New England's signature half marathon, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, will be held November 12, 2023
BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today a star-studded professional field for the 2023 B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. Defending champions Viola Chepngeno, Geoffrey Koech, and Jenna Fesemyer all return, while American half marathon record holder Keira D’Amato will take on the challenging course for the first time on Sunday, November 12. The B.A.A. Half Marathon starts and finishes at Franklin Park and runs along the Emerald Necklace Park System.
“As one of the most competitive half marathons in the country, we’re eager to bring many of the best open, wheelchair, and Para athletes in the world to Boston for November’s B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund,” said Jack Fleming, President and CEO of the B.A.A. “Nearly 9,000 athletes will take to the roads, led by some of the fastest and most decorated competitors in event history.”
In 2022, Chepngeno (Kenya), Koech (Kenya), and Fesemyer (USA) won the women’s open, men’s open, and women’s wheelchair divisions, respectively, while Marko Cheseto and Jacky Hunt-Broersma (both USA) persevered through rain to finish atop the podium in the Para Athletics Division. To repeat the feat, all will square off against a field that includes national record holders and global medalists.
Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia, the 2022 B.A.A. 5K champion and three-time world championships medalist, looks to continue her winning ways in Boston. She’ll battle Tokyo Marathon champion Rosemary Wanjiru, 2019 B.A.A. 10K winner Fancy Chamutai, world cross country silver medalist Tsigie Gebreselama, last year’s runner-up Bosena Mulatie, and two-time B.A.A. Half Marathon second place finisher Cynthia Limo.
Four Americans who competed at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August will toe the line, including D’Amato, Lindsay Flanagan, Susanna Sullivan, and Natosha Rodgers. D’Amato set the national half marathon record of 1:06:39 at this year’s Gold Coast Half Marathon in Australia, and along with Flanagan and Sullivan made up Team USA at the World Championships Marathon. Rodgers raced the 5,000m and 10,000m on the track in Budapest, finishing 14th in the latter event. Rachel Schneider Smith, a 2021 Olympian at 5,000m for Team USA, will be making her B.A.A. Half Marathon debut.
Ten men with sub-61 minute personal bests will line up for the B.A.A. Half Marathon. Abel Kipchumba owns the fastest lifetime best in the field (58:07), while Shadrack Kimining of Kenya, second fastest in the field, placed fifth in 2022. Mohamed El Aaraby (Morocco), Yemane Haileselassie (Eritrea), Pat Tiernan (Australia), and Amanuel Mesel (Eritrea) bring international expertise. The fastest American men’s entrants are Nadir Yusuf (1:03:23), Kevin Koski (1:03:35) and Ryan Cutter (1:03:54) and sub-2:10 marathoner Ian Butler.
Dedham, Mass.-native Brian Reynolds, who set a world record at last year’s B.A.A. Half Marathon in the T62 (lower-limb impairment) category, returns, as does Marko Cheseto (T62) who ran 1:24:54 in 2022. Jacky Hunt-Broersma, last year’s women’s T62 champion, and Liz Willis, a three-time Boston Marathon T62 winner, will compete as well.
In the wheelchair division, Fesemyer set a course record 59:50 in 2022 to become the first women’s wheelchair athlete ever to break one hour in race history. Fellow 2022 women’s wheelchair podium finishers Yen Hoang (second place) and Michelle Wheeler (third) return as well.
James Senbeta and Hermin Garic, veterans of many B.A.A. events, headline the men’s wheelchair field. Garic was victorious at this year’s B.A.A. 10K.
The B.A.A. Half Marathon course runs along the picturesque Emerald Necklace Park System, past landmarks such as the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Pond, and Franklin Park Zoo, before finishing at White Stadium in Franklin Park. The B.A.A. Half Marathon is a family-friendly event for athletes and spectators of all ages. Free youth events will be offered on race morning within Franklin Park, including races and medals for all.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund has partnered with the B.A.A. Half Marathon since 2003 as the race’s presenting sponsor and exclusive charity team. Through this relationship, Dana-Farber runners have collectively raised more than $8 million to support groundbreaking cancer research, and enabled Dana-Farber scientists and clinicians to positively impact the lives of cancer patients around the world. In advance of the 2023 event, 640 Team Dana-Farber athletes have raised $375,000 to date.
B.A.A. Half Marathon Professional Field
Prize money awards and information can be found here.
