Boston's Emerald Necklace
park system glistened in the mist as Fenway Park
and the Franklin Park Zoo played starring roles
at the second annual B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented
by New England Baptist Hospital.
New for 2002, the course included
running the inside perimeter of Fenway
Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. The
participants entered from the centerfield gate,
ran clockwise on the warning track, and exited
back onto Landsdowne Street through the same gate.
The distance run inside the park was ¼-mile,
and runners' images were displayed live on the
video board as they ran through Major League Baseball's
legendary structure. The Red Sox also played baseball-theme
music to inspire the runners and wish them well
on their trek.
-- by Jack
Fleming
Notes:
Last year's men's champion - Wayne
Levy, 37, of Newton, Mass. - finished fifth
in 1:12:12.
Bill
Rodgers, 4-time Boston Marathon champion,
returned to run the B.A.A. Half Marathon. Rodgers
won is age category in 2001, and repeated the
feat this year in a time of 1:16:05, an incredible
four minuntes, 26 seconds faster than his age
division-winning time of 1:20:31 last year. Rodgers,
54, was not only the first Veteran (age 50 and
older), he also was the first 40-and-older finisher.
He was eleventh entering the Zoo just prior to
the seven mile point, and he held his position
to the finish. In 2001, he was 27th overall.
Tim
Kelly, of Weymouth, Mass., won the men's
wheelchair division for the second straight year
with a time of 1:06:51. He beat runner-up Erik
Corbett, of Methuen, Mass. (1:14:38) and
third place finisher Christopher
Ahearn, of Roslindale, Mass. (1:28:59).
Ahearn was runner-up last year. There were no
female wheelchair division racers who started.
New
England Baptist Hospital, located on
Mission Hill just steps away from the Emerald
Necklace, was the presenting sponsor of the half
marathon for the second year. A world leader in
orthopedics and sports medicine, NEBH is proud
to join with the B.A.A. for this premier event,
which benefits its community and caters to athletes
of every level. Hundreds of participants attended
a complimentary health education seminar series,
presented by New England Baptist Hospital experts,
on Saturday. Topics included running psychology,
nutrition for runners, common running injuries,
and selecting proper footwear.
The 2002 B.A.A. Half Marathon
was dedicated to
Justine Liff, Boston's first female Commissioner
of its Parks and Recreation Department and who
died on September 11 of this year. Justine was
a strong proponent of the B.A.A.'s mission of
fostering fitness through athletics, especially
among the City's youth. Boston Mayor Thomas M.
Menino was present at the start of the half marathon
and welcomed participants to the event.
The Boston
Athletic Association won both the men's
and women's open team titles, as well as the men's
masters division team title, for the second consecutive
year.
A portion of the entry fees
will be donated to the Emerald
Necklace Conservancy for the maintenance,
preservation and beautification of the park system.
The Franklin
Park Zoo once again was a featured
aspect of the course and located at the runners'
turnaround point. Runners reported that they especially
noticed ostriches this year, among other animals
such as giraffes.
