Beantown's New Addition

First there was the Boston Marathon. More than 100 years later came the BAA Half Marathon. Then came the BAA 5K and the Invitational Mile. Now the Boston Athletic Association has a new race for its calendar, filling the void at the 10K distance. It's the BAA 10K, to be held for the first time on Sunday, June 26, and joining the Boston Athletic Association's event series.

But if other BAA races--like April's Boston Marathon and BAA 5K, and October's BAA Half Marathon--are any indication, you're going to have to hurry and register for this 6.2 miler before the 5,000 spots are taken. Registration opened today at 10 a.m., Boston local time, for a race that offers runners the chance to run through the Back Bay, out toward Boston University and past the Boston Public Garden. With sites like that and a city that loves its distance running--remember how fast the Boston Marathon sold out in October?--this 10K could go fast, much like the clamoring that happens for the half marathon, which doesn't open registration until July. And its $30,000 prize purse will likely be a draw for some fast feet both local and international.

So you won't be able to pull up a stool next to Norm at the Bull and Finch Pub made famous by Cheers. Big deal. The 10K will give you a tour of some of Boston's best sites, a finisher's medal, event T-shirt from Adidas, and a race vibe in Boston Common where the race starts and finishes. But you'll be without all the soreness that tends to follow after conquering, or getting beat, on the Boston Marathon's famous hills. You start earlier too, at 8 a.m., maybe in hopes of beating summer's heat. And your $55 entry fee will also grant you entry into two pre-race training clinics courtesy of Adidas. Designed to help you run your best 10K, the clinics will be held on May 16 and June 13.

For more details and to register for the race, check out the Boston Athletic Association.

Photo grabbed from baa.org.