BAA Half Marathon To Run Through Fenway Park
The second annual BAA Half Marathon will circle the ballfield of Boston's Fenway Park, the Boston Athletic Association and the Boston Red Sox announced today.

E-mail this page  Printer-friendly page Related info: Urban Gem: The BAA Half Marathon Registration Closes for 2002 BAA Half Marathon

Posted Friday, 27 September, 2002

BOSTON (Sept. 27, 2002) -- The second annual BAA Half Marathon will circle the ballfield of Boston's Fenway Park, the Boston Athletic Association and the Boston Red Sox announced today.

Shortly after starting the Oct. 13 road race in Boston's Back Bay, 4,000 participants -- including several in the wheelchair division -- will enter the ballpark from the centerfield gate, running clockwise around the perimeter of the field. After passing the one-mile marker in front of Fenway Park's legendary Green Monster, participants will exit from the same centerfield gate and continue along the 13.1-mile race course.

"The BAA has created an immensely popular road race, showcasing many of the neighborhoods along the Emerald Necklace park system, and the Boston Red Sox are pleased to lend their support for the success of the BAA. Half Marathon," said Dr. Charles Steinberg, executive vice president of public affairs for the Boston Red Sox. "As host to the start and finish, the Fenway neighborhood is a highlight of the half marathon. As part of the Fenway community, we look forward to opening our gates to runners and allowing them to experience our legendary ballpark."

The BAA Half Marathon is believed to be the first mass-participatory road race ever to run through Fenway Park. Runners will stay on the warning track and the distance around the perimeter is approximately 1/4-mile.

Fenway Park opened on April 20, 1912 and for the most part has remained unchanged. With its manually operated scoreboard, its geometrically peculiar shape (including the only ladder in play in the majors) and the stories of the legends that have played there for more than eight decades, Fenway remains a link to the legends of baseball's past.

The rest of the course follows the Emerald Necklace, a chain of Boston parks, and a portion of the entry fees will be donated to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy for the maintenance, preservation and beautification of the parks. After the start in the Back Bay Fens and Fenway Park, the course takes in the Riverway, Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, the Arborway, Franklin Park and the Franklin Park Zoo before heading back to the finish at Roberto Clemente Field via the Arborway, Jamaicaway and Riverway.

"The involvement of the Red Sox in this year's BAA Half Marathon enhances the runners' tour of the Fenway neighborhood and Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace, as participants will race through one of Boston's most celebrated and recognizable attractions: Fenway Park," said Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

Menino also announced that the BAA Half Marathon would be dedicated to the memory of Justine Mee Liff, the commissioner of Boston Parks and Recreation who died on Sept. 11.

"Justine's commitment to Boston's park system, and the Emerald Necklace in particular, resulted in the restoration and development of open spaces for community use throughout the City," said Menino. "The beauty and inspirational qualities of the BAA Half Marathon course are due in large part to Justine's belief that parks should be clean, lively and help to build a sense of community."

The 2nd Annual BAA Half Marathon will be run on Sunday, October 13, beginning at 8:00 a.m. Entry for participation is now closed with the race already having reached its maximum field size of 4,000 runners.

The BAA Half Marathon is organized by the Boston Athletic Association, best known for its Boston Marathon, and is the only half marathon road race currently held in either Brookline or Boston. It is also the largest half marathon in the state. New England Baptist Hospital is the presenting sponsor of the event.

Related info:
Urban Gem: The BAA Half Marathon

Registration Closes for 2002 BAA Half Marathon

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