ABOUT THE B.A.A. AND THE BOSTON MARATHON
The B.A.A. has organized the Boston Marathon since the event’s inception in 1897
The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's most prestigious road racing events. The Boston Marathon has distinguished itself as a pinnacle event within the sport of road racing by virtue of its traditions, longevity, and method of gaining entry into the race via qualification.
THE MODERN ERA OF THE BOSTON MARATHON
When Guy Morse took the reins of the B.A.A. in 1985, he was given a rotary phone and an empty office in the old Boston Garden. The days of the B.A.A. Games at the Boston Garden and the B.A.A. clubhouse were long gone, but the organization held onto its marquee event, the Boston Marathon, and the B.A.A. Running Club as the only two visible pieces of its illustrious past.
As race director, Morse and the B.A.A.'s Board of Governors attracted a principal sponsor for the Boston Marathon in John Hancock and instituted a prize money structure to help bring the world's fastest runners to Boston. The change not only brought faster runners to Boston; it brought more runners to Boston. The Boston Marathon attracts more than 500,000 spectators each year, making it New England’s most widely viewed sporting event.
For the 100th running of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 1996, the B.A.A. worked for years ahead of time in cooperation with the eight cities and towns along the Boston Marathon course to appropriately commemorate the milestone. Through a one-time exception to field size constraints, a record 38,708 runners were given entry into the Centennial Boston Marathon. This single-time field size stood for seven years as the largest in marathon history.
Ten years later, the Boston Marathon partnered with the London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City marathons to collectively launch the Abbott World Marathon Majors. This series links the world’s most prestigious marathons and offers prize money to top professional runners and wheelchair athletes each year. In 2013, the Tokyo Marathon joined as the sixth event in the Abbott World Marathon Majors series, and in 2025 the Sydney Marathon became the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major.
The progressive actions of the B.A.A. throughout the years have been reflective of the vision of the B.A.A. Board of Governors. Since the B.A.A.’s inception in 1887, the Board of Governors have voluntarily led the organization through good times and bad. Through its dedicated leadership, the B.A.A. has demonstrated its commitment to and support of the Greater Boston area, especially the eight cities and towns along the Boston Marathon route.