B.A.A. club member Tim Ritchie is one of the best runners in the Boston area. A sub-four minute miler, Ritchie graduated from Boston College as an all-ACC athlete, and is now an assistant coach for the school’s track team. Ritchie, 24, will be running June 24’s B.A.A. 10K. Talking with Tim, here are five interesting tidbits we learned.

• I take a lot of pride in being a Boston runner. Growing up in Worcester, MA, going to Boston College and now running for the Boston Athletic Association means my running career has been inspired by the great many that have run these streets before me. Boston has such rich running history that I think penetrates not only the elite running scene, but can be found in the culture of the city as a whole.
  
• I cannot look out my window without seeing runners flow by all day long. This is the greatest motivation for my running, that when I do it, I share the miles with the shadows of legends and the presence of neighbors simultaneously. History has shown that Boston can be a very successful training environment and I find that to be still true.
  
• The club atmosphere [in Boston] is both competitive and encouraging with many high caliber runners training and racing together. Working at BC and running for the B.A.A., there is always someone to run with.
  
• Living in Brighton has allowed me access to some of the best training locations around. My favorite among them is the Boston Marathon course, specifically the Newton Hills. We have a loop at BC called 'Firehouse' which travels from campus, down Beacon Street to Wellesley, and follows the course over the hills back to BC, between mile markers 17 and 22. It is known that champions are born and raised on 'Firehouse,' so I make sure to get my weekly dosage. Other than that you can find me on the River, the Emerald Necklace, and all the amazing Boston neighborhoods in between.
  
• I am so grateful to be here, running for the B.A.A. and representing BC, as Boston running continues its climb back into the forefront of American distance running!