Road Race Management News

BELAYNEH, HAILESELASSIE WIN CHILLY BOSTON HALF-MARATHON

By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

BOSTON (10-Nov) -- Fentaye Belayneh of Ethiopia and Yemane Haileselassie of Eritrea won this morning's 22nd Boston Half-Marathon on a sunny and near-freezing morning here. Employing completely different tactics, Belayneh won in a pack-sprint to the finish in Franklin Park where the first three women finished in a span of just one second. Haileselassie won in a solo breakaway, dominating the final miles and winning by 15 seconds. Both athletes won $12,000 in prize money.

The women's race got out slowly, and the first mile was completed in just 5:41, a comfortable training pace for athletes at this level. Britain's Calli Hauger-Thackery was at the front. She said that she felt good taking the lead and wanted to work on some of her racing skills.

"I felt good doing that," Hauger-Thackery told Race Results Weekly. "I was practicing not being set in a set pace. I've got to practice surging... not be afraid to put in a five minute mile here and there."

The first real move happened just before 5-K where Ethiopia's Mestawut Fikir, who was fifth at this race last year, put in a surge. The field responded immediately, and Kenyan's Veronica Loleo and Daisy Jepkemei, and Ethiopians Melknat Wudu and Mebrat Gidey followed her single file. They passed through 5-K in 17:17 and four miles in 21:45. The downhill fourth mile was passed in a fast 5:05.

Fikir's mini-surge only brought the lead pack down to 12. Although the second, five-kilometer segment was faster (16:27) it wasn't enough to dwindle the field further. Fikir decided to go again just after the 10-K mark, and that move sent Hauger-Thackery and Australia's Lauren Ryan several steps back. Kenya's Mercy Chelangat was also having trouble holding on. Mile-8 went into the books at 5:10, and the serious racing had begun.

But after that, none of the women were keen to open up the race further, and the pace slowed enough that Chelangat managed to catch up. Remarkably, eight women were still together as they ran back to Franklin Park for the finish. Indeed, the race would not be decided until the final 200 meters when Belayneh, who had not led one step of the race, jumped the field and broke for the tape. She was ready for that kind of move.

"I prepared very well and I knew Boston was a good course," Belayneh said with the help of a translator. "I prepared very well."

Fikir and Senayet Getachew, another Ethiopian, were right on Belayneh's heels as she bolted for the tape, but they just couldn't catch their speedier rival. She broke the tape, arms raised with a huge smile, in 1:10:26. Fikir was given the same time, and Getachew was just one second back. Loleo got fourth in 1:10:29, and Wudu was fifth in 1:10:30. The first seven women finished in just a six-second span.

"At the end, I decided at the end," Belayneh said when asked when she knew that the time was right for her final move. "It was a rough race, but I knew I could hold on and push. I had some little (energy) left over. I used that."

Farther behind, Chelangat finished eighth in 1:10:43 and Hauger-Thackery was ninth in 1:10:49. The two women, both former NCAA stars who know each other from training in Flagstaff, embraced at the finish line.

"It was fun, it was good," said Hauger-Thackery, who plans to run the California International Marathon in December with her husband, Nick. She added: "This was a good race to go for it, get the blood flowing."

Unlike Belayneh, Haileselassie did not want to wait for the final sprint. In the ninth mile, he and Isaac Kipkemboi of Kenya and Haimro Alame of Israel pulled away from the field. Haileselassie was on the front, and kept pressing.

"Actually, when I lead in mile-nine I give them a little bit gap," Haileselassie told Race Results Weekly. "I looked over my back, I had little bit gap. I know they can't touch me."

The Eritrean crossed to the finish line alone in 1:01:46. Kipkemboi was a clear second in 1:02:01, but Alame faded in the final miles and only finished sixth in 1:02:12. Taking the final podium position was Canadian miler Kieran Lumb, who was making his half-marathon debut. Lumb, who made the Paris Olympic 1500m semi-finals, was timed in 1:02:03. He was happy with his race, a good fitness test before the Canadian Cross Country Championships later this month, even if it hurt a little.

