Just 26.2 Days (& Counting) Until 113th BAA Boston Marathon

For
spectators, one key difference in this year’s marathon will be names on
the front bibs of the professional runners. Sponsored by adidas, the
exclusive supplier of officially licensed footwear and apparel for the
Boston Marathon since 1989, the bibs with names will add a personalized
touch to the uniforms of the professional athletes, including
first-time Boston Marathon runners Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall, as well
as returning champions Robert K. Cheruiyot and Dire Tune.

“Names
on bibs will be a great addition to this year’s race, helping with our
effort to better identify the international field of athletes recruited
by our principal sponsor, John Hancock Financial” said Guy Morse,
B.A.A. Executive Director.  “The bibs will further highlight the elite
participants, making them more recognizable along the course for the
fans.”

With
the addition of the Boston Marathon, each of the five World Marathon
Majors events will feature names of the professional athletes on the
race bib.  The other four World Marathon Majors events are in London,
Berlin, Chicago and New York.

On
Sunday, April 19, two new events will take place near Copley Square
Park. Beginning at 8 a.m., the B.A.A. 5K, a new road race, will take
the place of the traditional Freedom Run and offer participants a timed
competitive race. With a capacity of 4,000 runners, the 5K already has
more than 3,000 entrants.  The new event includes part of the route
used by the B.A.A. last year when the organization played host to the
U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Women’s Marathon.  The home stretch and
finish line of the B.A.A. 5K are the same as the Boston Marathon,
giving participants the thrill of experiencing one of the most
spectacular finishes in road running.  Fewer than 750 entries remain
for this inaugural event.

Immediately
following the B.A.A. 5K will be the B.A.A. Invitational Mile. Male and
female professional athletes, as well as top local scholastic milers,
will compete in the mile in a series of four races. Each section of the
B.A.A. Invitational Mile also will end at the Boston Marathon finish
line.

The
professional races will be headlined by Marblehead, MA, native Shalane
Flanagan, a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, while the scholastic races
will feature athletes representing the eight host cities and towns
along the Boston Marathon course: Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham,
Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline and Boston.

In
addition to sponsoring the bibs, adidas is the official supplier of
licensed Boston Marathon apparel.  The recently released line,
available at www.shopadidas.com, features the official 2009 race jacket
and a limited-edition BAA Supernova Sequence, in addition to
performance wear, t-shirts and much more.  The line also will be
available at select specialty retailers and at the John Hancock Sports
and Fitness Expo April 17-19 at the Hynes Convention Center.

More information about the weekend’s events, the Boston Marathon and the B.A.A. can be found online at http://www.baa.org/