FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2013 Boston Marathon® Top Finishers to Compete at 13th B.A.A. Half Marathon
Ethiopians Lelisa Desisa and Gebre Gebremariam Return to Boston
BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today announced that 2013
Boston Marathon® champion Lelisa Desisa and Gebre Gebremariam, who
placed third at both the 2011 and 2013 Boston Marathon, will return to
Boston and compete in the 13th B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented by
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. The B.A.A. Half Marathon
will be held on Sunday, October 13, 2013 at Boston's Franklin Park and will
include more than 7,500 participants. The event reached its field size
limit in twelve minutes when registration opened in July.
Desisa, of Ethiopia, won the 2013 Boston Marathon on April 15 in 2:10:22,
using a well-timed finishing kick on Boylston Street to defeat Kenya's
Micah Kogo and Gebremariam. In his debut marathon on January 25, Desisa won
the Dubai Marathon in 2:04:45, which is his personal best. He also earned a
silver medal at the IAAF World Championships Marathon in Moscow this
August, finishing behind Uganda's Stephen Kiprotich, the gold medalist in
the 2012 London Olympic Games Marathon. Desisa holds a half marathon
personal best of 59:30, established at the 2011 Delhi Half Marathon, and
has run faster than one hour for the distance four times.
Gebremariam, of Ethiopia, finished six seconds behind Desisa in the 2013
Boston Marathon, placing third in the event for the second time. He also
placed third at the 2011 Boston Marathon, running 2:04:53 behind Kenyans
Geoffrey Mutai (champion) and Moses Mosop (runner-up). At the 2010 New York
City Marathon, Gebremariam earned the victory, running 2:08:14. He also won
the gold medal at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman,
Jordan. Gebremariam set his half marathon personal best of 1:00:25 at the
2010 Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon.
"We are honored to welcome two of our sport's best competitors back to
Boston for the B.A.A. Half Marathon," said B.A.A. Executive Director Tom
Grilk. "Lelisa will be forever associated with our City and the Boston
Marathon, and his gift of his 2013 winner's medallion to the people of
Boston in June was a heartfelt and sincere gesture in recognition of the
bombings and those who were attacked."
The B.A.A. Half Marathon's 13.1-mile, rolling course is an out-and-back
route that runs along the Emerald Necklace park system, highlighting the
beauty of the historic park system while furthering the B.A.A.'s mission of
promoting health and fitness. The B.A.A. Half Marathon will begin and end
at White Stadium in Franklin Park, one of America's oldest parks, in
Boston's Jamaica Plain and Dorchester neighborhoods.
Desisa and Gebremariam will lead the competition for a total prize purse of
$38,400 USD. The overall men's and women's B.A.A. Half Marathon champions
will each receive $6,000 USD. Prize money will be distributed to the top
ten runners overall, the top three in the masters division, and the top
three in the push rim wheelchair division. Prize money awards are equal for
men and women and are based on gun time results.
Men's and Women's Open Division Prize Structure
PLACE AMOUNT (USD)
1 $6,000
2 $4,000
3 $2,500
4 $1,500
5 $1,000
6 $800
7 $600
8 $500
9 $400
10 $300
About the Boston Athletic Association (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. The B.A.A.'s Boston
Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the organization
manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and
year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the
Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial. The Boston Marathon is
part of the World Marathon Majors, along with the international marathons
in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. Nearly 50,000 runners
will participate in B.A.A. events in 2013. The 118th Boston Marathon will
be held on Monday, April 21, 2014. For more information on the B.A.A.,
please visit www.baa.org.
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