BAA 10K

The BAA 10k is a fun run around Boston.
It starts in between the public garden
and Boston Common, just like the BAA 5k.
It runs all the way down to Boston University,
makes a u-​turn and runs back to the start.
THE DEAL: if you sign up for the BAA 5k, 10k
and half marathon, they give you a special
Distance Medley medal and bibs for each race.

The Boston Athletic Association has added a 10k race to its competition offerings. The Inaugural BAA 10k was staged with the professionalism and precision you would expect from the group that organizes one of the most famous marathons in the world. While the weather was lousy (95% humidity!), the race was excellent.
The Course:
The course begins on Charles Street between the Public Garden and the Common (if you’ve run the Tufts 10k, it’s the same start/​finish). The course goes out to BU on Commonwealth Ave. and Bay State Road, then features a hairpin turn at the 5k mark to return via Comm Ave. I never realized until I ran this race, but Comm Ave is pretty dang hilly along the BU campus. They have a timing mat in advance of the finish line that allows the emcee to announce runners as they cross – pretty cool. I don’t know if they announced me because I was too busy looking for a place to lay down and die (see: 95% humidity).
The course also featured a few hallmarks of what I consider a well-​organized race. Every mile was marked and featured a digital clock with the gun time. Water stations were plentiful and increased in frequency toward the end of the race. The race was completely chip timed. And they staggered the start beautifully to prevent course over-​crowding. People self-​selected into gates by anticipated pace, then the gates were released in three waves four minutes apart. This is the first race I’ve run with a hairpin where I did not have to walk the turn due to crowding.
The Extras:
If there’s one place where the BAA 10k loses points, it’s the post-​race festivities. They did have bagels, bananas, and other snacks for runners, but on the whole there wasn’t much to see and do after the race. In fairness, the reason to race is not to get a bunch of free crap from advertisers afterward, so I won’t knock stars for that. I will say I wish water were available closer to the finish line, especially given the weather.
The t-​shirt, on the other hand, is fabulous. It’s an Adidas performance shirt that has the texture of a Smartwool. Love it. The $ 40 entry fee was worth it just for this t-​shirt.