is a non-profit dedicated to organized sports, with a focus on running, in the Greater Boston area.

[1]: 16–17  The club was founded through the collaborative efforts of an eclectic group of former Civil War officers such as its first president, Robert F. Clark; the Irish poet, activist, and editor John Boyle O'Reilly;[2][1]: 13, 15, 20  other noted sportsmen in Boston;[1]: 24  members of prominent, wealthy Boston families, such as George Walker Weld;[3] and entrepreneurs and politicians of the day.

[1]: 28–29  The second and third floors focused on sports and training, including a gymnasium, tennis and racquet courts, and a running track.

The club's basement contained Turkish steam baths and a 60,000-gallon "swimming tank" for aquatic sports.

worked quickly to organize competitive sports for young men, establishing programs in ten sports before 1900: football, baseball, cricket, "fives," rowing, boxing, fencing, water polo, squash, and track and field.

[1]: 33–37  In 1890, it hosted 27 competitions and exhibitions, including fencing, swim meets, bicycle races, and cross-country runs,[1]: 23  and chose the unicorn as its symbol.

team comprised most of the U.S. delegation who participated in the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

When the bonds matured in 1918, during World War I, the repayment deadline was extended to 1932, which coincided with the Great Depression.

Although the Association had established a reserve fund to cover the bond repayments, the organization's assets were depleted in the 1930s by the stock market crash, the subsequent Great Depression, and possible embezzlement by an employee.

[11] After filing for bankruptcy, the Association closed its clubhouse on August 4, 1935, and sold its building's furnishings at auction later that year.

Governing Board continued to meet in a suite of rooms at Boston's Hotel Lenox.

[1]: 74  In addition, a fraction of Association members had formed the Unicorn Club to continue the indoor games and the Boston Marathon.

Brown was elected president of the Boston Athletic Association in 1940 and continued until his death in 1964.

It attracted top athletes, including Cornelius Warmerdam, Wes Santee, and Ron Delany.

However, as the years went on, attendance declined (dropping from 13,645 in 1960 to 9,008 in 1971) and overhead costs increased, making the indoor games unprofitable.

As long as the war continues there, we positively will not accept Korean entries for our race on April 19.

rejected her application with a letter from Cloney where he stated,[25] Dear Mrs. Burgay,We have received your request for an application for the Boston Marathon and regret that we will not be able to send you an application.Women are not physiologically capable of running a marathon and we would not want to take the medical liability.

Gibb also ran the marathon unofficially in 1967 and 1968, each year finishing first in the unsanctioned women's field.

[26][1]: 111  Five women completed the Boston Marathon the following year despite being unable to register for the race.

[31][32] John Hancock continued to sponsor the marathon for 38 years until 2023, when the company chose not to renew the contract, allowing it to expire.

purchased an office building yards from the starting line of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to serve the association for the runner registration and services for various B.A.A.

[36] In March 2023, Bank of America (BOA) took over sponsorship of the Boston Marathon, replacing John Hancock.

organizes an annual relay race for Boston-area middle school and high-school-aged runners that takes place on Clarendon Street in Boston.