National Black Marathoners Association and Boston Athletic Association Partnership

BOSTON, June 19, 2020 /PRHandout/ -- On this Juneteenth, we'd pleased to announce a historic partnership between the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) and the National Black Marathoners Association (NBMA). Thanks to the BAA's allocation of five charity entries into the Boston Marathon, the NBMA will be able to expand our programs. This includes the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame History Project.

The NBMA has been on the forefront of fighting discrimination and racism in distance running for over fifteen years, while recognizing the accomplishments of African-American runners. Our race number logo is based on Juneteenth. It reads, "1865 – Free to Run." 1865 is year that the Thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery, was ratified by Congress. Afterwards, Black Americans were "free to run." The National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame includes notable figures in Boston Marathon's history.

• Theodore "Ted" Corbitt (2013 inductee) – among his many running accomplishments, including being the first African American on the US Olympic Marathon team (1952), he was a member of the 1955 and 1957 New York Pioneer Club teams, which won the Boston Marathon Team Competition.
• Marilyn Bevans (2013 inductee) – The first African-American woman to run a sub-three-hour marathon. She placed second in the 1977 Boston Marathon and was ranked in the top ten female marathoners in the world in 1977.
• Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi (2015 inductee) – The only runner to win the Boston (2014) and New York City (2009) Marathons, as well as earning a silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Marathon.

"We're excited to be a part of the Boston Marathon's rich history and charitable organizations," says Tony Reed, the NBMA Executive Director. "This partnership allows us provide college scholarships to deserving high school distance runners, to educate youth and adults about Black distance running athletes, and to embed Black running coaches in their communities throughout the US."

"We at the B.A.A. are delighted to partner with NBMA, both on the entries that Tony describes, and through other contributions that we will be able to make to NBMA and its programs going forward," said Tom Grilk, CEO of the Boston Athletic Association, noting further that "those discussions are already underway."
About the National Black Marathoners Association

The National Black Marathoners' Association (NBMA) is the largest and oldest nonprofit organization in the U.S. dedicated to encouraging African Americans and others to pursue a healthy lifestyle through distance running and walking. It is open to everyone, regardless of his or her athletic ability, ethnic background, or previous marathon experience. For more information visit www.BlackMarathoners.org.