B.A.A. Announces Date, Location, and Field Size for 2014 B.A.A. 5K

Held on Saturday, April 19 at Boston Common, the 2014 B.A.A. 5K will have a field size limit of 10,000 entrants

BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today announced that the B.A.A. 5K will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2014, two days prior to the 2014 Boston Marathon®. The start and finish will be relocated from Copley Square Park to Boston Common. Registration will be held online at www.baa.org beginning on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. ET and will be limited to 10,000 entrants. The cost to register is $50 USD and participants must be 10 years of age or older to register.

Since its inception in 2009, the B.A.A. 5K has been held on a Sunday, one day prior to the Boston Marathon. In recognition of Easter Sunday on April 20, 2014, the 2014 B.A.A. 5K will be held on Saturday, April 19, two days prior to the Boston Marathon.

“We have expanded the field size for the 2014 B.A.A. 5K to provide more people with an opportunity to experience one of our athletic events during Boston Marathon Weekend,” said B.A.A. Executive Director Tom Grilk. “In doing so we are particularly mindful of the desire of a great many people to make an athletic display of their resilience in the face of the April 2013 attack on Boston. With an adjusted location and date, the B.A.A. 5K will continue to provide the boost of excitement and running spirit that have quickly made it a Boston Marathon Weekend tradition embraced by elite and recreational runners alike.”

The start and finish of the B.A.A. 5K will be relocated from Copley Square Park to Boston Common. The 2014 B.A.A. 5K course will be a scenic tour through Boston’s Back Bay and will take participants down Boylston Street and across the Boston Marathon finish line. All registered participants will receive an event t-shirt from adidas, a finisher medal, and an exciting atmosphere on Boston Common as the B.A.A. and the City of Boston prepare for the Boston Marathon two days later.

The B.A.A. 5K will mark the beginning of the 2014 B.A.A. Distance Medley, a three-race series which combines the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, and the B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. Registration for the 2014 B.A.A. Distance Medley will be limited. Registration will begin at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, January 22 and will continue until Wednesday, January 29 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

About the Boston Athletic Association (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. 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 international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. Nearly 50,000 runners participated in B.A.A. events in 2013. The 118th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 21, 2014. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.

MEDIA: For further information, please contact
Marc Davis, B.A.A. Communications Manager
(office: 617-778-1633; mobile: 703-439-0751; mdavis@baa.org)

Jack Fleming, B.A.A. Director of Marketing & Communications
(office: 617-778-1627; fleming@baa.org)