The Boston Athletic Association’s Half Marathon is back, with thousands of runners lacing up in person at Franklin Park Sunday morning for the first time since 2019.
Approximately 6,400 of the 9,000 runners who registered for the race showed up, despite cool temperatures and rainy weather conditions. Organizers took precautions to keep runners safe and warm, according to Director of Operations Lauren Proshan.
“It is wet and soggy out there but we have a lot of medical resources both at the start and the finish and along the course. We’ve got warming blankets, we’ve got a lot of warming tents so hopefully we should be good,” Proshan said. “And the buses are ready to take athletes back to their cars as soon as they’re done.”
Runner William Biancucci traveled from Chicago with his fiancé for the race in the hopes of one day returning to run the full Boston Marathon.
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“It was a little wet but still a great crowd, great energy,” Biancucci said. “It’s Boston -- so much history, it’s a running town. So I loved it. It was great.”
Event records were set in both the men’s and women’s wheelchair divisions. Elite runners at the front of the field included Olympic and Paralympic medalists and Boston Marathon Champions. The race also featured a Para Athletics Division for the first time, showcasing athletes with lower-limb, upper-limb, and visual impairments.
Sponsored by the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, the race has raised more than $8 million for cancer research since 2003. The 13.1 mile course starts and ends in Franklin Park.
