Runners head for the finish line of the 5K race. (Gina Kim/BU News Service)
By Michelle Marino
BU News Service
An estimated 10,000 runners from across the globe took part in the seventh-annual Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) 5K at the Boston Common on Saturday, with first place male and female finishers breaking American 5K road records.
The Common bustled with activity prior to the race’s 8:00 a.m. start time, with runners, volunteers, and spectators overtaking the grassy park. Spirits and energy were up as the sun peeked out from the clouds, marking a magnificent day for the B.A.A.’s pre-marathon race event.
Jack Connelly, a high school junior from Dorchester, expressed his enthusiasm running with team MR8, a team formed in memory of marathon bombing victim Martin Richard. Bill Richard, Martin’s father, also ran in the race. “We’re running for Martin Richard, the youngest marathon victim,” Connelly said. “He was part of our community. The race today and the whole marathon weekend is to honor him and spread his message of peace.”
The race course was altered slightly from 2014, eliminating some of the turns, to accommodate the high number of runners this year. The 5k started and finished on Charles Street between the Boston Public Gardens and the Boston Common, leading runners through Boston’s Back Bay and eventually crossing over the actual Boston Marathon finish line.
“I think it’s good they do this event,” said Joe Overbey, a runner from Norwood. “You get to cross the marathon finish line whether you run the marathon or not. It’s a shorter distance more people can handle.”
Disabled athletes, masters runners, children, and elite runners represented a diverse mix in the 3.1 mile race. Men’s winner Ben True of Hanover, New Hampshire broke the previous American men’s road 5k record by two seconds with a time of 13:22, and women’s winner Molly Huddle of Providence, Rhode Island, outstripped the American women’s road 5k record by four seconds, crossing the finish at 14:50.
Men’s wheelchair winner Jason Fowler of Boston came in at 13:53, and women’s wheelchair winner Dawna Callahan of Parker, Colorado clocked in at an official time of 15:36.
Mayor Marty Walsh and former Boston Marathon champion Geoff Smith held the finishing tape, while thousands of supporters cheered the runners on.
“It’s nice that Boston rallies around the runners and the city,” said volunteer Lauren Sweitzer, who also volunteered back in 2013. “It’s great to be a part of something that has turned into such a spirit of Boston.”