Flashes of Panic

I wrote an entry on the blog of an outlet I often write for, breaking (I think) the news that a former U.S. champion had entered the Boston Marathon at the last minute. So far as I know, the news isn’t widely known elsewhere, because of the way the athlete entered the race.

Due to some poor management in the mid-80s, the Boston Marathon doesn’t take direct control of their own elite field. The elite athletes in Boston are signed and presented by marathon sponsor John Hancock; the B.A.A. is not involved with them, even to publicize the field, until very late in the process. I get my press releases from someone who isn’t the B.A.A.’s media coordinator. But when this athlete was taken on late, his hotel room is being covered by the B.A.A., not John Hancock. As a result, even though he would be part of the John Hancock program under ordinary circumstances, he’s “below the radar.” He’s not included in the “late additions” pages, nor is there biographical information readily available (though that might be due to the late nature of his entry—I actually wrote one of the more recent interviews with him.)

This is just an anomaly, but it highlights an interesting quirk about the marathon. And it’s a quirk that could become a problem under the right circumstances. John Hancock does not necessarily have the same interests in mind as the B.A.A. They’re not likely to be in conflict, but they may also not be doing the best possible job for the marathon.

This becomes interesting when you consider that John Hancock was bought out by a Canadian company last year, and recent rumblings have suggested that they may be asked to pull back some of their sports sponsorship commitments. One wonders how the Boston Marathon might change its position among the upper echelon of major marathons (currently defined, roughly, as Boston, New York, Chicago, and London, plus possibly Rotterdam, not necessarily in that order.)