Here: Golf Equipment Online
Boston, MA.
ÛÒThe Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today announced that registration for
the third annual B.A.A. 5K opens on Wednesday, March 2 at 10:00 a.m. Online
registration will take place at www.baa.org/races/5k, and the field is
limited to the first 5,000 entrants. The race will take place on Sunday, April
17 at 8:00 a.m. and provides participants with an opportunity to cross the
famous Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street. New for 2011, the B.A.A.
is offering a $30,000 prize purse for the raceÛªs top finishers with $5,000 each
to the top male and female runner.
The 3.1-mile course starts at
Copley
Square, and passes historical landmarks such as the
Massachusetts State House, the Bull and Finch Pub (the inspiration for
ÛÏCheersÛ), the Boston Common, and the Boston Public
Garden. The race is an
energizing prelude to MondayÛªs Boston Marathon, and marathoners have come out to
support line the 5K participants in previous years.
ÛÏThe B.A.A. 5K has been a well-received
addition to Boston Marathon weekend, and weÛªre delighted to showcase the Back
Bay and Beacon Hill neighborhoods with this
event,Û said Tom Grilk, executive director of the Boston Athletic Association.
ÛÏWeÛªve opened the finish of our Marathon course
to runners of shorter distances and offered them a chance to shine on one of our
sportÛªs biggest weekends. We hope that some of our Marathon weekend visitors from out of town will take part
and see more of our city. With elite runners now competing for a $30,000 prize
purse, weÛªve added a new facet which brings additional interest and a bit more
drama to the marathon weekend.Û
In 2010, nearly 5,000 entrants from 31
countries and 49 states crossed the finish line at the B.A.A. 5K. Last yearÛªs
menÛªs winner Josh Cox lunged across the line in 14:30, narrowly missing Jarrod
ShoemakerÛªs course record (14:29) from the previous year. Jennifer Campbell, of
Newmarket, New Hampshire won the womenÛªs race in a time
of 16:50, establishing the course record by 44 seconds. For more information on
the 2011 B.A.A. 5K, please visit the B.A.A. web site at www.baa.org/races/5k
The B.A.A. 5K precedes the B.A.A.
Invitational Mile, also on April 17 and which includes two professional and four
youth races featuring student athletes from the eight cities and towns along the
Boston Marathon course. These mile races are spectator-friendly events that
showcase local as well as international talent as the competitors run laps
around a city block at the Boston Marathon finish line.
About the
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. Each year the
Association manages a comprehensive schedule of youth-running events, distance
running training programs, and large-scale races in the city of Boston. Most noteworthy is
the Boston Marathon, the world’s most prestigious and oldest
continually run marathon. Since the inaugural race in 1897, the Boston Marathon has been
the pinnacle for distance running worldwide, a position which was reinforced in
1986 with the help of principal sponsor John Hancock Financial. In 2006, the
Boston Marathon joined the Bank of
America Chicago Marathon, the Berlin Marathon, the Virgin London Marathon, and the ING New York
City Marathon to form the World Marathon Majors.