Boston Athletic Association

The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center announced last Thursday a first-of-its-kind, multiyear partnership with the Boston Athletic Association, the nonprofit that hosts the Boston Marathon.

Members of a Black-led running group filed suit on the cusp of this year’s Boston Marathon alleging racial discrimination by race organizers and Newton police for the way they were corralled and surrounded while trying to cheer on their friends along the course at Heartbreak Hill during last year’s race.

My history with the Boston Marathon dates to my freshman year at Boston University. I remember the newspaper and television reports leading up to the event. Out of pure curiosity, I got a firsthand look at the proceedings.

The incident at the Boston Marathon where Newton police surrounded members of two racially diverse running clubs along the course has called attention to how runners of color often feel unwelcome at races, locally and across the country.

Adrienne R. Benton, a marathoner who ran her first 5K race just eight years ago, has been named to the Boston Athletic Association’s Board of Governors, becoming the first woman of color to serve in this role in the organization’s 135-year-history.