B.A.A 5K to Feature Three Past Boston Marathon Champions

Boston, Mass. - Ingrid Kristiansen (Norway, 20th anniversary, 1989), Lorraine Moller (New Zealand, 25th anniversary, 1984) and Neil Cusack (Ireland, 35th anniversary, 1974) will be honored at various festivities during the week leading up to the 113th Boston Marathon, and will once again cross the Boston Marathon finish line - this time as competitors in the debut of the B.A.A. 5K. The 3.1-mile race begins Sunday morning, April 19, at 8 a.m. at Copley Square Park, and will be run on a loop course through the historic Back Bay neighborhood.

"We are excited to celebrate the careers of these great athletes," said Guy Morse, B.A.A. Executive Director. "Kristiansen, Moller and Cusack are each a wonderful reminder of the spirit of the Boston Marathon and the spirit of running as a lifetime sport. It will be a privilege to have them in the field for the first year of our B.A.A. 5K."

Each of the champions had spectacular careers with Kristiansen, in 1986, holding the world records simultaneously in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and marathon; Moller winning the bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics; and Cusack, also an Olympian, remaining the only Irishman to have ever won the Boston Marathon.  In addition, Kristiansen is among the first class of professional athletes to have won prize money at Boston (1986) and was a charter member of John Hancock Financial's Elite Team, which includes many of the world's premier marathoners.
 
Taking the place of the former Freedom Run, the B.A.A. 5K is limited to 4,000 participants, and only a few hundred spots remain. For more information, or to enter, visit www.baa.org/5k.  

Immediately following the 5K race will be the new B.A.A. Invitational Mile, a series of four 1-mile races for professional men and women as well as scholastic boys and girls. Olympic bronze-medalist and Boston-area native Shalane Flanagan will headline the professional field. The scholastic participants will represent the eight host cities and towns along the Boston Marathon course: Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline and Boston.

The 113th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 20, 2009, Patriots' Day, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The race follows a 26.2-mile point-to-point route from the town of Hopkinton, Mass., to Boston's Back Bay. This year's race will begin with the Elite Women's Start at 9:32 a.m.

Additional information about the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, the Boston Marathon and the Boston Athletic Association can be found online at www.baa.org.

Boston Athletic Association
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, including the B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial Services.

For more information on the 2009 Boston Marathon go to the Flotrack 2009 Boston Marathon Coverage page.