Boston Athletic Association
Official Logo of the Boston Athletic Association
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| Formation | 15 March 1887 |
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| Founder | Robert F. Clark |
| Legal status | Non-profit (501c3) |
| Headquarters | 185 Dartmouth Street, Boston, MA 02116 |
| Location | |
| Leader | Joann Flaminio (2011 - Present) |
| Mission | Promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running |
| Website | www |
The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit, running focused, organized sports association for the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the world-renowned Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Marathon, the B.A.A. Distance Medley (comprising the 5k, 10K, and half marathon events), and the B.A.A. Invitational Mile.
The mission of the B.A.A. is promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running.
Among the nation's oldest athletic clubs, the Boston Athletic Association was established on March 15, 1887 under its first president, Robert F. Clark, and with the support of George Walker Weld and other leading sports enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and politicians of the day.
According to Article II of its 1890 Yearbook Constitution, their objective was to "encourage all manly sports and promote physical culture." The B.A.A. clubhouse on the corner of Exeter and Boylston Streets in Boston's Back Bay was completed in 1888, on the present-day site of the 1970s-era expansion of the Boston Public Library. In addition to such facilities as a gymnasium, bowling alley, billiard hall, Turkish baths and tennis courts, the Association also owned a shooting range and a country club.
Among the active sports of the day were boxing, fencing, water polo and athletics. The club held its first organized track and field competition in 1890 and in 1897 the first famed Boston Marathon took place. A unicorn was chosen as the Association's symbol and appears on the Boston Marathon medals to this day.
In 1936, the original clubhouse was closed due to financial hardship. The B.A.A. is now headquartered at 185 Dartmouth Street. In 1986, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. assumed major sponsorship of the Boston Marathon. The B.A.A continues to rely on the support of John Hancock and other sponsors and contributors not only with its signature event, the Boston Marathon, but also in its year-round community programming.
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