WOMEN’S FIELD
|
NAME |
COUNTRY |
PERSONAL BEST |
|
Fancy Chemutai |
Kenya |
1:04:54 |
|
Senbere Teferi |
Ethiopia |
1:05:32 |
|
Rosemary Wanjiru |
Kenya |
1:05:34 |
|
Bosena Mulatie |
Ethiopia |
1:05:46 |
|
Tsigie Gebreselama |
Ethiopia |
1:05:46 |
|
Cynthia Limo |
Kenya |
1:06:04 |
|
Keira D'Amato |
USA |
1:06:39 NR |
|
Mestawut Fikir |
Ethiopia |
1:06:44 |
|
Viola Chepngeno |
Kenya |
1:06:48 |
|
Buze Diriba |
Ethiopia |
1:06:50 |
|
Fiona O'Keeffe |
USA |
1:07:42 |
|
Beyenu Degefa |
Ethiopia |
1:08:15 |
|
Medhin Beyene |
Ethiopia |
1:08:27 |
|
Anna Dibaba |
Ethiopia |
1:09:22 |
|
Natosha Rogers |
USA |
1:09:36 |
|
Lindsay Flanagan |
USA |
1:09:37 |
|
Fantaye Belayneh |
Ethiopia |
1:09:49 |
|
Makena Morley |
USA |
1:09:57 |
|
Carrie Verdon |
USA |
1:10:11 |
|
Laura Thweatt |
USA |
1:10:12 |
|
Fotyen Tesfaye |
Ethiopia |
1:10:26 |
|
Susanna Sullivan |
USA |
1:10:50 |
|
Jackie Gaughan |
USA |
1:11:31 |
|
Rachel Schneider Smith |
USA |
1:15:38 |
|
Thalia Valdivia |
Peru |
1:15:15 |
|
Allie Hackett |
USA |
1:16:04 |
|
Mercy Chelangat |
Kenya |
Debut |
|
Courtney Hawkins |
USA |
Debut |
MEN’S FIELD
|
NAME |
COUNTRY |
PERSONAL BEST |
|
Abel Kipchumba |
Kenya |
58:07 |
|
Shadrack Kimining |
Kenya |
59:27 |
|
Geoffrey Koech |
Kenya |
59:36 |
|
Mohamed El Aaraby |
Morocco |
59:54 |
|
Raymond Magut |
Kenya |
1:00:00 |
|
Amanuel Mesel |
Eritrea |
1:00:10 |
|
Juan Luis Barrios |
Mexico |
1:00:46 |
|
Tsegay Tuemay |
Eritrea |
1:00:50 |
|
Pat Tiernan |
Australia |
1:00:55 |
|
Kiros Ashenafi |
Ethiopia |
1:00:39 |
|
James Ngandu |
Kenya |
1:01:28 |
|
Segundo Jami |
Ecuador |
1:02:28 |
|
Matias Silva |
Chile |
1:02:36 |
|
Tristan Woodfine |
Canada |
1:02:43 |
|
Yemane Haileselassie |
Eritrea |
1:03:01 |
|
Nadir Yusuf |
USA |
1:03:23 |
|
Kevin Koski |
USA |
1:03:35 |
|
Ryan Cutter |
USA |
1:03:54 |
|
Pardon Nhdlovu |
USA |
1:04;05 |
|
Ian Butler |
USA |
1:04:20 |
|
Erik Linden |
USA |
1:06:02 |
|
Tai Smith |
USA |
1:04:41 |
|
Ryan Johnson |
USA |
Debut |
PARA ATHLETICS DIVISION
WOMEN
|
NAME |
COUNTRY |
CLASSIFICATION |
|
Liz Willis |
USA |
T61-4 |
|
Jacky Hunt-Broersma |
USA |
T61-4 |
MEN
|
NAME |
COUNTRY |
CLASSIFICATION |
|
Marko Cheseto |
USA |
T61-4 |
|
Brian Reynolds |
USA |
T61-4 |
WHEELCHAIR DIVISION
WOMEN
|
NAME |
COUNTRY |
CLASSIFICATION |
|
Jenna Fesemyer |
USA |
T53/54 |
|
Michelle Wheeler |
USA |
T53/54 |
|
Yen Hoang |
USA |
T53/54 |
|
Camryn Ledford |
USA |
T53/54 |
|
Hannah Babalola |
Nigeria |
T53/54 |
MEN
|
NAME |
COUNTRY |
CLASSIFICATION |
|
Dustin Stallberg |
USA |
T53/54 |
|
Wyatt Willand |
USA |
T53/54 |
|
Aidan Gravelle |
USA |
T53/54 |
|
Hermin Garic |
USA |
T53/54 |
|
James Senbeta |
USA |
T54 |
ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. manages the Boston Marathon, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock. Starting in 2024, the Boston Marathon’s presenting partner will be Bank of America. The 128th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 15, 2024. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.