Youth Mile

Boston Athletic Association Youth Mile

Date: Saturday, April 18 

Distance: 1 mile 

Ages: 7-14

Cost: Free!

Course: The route is a counterclockwise loop entirely on Boylston Street, featuring the electric atmosphere of the Boston Marathon Finish Line! Starting at Dartmouth Street, athletes run east to Berkeley Street then make a turnaround and run west to Hereford Street. Once reaching Hereford Street, athletes make the final turnaround and head back down the most famous stretch in road racing towards the Boston Marathon Finish Line! 

The finish is adjacent to the Boston Public Library between Dartmouth and Exeter Streets. All athletes get to run over the same finish line as Boston Marathon champions will on Monday AND earn their own unicorn medal!

Registration for the Boston Athletic Association Youth Mile is free for ages 7-14 and welcoming of all abilities.

Early registration for Greater Boston youth is available now. Access code is YouthMile26

B.A.A. Youth Mile Timeline

• 45 minutes before each race, athlete(s) and one parent/guardian must check-in and pick up their bib-number and wristband at the Registration Tent on Copley Square. It is important that you check-in at the proper time, as late check-ins risk missing your race’s start! Only one parent/guardian per athlete may enter the tent.

• Along with the bib-number, a parent/guardian will receive a single wristband which will need to be shown in order to reunite with your child post-race. Please do not lose this wristband! 

• Parents or guardians are expected to be present throughout the entire event on the sidelines. Parents must remain with their athlete until their age group is called into the staging area. Parents must stay within the vicinity of the race route and accessible by cell-phone in case of emergency. This is not a drop-off and leave event.

• After check-in, athletes will be walked to the start line by race volunteers. Each race starts at Dartmouth and Boylston Street. Parents and guardians are not allowed on the racecourse and are not allowed to run alongside their athletes.

• Athletes will remain within the barricaded race route, and will be assisted by B.A.A. staff and volunteers.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to watch the event from the bleachers and grandstands in front of the Boston Public Library on Boylston Street, or along the course from the sidewalk.

Parents or guardians are expected to be present throughout the entire event on the sidelines. Parents must remain with their athlete until their age group is called into the staging area. Parents must stay within the vicinity of the race route and accessible by cell-phone in case of emergency. This is not a drop-off and leave event.

Post-finish, parents and guardians can reunite with their loved one at the Medical Tent adjacent to Copley Square. A wristband will be provided to one parent/guardian at check-in that will correspond to your child’s bib number and will need to be shown to pick-up your child. 

All athletes will receive a finish time and be listed among race results after the event’s conclusion.

All athletes receive a unicorn finisher medal. There are no additional awards for top finishers.

• All athletes will receive a bib-number and finisher medal.

• Before or after the B.A.A. Youth Mile, be sure to visit the Boston Marathon Fan Fest presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods at City Hall Plaza, and the Bank of America Boston Marathon Expo at the Hynes Convention Center. Family-fun activities, free entertainment, and photo-ops make these spots can’t miss on Boston Marathon weekend.

• This event is meant to be fun, family-friendly, and supportive of runners. It is an introduction to the sport for many athletes. We ask all parents, guardians, and coaches to exhibit sportsmanlike behavior.