B.A.A. Adds Random Selection to Entry Protocol for 2014 B.A.A. Half Marathon®

Source: Boston Athletic Association

  Date: July 9, 2014

20% of 8,000 runner field to be randomly selected from all submissions during registration on Wednesday and Thursday, July 16-17

BOSTON - The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) will add a random selection component to the registration process for the 2014 B.A.A. Half Marathon® when entries are accepted next month. 

The 14th B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented by Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund, will be held on Sunday, October 12 and will have a field size of 8,000 entrants. The race starts and finishes in Boston's Franklin Park at 8:30 a.m. and is New England's most popular 13.1 mile road race.

Registration will open on Wednesday, July 16 at 10:00 a.m. ET, and 3,000 entrants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The remainder of the field will be filled through random selection of those applicants who submit an entry by Thursday, July 17 at 5:00 p.m. ET.  Twenty percent of the overall field (1,600 entrants) will be chosen through random selection.

"In order to address fairly the increasingly growing demand for entry into the B.A.A. Half Marathon, we will introduce an industry-accepted process to our registration protocol," said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director. "We have witnessed interest grow year after year from runners wanting to participate in the B.A.A. Half Marathon, and using random selection to fill part of the field recognizes that there are more runners who want to run this race than we can accommodate."

For the 2013 race last year, the field was filled in eleven minutes on a first-come, first-served basis.

In addition to the first-come, first-served aspect and the random selection component in place for 2014, 700 runners will comprise the Dana-Farber Fundraising Team and each of those team members will raise at least $750 for the Jimmy Fund. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund have been the event's presenting sponsor since 2003. 

Another 2,625 runners are participating in the B.A.A. Distance Medley: the three-race series consisting of the B.A.A. 5K on April 19, the B.A.A. 10K on June 22, and the B.A.A. Half Marathon on October 12.  B.A.A. Distance Medley participants registered in January.

Entry for the B.A.A. Half Marathon will be held entirely online at baa.org, and the entry fee is $75 USD. No additional fee will be imposed for an entry submission into the random selection. Participants in the B.A.A. Half Marathon must be at least 14-years old on race day. Every submission has an equal chance of being selected, and the odds of being selected will be based on the total number of submissions received. Only one submission per person will be accepted.  Entry in the B.A.A. Half Marathon cannot be transferred.  Those who are accepted through random selection and those not accepted will receive notification from the B.A.A. on Friday, July 18via email.