"It was hard," said Lumb. "Honestly, it was pretty hard early on. I would say, like 20 minutes in, I didn't feel amazing. I did not sleep well last night, either. I slept like four hours."

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Today's event was the third and final race in the 2024 Boston Athletic Association's Distance Medley which included the Boston 5-K on April 13 and the Boston 10-K on June 23. About 6500 runners finished today's race.
Nearly 9,000 participants will race 13.1 miles at New England’s signature half marathon, starting and finishing in Franklin Park

BOSTON – The 2024 Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund will be held this Sunday, November 10, starting and finishing within Boston’s Franklin Park. A field of nearly 9,000 athletes from 93 countries and 46 states are set to take part, running along the Emerald Necklace Park system through Boston and Brookline.

To support your coverage of this year’s event, please find event storylines and race information below. Media interested in covering the 2024 Boston Half can submit credential requests here or email media@baa.org for more information. Credential pick-up is at the Media Tent within Franklin Park on Sunday, beginning at 6:45 a.m. Additional details will be sent in the coming days to those who’ve requested credentials.

PLEASE NOTE that the media tent has moved closer to the start/finish line on Pierpont Road. Media parking is only available in designated parking lots with proper pass.

BOSTON HALF EVENT STORYLINES & INFORMATION

The Boston Half will start at 8:00 a.m. this Sunday, November 10, on Pierpont Road in Franklin Park. The 13.1-mile course runs along the picturesque Emerald Necklace Park System, past area landmarks such as the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park Zoo, before finishing in Franklin Park. A detailed course map can be found here.

At the front of the field, Boston Marathon champions, Olympians, and some of the world’s fastest athletes will compete for top honors in the wheelchair, open, and Para Athletics Divisions. Boston Marathon winners and Paralympic medalists Susannah Scaroni and Daniel Romanchuk are competing, coming off triumphant victories at the TCS New York City Marathon this past weekend on Sunday, November 3. Boston 10K winners Leonard Korir (USA) and Melknat Wudu (ETH) also return, with Korir having represented Team USA at the Olympic Marathon in Paris.

A total of ten men have personal bests under 1:02:00, while eight women have run 1:10:00 or faster for the half marathon distance. A detailed professional field entry list can be found here, along with professional athlete bios.

Live leader Splits and Results will be available at the following links on Sunday morning:

LIVE SPLITS: https://bstnmar.org/24HalfMileSplits

LIVE RESULTS: https://bstnmar.org/24HalfLiveResults

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund have partnered with the Boston Half since 2003 as the race’s presenting sponsor and exclusive charity team. Through this relationship, Dana-Farber runners have collectively raised more than $10 million to support groundbreaking cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and enabled Dana-Farber scientists and clinicians to positively impact the lives of cancer patients around the world. Nearly 670 athletes will be part of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund’s team for this year’s event, having already raised over $726,000 to defy cancer. Those interested in supporting Dana-Farber’s team can make a donation here.

Spectators and runners are encouraged to download the B.A.A. Racing App presented by TCS for live race day tracking, leaderboards, results, custom selfie stations, course maps, information, and more. The B.A.A. Racing App is available for free within Apple iOS and Android.

3,284 participants are aiming to complete the 2024 B.A.A. Distance Medley, a three-race series which includes April’s Boston 5K, June’s Boston 10K, and November’s Boston Half. The B.A.A. Distance Medley series provides athletes a year-long way to experience training and racing at three different distances, with the aim of improving fitness throughout the calendar year.

The Boston Half is a family-friendly event for athletes and spectators of all ages. Free youth events will be offered on race morning within Franklin Park, featuring bibs and medals for all. Registration will open at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, and youth races will start at 8:15 a.m. More information can be found here.

For additional information on the 2024 Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, please visit our event website. Media interested in covering the 2024 Boston Half can submit credential requests here.

ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.)

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 129th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 21, 2025. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.