Rodgers, Samuelson Running Inaugural BAA 10K
Boston
Marathon Champions Joan Benoit Samuelson and
Bill Rodgers Running in the B.A.A. 10K
Inaugural
Event to be held on June 26 at Boston Common; Registration Remains
Open
BOSTON ÛÒ The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today
announced that Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time Boston Marathon Champion Joan
Benoit Samuelson, and four-time Boston Marathon Champion Bill Rodgers will
compete in the inaugural B.A.A. 10K on June 26.
Samuelson recently ran the 2011 Boston Marathon in a
time of 2:51:29, winning the 50-54 age group division. Rodgers served as the
grand marshal of the PatriotsÛª Day race, and ran the race in 2009.
ÛÏJoan and Bill are fixtures of running in New England, and especially within the history of the
B.A.A. and our events,Û said B.A.A. Executive Director, Tom Grilk. ÛÏItÛªs only
fitting that we have these legends help us commence our newest race in
Boston, the
B.A.A. 10K. They are giants in our sport and itÛªs a great pleasure to have them
in our event.Û
Runner registration for the B.A.A. 10K remains open
at www.baa.org.
With her 1983 Boston Marathon performance, the
25-year-old Samuelson established a world record with a time of 2:22:43. In the
1984 Summer Olympics in Los
Angeles, she won Olympic Gold with a time of 2:24:52. She
remains one of just four Boston Marathon champions to have also won gold in the
Olympic Marathon.
Bill RodgersÛª success in Boston began in 1975 when
he won his first Boston Marathon with a then-American record of 2:09:55. He won
again in 1978 with a time of 2:10:13, and in the 1979 Boston Marathon improved
his previous American record with a time of 2:09:27. It was the fastest of his
four Boston
victories, and the fourth-fastest marathon time ever recorded at the time. He
won his fourth Boston in 1980 with a time of
2:12:11.
SamuelsonÛªs American best in Boston stood until this past April when Desiree Davila
finished second with a time of 2:22:38 to Caroline Kilel of Kenya with a
time of 2:22:36. Kilel is also entered into the inaugural event on June 26. A
full list of elite athletes will be released later this month.
The B.A.A. 10K includes a prize purse of $30,000 with
$5,000 awarded to the winners and equally distributed among the top male and
female finishers.
About the
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. Each year the
Association manages a comprehensive schedule of youth-running events, distance
running training programs, and large-scale races in the city of Boston. Most noteworthy is
the Boston Marathon, the world’s most prestigious and oldest
continually run marathon. Since the inaugural race in 1897, the Boston Marathon has been
the pinnacle for distance running worldwide, a position which was reinforced in
1986 with the help of principal sponsor John Hancock Financial Services. In
2006, the Boston Marathon joined the Bank of
America Chicago Marathon, the BMW Berlin Marathon, the Virgin London Marathon, and the ING New York
City Marathon to form the World Marathon Majors.
