A Message from B.A.A. President & CEO Jack Fleming 

B.A.A. Announces Dr. Cheri Blauwet as new Board Chair

Dr. Cheri Blauwet has been elected as the new Chair of the Board of Governors of the Boston Athletic Association, succeeding Dr. Michael O’Leary, who has served as Chair for the last six years.

Dr. Blauwet has been a Board member since 2016 and is a marathon champion, winning the Boston Marathon women’s wheelchair division race in 2004 and 2005.

Chatting with a Champion: Annie Rodenfels

B.A.A. High Performance Team member Annie Rodenfels and Newly Crowned National 5K Road Champion sits down with Unicorn Monthly to fill us in on a fast and furious 12 months. 

B.A.A. Running Club & High Performance Team

November Recap

Congratulations to our very own Mark Carroll – Director of Performance and Head Coach of the B.A.A. High Performance team - who was inducted into the Athletics Ireland Hall of Fame at a special event in Santry, Ireland last month.

USATF 5K National Championships

Annie Rodenfels, 1st Place

Bethany Hasz, 3rd Place

Megan Hasz, 13th Place

Manchester Road Race

Annie Rodenfels, 2nd Place

Bethany Hasz, 6th Place

Megan Hasz, 7th Place

Abbey Wheeler, 11th Place

Eric Hamer, 10th Place

B.A.A. Half Marathon

Many Team B.A.A. members raced the B.A.A. Half Marathon, with Tomas Folch winning the 45+ Division and Constantino Rago winning the 60+ Division. 

USATF-New England Cross Country Championships

Tim McGowan, 1st Place; Open

Karolyn Bowley, 1st Place; 50+

Aaron Price, 2nd Place; 45+

Peter Hammer, 1st Place; 55+

Congratulations to Team B.A.A. on a stellar month of racing!



Celebrating 30 Years of Service with the B.A.A.

The B.A.A. honored 16 long-serving volunteers for their 30 years of service at the Boston Marathon at the Museum of Science, Boston on Friday, October 27th. 

These individuals have given their time, energy and support to the marathon and many other B.A.A. events over the last three decades, taking on a host of roles and doing so with pride, dedication and the enthusiasm that the participants have come to expect and respect over the years. 

Recap of the 2023 B.A.A. Half Marathon

Presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund

The 2023 B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund took place on November 12, starting and finishing within Boston’s Franklin Park. Personal bests and fast times were achieved on a chilly fall day.

Sustainability at the B.A.A.

Sitting proudly on the front lawn of the B.A.A. offices in Hopkinton, are two very special benches.  Donated by long-time B.A.A. sponsor adidas, the benches were created using the plastic water bottles from the 127th Boston Marathon. 

Two picnic benches were also created and donated to Boston Public Schools. Approximately 9,000 bottles were collected on race day. It takes 950 bottles to create a bench and 2,000 to make a picnic table. 

The B.A.A. has made sustainability a core focus of our events in recent years. Through our sustainability efforts, we aim to minimize environmental impacts, increase social benefits, and engage various stakeholders in emphasizing the importance of fostering a more sustainable event. 

 The B.A.A. collaborates on sustainability efforts with partners, participants, vendors, volunteers, officials, and the various communities in which the events take place. 

"Running saved my life!"

They say you haven’t lived until you’ve run a marathon. Well, Naledi Motshegwe, Bank of America Merrill Associate Client Relationship Manager from Greater Boston, who just completed her first marathon last month in Chicago, credits running with saving her life! 

“Thank God for giving me the strength to run the Chicago Marathon,” she said. Looking back now, Naledi said she went through an incredible trial as she ran Chicago: “At Mile 18, my body crashed. At Mile 20, I thought I was dead. At Mile 22, I wished I was! But at Mile 26.2, I realized I’m too tough to kill.” 

Naledi said she is grateful for having had the opportunity to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and is already looking forward to running the historic Boston Marathon next April, in memory of her grandmother, who recently passed away at the age of 105.  

Pictured: Naledi running the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Naledi, who was born in South Africa and moved to the U.S. in 2011, said she started running at the beginning of the Covid pandemic: “The time I used to use to get ready and drive to work became the time I used to walk, which then turned into my time for running. Running saved my life – I lost over 60 pounds because of running.” 

And along her way to conquering the Chicago Marathon, she said she learned something about herself: “The body doesn’t want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop, but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy … It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to get to the finish line and succeed. 

“I still can’t believe I ran a whole marathon! That was the longest 26.2 miles of my life!”



Why are you running for this charity?

I began my journey in recovery from alcohol abuse disorder this year, and the Bulldogs have been crucial in my progress so far. Representatives from the club visited the rehab center I was at, and their stories and conversation with me instilled in me a sense of hope and purpose that I hadn’t thought possible. I am grateful that my goal of running the Boston Marathon – my first marathon in recovery - has become part of my journey.  

What does this opportunity mean to you? 

It means a lot. Since I began my work in recovery, I’ve been incredibly blessed with the support of my family, friends, others in recovery and the community I found in the Boston Bulldogs Running Club. I feel that I’ve been given the chance to live again. Not with the glamor and success I always thought I wanted, but with the strength, gratitude and endurance of mind, body and spirit I need to live in recovery, to run this marathon, and to be truly happy even in hardship.  

My name is Deirdre Koenen, and I'm from Dorchester, Massachusetts. I'll be running my first Boston Marathon for the Boston Bulldogs Running Club – a non-profit that provides an anonymous and safe community of support for all those adversely affected by addiction.



I will run this marathon a few days after I reach one year of sobriety. It has now become the race I want to run more than any other because of the significance of the date, the city in which I began my healing journey in earnest; and the people with whom I’ll be running and who will be lining the course. 

Thank you for listening to this part of my story. Sharing in this way lets me feel more connected to the heart of this race and to the other people whose different stories have brought them to the same starting line I’ll be at in April. See you there!  

B.A.A. In The News

November was another busy month for the B.A.A., filled with exciting news and announcements. Catch up on the highlights below!

Join us at the Boston Run Show USA

It’s back! The Boston Run Show USA returns January 27^th-28^th at the Hynes Convention Center. Boston’s running expo is made for runners, no matter how far or fast you go. You can shop the latest gear, apparel, tech, nutrition and find advice for your next running challenge. 

Don’t miss inspirational speakers such as Hellah Sidibe, John Kelly, Scott Jurek, Molly Sheridan, Erin Short, David Whelan, and so many more. Join the biggest meet up for the running community this year! We’ll be there too so come and say hi to us on the Boston Athletic Association booth! Get FREE tickets (*LIMITED AVAILABILITY) with code: BAA

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