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Massachusetts > Boston Athletic Association Half Marathon
Boston,
MA
Date
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Event
Details
Run by the same athletic organization that stages the fabled Boston
Marathon each April, the B.A.A. Half Marathon is a much younger sibling
of the full 26.2-mile marathon (9 years for the B.A.A. half vs. 114
years for the Boston Marathon)
and takes runners on a tour of different parts of the city, starting at
Roberto Clemente Field in the Back Bay Fens neighborhood near Fenway
Park along the Arborway to the Riverway to Franklin Park, where the
turnaround point back to the finish line lies.
With numerous rolling hills along a combination out-and-back and loop
course made up entirely of Boston's paved city streets, the B.A.A. Half
shows off the city's parkland areas, taking runners past Olmstead Park,
Jamaica Plain (and the Jamaica Pond) and the Arnold Arboretum on the
way to Franklin Park. The loop portion of the course occurs around
Olmstead Park, as runners run along either side of the park in the
first and second halves of the race.
In just its eighth year (the 2009 running will be its 9th annual
running), the race
has already become of the nation's most popular half-marathon events,
with
more than 5,100 entrants and 3,702 finishers in 2008. Part of that is
due, no doubt, to the course's route along Boston's "Emerald Necklace,"
the system of linear parks designed by legendary urban architect
Frederick Law Olmstead (for whom the first park along the Necklace is
named).
Part of the mission of the event is to raise both funds and awareness
for the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, which aims to re-establish the
parks according to Olmstead's vision with new landscaping and
distinctive waterways and trails for everyone, from walkers and runners
to bicyclists. Proceeds from the race's 2009 running also will go
towards the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, which
funds and conducts research towards finding treatments and with the
goal of finding a cure for many of the major cancer types.
Race
Weather & Climate
Though the 2007 running of the event saw unseasonably warm, sunny
weather, the Boston metro area tends to experience cool to mild weather
conditions in the early fall, as October temperatures average between
46°F and 62°F. Be prepared for wet weather, as rainfall
averages about 3.79 inches for the month.
Fees
N/A
Registration
Registration for the fall 2009 running of the Boston Athletic
Association
Half Marathon is now closed, as the available spaces for the event have
filled. Please check back for info on how to sign up for the 2010
running of the race.
Website
www.baa.org
Course
Map
Share
Your Race Story
Ever run in Massachusetts' Boston Athletic Association Half Marathon?
Share
your impressions and read fellow runners' stories
and tips for the event.
Post your comments in Runner Reviews for the B.A.A. Half
Marathon
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