B.A.A. Half Marathon Boasts Record Field, New Location for 10-10-10 – Boston’s most popular 13.1-mile road race starts, finishes at Franklin Park

BOSTON – The 10th B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fundwill start and finish in White Stadium in Boston's Franklin Park at 8:30am on Sunday, October 10, 2010m marking the biggest change of the popular race since its inaugural run in 2001.

Steadily rising in popularity among road races in New England, the B.A.A. Half Marathon reached its field size limit of 6,000 just two hours after registration opened on July 14, 2010. The race is not accepting additional entrants.

The race course has been reversed from previous years, and still includes long portions along the Emerald Necklace park system, and a running tour of the animal exhibits in the Franklin Park Zoo. Runners will enjoy spacious areas for pre-race warm-ups and post-race entertainment at White Stadium in Franklin Park, where food, refreshments, and entertainment from Boston-based musical group Brothers McCann will greet participants after they finish.

"Moving the start and finish of the B.A.A. Half Marathon to Franklin Park for the event's tenth anniversary has been a positive change for the race, and we expect runners will enjoy the venue," said Guy Morse, the Boston Athletic Association's executive director. "The Emerald Necklace is one of the premier attractions of the race, and we are pleased to have been able to highlight this unique landscape architecture masterpiece for 10 years now."

Since 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 this historic park system.

Franklin Park is one of the oldest in America, and is the largest jewel of Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace park system, covering 527 acres in Dorchester and Roxbury. Franklin Park also serves as home for several other B.A.A. events, including the annual Boston Public Middle Schools Cross Country Championship on Saturday, October 21, 2010 which is staged in connection with the Boston Public School Department and the Boston Center for Youth and Families and the 21st Mayor's Cup Cross Country and Youth Races on October 24.

Runners in the Half Marathon are mostly from New England, but some will travel from Africa, Europe, and Central America to the starting line with a record crowd of 6,000 runners. The database of entrants in the 2010 B.A.A. Half Marathon is located here. The field of professional runners who will vie for a total prize money purse of $30,000 will be released in the coming weeks.

The B.A.A. Half Marathon is presented annually by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund. Through its Running the Race Against Cancer team of participants, more than 500 B.A.A. Half Marathon runners will advance cancer research and improve patient care through their fundraising efforts. Interested runners who have missed the chance to register through the B.A.A. may still be able to join the Dana-Farber team. To learn more, visit their website, https://www.dana-farber.org/how/danafarber/

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.