Boston Athletic Association

BAA Announces ‘Patriots' Day Mile' to Promote Wellness

The new event will raise money for non-profits focused on health and wellness

NBC Universal, Inc.

Sad about the Boston Marathon being postponed to October? Well, you can still participate in a running event on Patriots' Day, when the iconic race is traditionally run.

The Boston Athletic Association on Thursday announced its inaugural Patriots' Day Mile, a virtual event slated for April 19. The event, expected to be an annual occurrence, aims to raise $125,000 for Boston-area nonprofits focused on health and wellness

While the race is not timed or scored, participants are encouraged to run more than a mile. They can upload their finish times to the Athletes' Village platform.

“The 2021 Patriots’ Day Mile starts a new April marathon weekend tradition that seeks to encourage people of all levels and abilities to come together to run a mile or more,” BAA President and C.E.O. Tom Grilk said in the statement. “Whether new to the sport or an experienced runner, the Patriots’ Day Mile is for everyone to enjoy the benefits of being active on America’s most historic running date.”

The BAA will also host a virtual 5K from Apr. 16 to 18. Registration for the virtual Boston Marathon will begin on Mar. 30, and registration for the in-person marathon will be open from Apr. 20 to 23.

Meanwhile, the in-person component of this year's Boston Marathon will have a reduced field size of 20,000 runners, the BAA announced this month.

Registration for the in-person race will take place April 20 through April 23 and slots will be given based on the amount of time each runner has run under their qualifying standard, the BAA said in a statement.

Contact Us