B.A.A.
Half Marathon® Quickly Reaches Field Size
Limit

 

 B.A.A.
Distance Medley entrants headline the field

with
one race remaining in the three-race series

 

BOSTON ‰ÛÓ The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.)
today announced that registration for the 2012 B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
and the Jimmy Fund, has closed after its 7,000 entrant field size limit was
reached in one hour. The twelfth edition of New
England’s premier half marathon is set for Sunday, October 7, 2012,
and will be the final race in the inaugural B.A.A. Distance Medley.

 

The B.A.A.
Half Marathon is presented by Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. Through its Running the Race Against
Cancer® team of participants, nearly 600 runners will advance cancer research
and improve patient care through their fundraising efforts. A limited number of
entries remain available for those wishing to run as part of the Dana-Farber
Team. Go to www.rundanafarber.org for details and to
register.

 

B.A.A.
Executive Director Tom Grilk noted, “The rapid filling of the B.A.A. Half
Marathon field speaks to the depth of our running tradition here in Boston, at all levels of
participation. We at the B.A.A. are privileged to be part of it, and we will
continue to look for additional ways to help to continue the development and
growth of that tradition.”

 

Included
among the 7,000 entrants will be a field of top international athletes, vying
for a combined prize purse of $38,400. Additionally, $100,000 will be awarded to
the male and female atop the B.A.A. Distance Medley standings after the
conclusion of the B.A.A. Half Marathon.

 

The B.A.A.
Half Marathon marks the third and final race of the B.A.A. Distance Medley, a
three-race series which combines the B.A.A. 5K on April 15, the B.A.A.
10K on June 24, and the B.A.A. Half Marathon on October 7. One male and one female
champion will hold the title of B.A.A. Distance Medley champion at the
conclusion of the B.A.A. Half Marathon, and
scoring for the B.A.A. Distance Medley is based on the cumulative time of all
three races. The aggregate scoring system is intended
to maximize interest in the series among runners, the general public, and the
media. With only one race remaining, four men are within seconds of each other
and three women remain in contention for the title.

 

Among the
B.A.A. Distance Medley competitors taking part in the B.A.A. Half Marathon are
reigning B.A.A. Half Marathon champion and current B.A.A. Distance Medley men’s
leader Ali Abdosh, of Ethiopia; 2012
Olympian and B.A.A. Distance Medley women’s leader Kim Smith, of New Zealand, who won the
B.A.A. 10K last month. Other contenders for the B.A.A. Distance Medley title are
B.A.A. 5K runner-up Sam Chelanga, of
Kenya, who was runner-up at the 2011 B.A.A. Half Marathon; and Allan Kiprono and
Lani Rutto, both of Kenya, who are also very much in contention. Kiprono was
fifth place at both the 5K and 10K, while Rutto was third place at the 5K and
seventh place at the 10K. The women who are closest to Smith in the standings
are Aheza Kiros, of
Ethiopia, who placed second
at both the 5K and 10K; and Jelliah
Tinega, of Kenya, who was eighth at the 5K and
fourth at the 10K.

 

After the
B.A.A. 5K, the first race of the three-race series, Chelanga and Kiros led the
standings by thee and five seconds, respectively. Then, after a third place
finish by Abdosh and a record setting win by Smith, new leaders were atop the
standings following June’s B.A.A. 10K.

 

Men’s
Distance Medley Leaders

Name
(Citizenship)             
           
Age                 

Ali
Abdosh
(ETH)                        
24        
                                   

Sam
Chelanga (KEN)                 
27                                

Allan
Kiprono (KEN)                 
22        

Lani
Rutto (KEN)                        
23

 

Women’s
Distance Medley Leaders

Name
(Citizenship)             
           
Age     

Kim
Smith (NZL)                           
30        

Aheza
Kiros (ETH)                      
26        

Jelliah
Tinega (KEN)                 
26        

 

Starting and
finishing at White Stadium in Boston’s Franklin
Park, the B.A.A. Half Marathon showcases Boston’s
Emerald Necklace park system, as well as the Dorchester and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods. The race
begins at 8:30 a.m. on the Sunday of the Columbus Day holiday weekend.

 

Since the
race’s inception in 2001, the B.A.A. has directed a portion of the entry fees
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’s 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 2001.

 

 

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. The B.A.A.’s Boston Marathon is the
world’s oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events
and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs.
Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston
Marathon has been John Hancock Financial. The
Boston Marathon is part of the World Marathon
Majors along with the Virgin London Marathon, BMW
Berlin Marathon, Bank of America Chicago
Marathon, and the ING New York City Marathon.

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