Following the Successful 124th Boston Marathon Virtual Experience, the Boston Athletic Association Launches its Next Virtual Event with haku

November 11, 2020

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has shown not only resilience through the ongoing pandemic, but also innovation by introducing a truly unique experience to a global stage when they hosted the 124th Boston Marathon Virtual Experience last month. The world-renowned virtual experience lasted from September 5-14 and included 16,157 finishers—90 percent of the entrant field—from 83 countries. The Boston Marathon Virtual Experience showcased the strength and dedication of the running community worldwide by their ability to be remote, but still very much connected. This same passion will be carried into the B.A.A’s next race series, the #finishSTRONG Challenge which launched in October 2020.

To bring these unique virtual experiences to life through virtual event technology, the B.A.A. chose to partner with the innovators at haku. This partnership brings together legendary running events with a powerful virtual suite of products to immerse participants in a memorable experience. Through successful partnerships with some of the world’s most elite endurance organizations, haku is a proven and respected leader in the industry. The Miami-based technology company is known for constant innovation and staying ahead of what’s next in order to take their partners’ events to new levels.

“We’ve been working diligently with the B.A.A. to understand their events, participants, and sponsors to build something that they couldn’t get anywhere else,” said haku Founder and CEO, Carlos Escobar. “We’re always focused on customizing the technology to fit the organization’s needs, and to make sure that the participants feel like they’re really a part of something special.”

The #finishSTRONG Challenge – a new three-race virtual series featuring the B.A.A. 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon – will be brought to life through the immersive virtual event app developed by haku that was fully customized for the Boston Athletic Association. The app incorporates many innovative features for both participants and spectators, such as live tracking, automatic results submission, dynamic virtual toolkits, custom sponsor activations, and more. Through the app, the B.A.A. and haku are redefining what a premium virtual endurance event and top-notch participant experience should look like.

The partners are excited to create another once-in-a-lifetime and historic experience for participants around the world with the #finishSTRONG Challenge. Participants of the #finishSTRONG Challenge can race all three virtual events anywhere and at any time between early October and December 31, 2020. A portion of the participant registration fee will go directly to each race’s official fundraising partners: Special Olympics Massachusetts, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & the Jimmy Fund. Registration is currently open here: https://www.baa.org/finishstrong-challenge

About the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.):

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.’s Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock.

For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org

About haku:

haku is an unparalleled technology partner that forward-thinking event organizers work with to plan, manage, promote, and sell-out their events. Through state-of-the-art technology and an all-in-one platform, world-class organizations can better plan events, track progress, engage with participants, and move their events and businesses forward, all while utilizing an all-encompassing technology ecosystem. haku is trusted by organizations such as the Boston Athletic Association, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon Organization, Team In Training (LLS), J&A Racing, Houston Marathon, Big Sur Marathon, Atlanta Track Club, Philadelphia Eagles, Mercedes Benz Corporate Run, and many more.

To learn more about haku, please visit www.hakusports.com