Boston Indoor Games
Encyclopedia
The Boston Indoor Games, known as the New Balance
Indoor Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons, is an annual indoor track and field
meet which is held in late January or early February at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center
. It was first held in Roxbury, a neighbourhood in Boston
, in 1996 and has become one of the foremost events of its type in the United States
, alongside the Millrose Games
.
The competition is part of USA Track and Field
's Visa Championship Series
and attracts high caliber athletes, including Olympic
and World medalists. Since its inception, a total of six world records have been set at the event. Among them are performances by Ethiopian runner Tirunesh Dibaba
, who set a world indoor record over 5000 metres
in 2005 and improved that mark in 2007. The Boston Indoor Games has also featured numerous national records
and United States all-comers records (the best performances recorded on US soil).
The competition has had a number of title sponsors over its history, including adidas
in the early 2000s and Reebok
from 2005 to 2010. New Balance became the current title sponsor in 2011. The rights to the event are owned by Global Athletics & Marketing
and Mark Wetmore is the meeting director.
New Balance
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. , best known as simply New Balance, is a footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company...
Indoor Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons, is an annual indoor track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
meet which is held in late January or early February at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center
Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center
The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center is an indoor track and indoor basketball stadium in Roxbury, Massachusetts, partially funded by the state of Massachusetts. It is home to numerous MIAA indoor track and field conferences, along with the MIAA State Championships and the New England High...
. It was first held in Roxbury, a neighbourhood in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, in 1996 and has become one of the foremost events of its type in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, alongside the Millrose Games
Millrose Games
The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet held on the first Friday in February in New York City. They will be held at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011...
.
The competition is part of USA Track and Field
USA Track and Field
USA Track & Field is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking...
's Visa Championship Series
Visa Championship Series
The Visa Championship Series is an annual series of athletics meets organised by the USA Track & Field.-Indoor:-Outdoor:-External links:* from USATF...
and attracts high caliber athletes, including Olympic
Athletics at the Summer Olympics
Athletics has been contested at every Summer Olympics since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. The athletics program traces its earliest roots to events used in the ancient Greek Olympics. The modern program now comprises track and field events, road running...
and World medalists. Since its inception, a total of six world records have been set at the event. Among them are performances by Ethiopian runner Tirunesh Dibaba
Tirunesh Dibaba
Tirunesh Dibaba also known as Tirunesh Dibaba Kenene is an Ethiopian long distance track athlete and the outdoor 5000 metres world record holder. She is the current Olympic 5000 metres and 10,000 metres champion...
, who set a world indoor record over 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
in 2005 and improved that mark in 2007. The Boston Indoor Games has also featured numerous national records
National records in athletics
National records in athletics are the marks achieved by a nation's best athlete in a particular athletics event. These records are ratified by the respective national athletics governing body...
and United States all-comers records (the best performances recorded on US soil).
The competition has had a number of title sponsors over its history, including adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
in the early 2000s and Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
from 2005 to 2010. New Balance became the current title sponsor in 2011. The rights to the event are owned by Global Athletics & Marketing
Global Athletics & Marketing
Global Athletics & Marketing is a sports management firm specializing in athletics . Founded in 1993 by Cornell/Boston College Law School graduate Mark Wetmore, Global Athletics has grown to be one of the premier athletics management agencies in the world...
and Mark Wetmore is the meeting director.
World records
Over the course of its history, four world records have been set at the Boston Indoor Games.| Year | Event | Record | Athlete | Nationality | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Two miles Two miles The 2 mile is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets, perhaps because it provides an easier record to break for meet promoters , as well as its historical chronology. It is largely superseded by the 3000 m and 5000 m, and by the 3200m in... |
9:10.50 | Meseret Defar Meseret Defar Meseret Defar is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5000 metres... |
||
| 2007 | 5000 m 5000 metres The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event... |
14:27.42 | Tirunesh Dibaba Tirunesh Dibaba Tirunesh Dibaba also known as Tirunesh Dibaba Kenene is an Ethiopian long distance track athlete and the outdoor 5000 metres world record holder. She is the current Olympic 5000 metres and 10,000 metres champion... |
||
| 2005 | 5000 m 5000 metres The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event... |
14:32.93 | Tirunesh Dibaba Tirunesh Dibaba Tirunesh Dibaba also known as Tirunesh Dibaba Kenene is an Ethiopian long distance track athlete and the outdoor 5000 metres world record holder. She is the current Olympic 5000 metres and 10,000 metres champion... |
||
| 2000 | 4×800 m relay | 7:13.94 | Global Athletics & Marketing Joey Woody Joey Woody Joey Woody is an American track and field athlete in the 400 meter hurdles event.Woody attended the University of Northern Iowa, where he was the 1997 NCAA champion in the 400 m hurdles. Woody placed third in the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and qualified for the 1997 World... Karl Paranya Karl Paranya Karl Paranya was the first NCAA Division III athlete to break 4 minutes for the mile. He did this in the spring of 1997, running 3:57.6 on Haverford College's outdoor track... Rich Kenah Rich Kenah Rich Kenah is a former US middle distance runner who won bronze medals over 800 metres at the 1997 World Indoor Championships and at the World Championships in Athens. The race was won by Wilson Kipketer. In the same season Kenah also set a personal best over 800m in 1:43.38 minutes in Zürich... David Krummenacker David Krummenacker ' is a professional track athlete.- Background :Krummenacker graduated from Las Cruces High School in New Mexico in 1993 where he won several state track titles and also played on the basketball team.... |