The 16th annual B.A.A. Half Marathon® presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund takes place on October 9.

By Rebecca Danvers

On October 9, several Somerville residents will be running in the 16th annual B.A.A. Half Marathon^® presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, as a member of the official Dana-Farber team.

The Somerville runners include: Adrian Adamo, Laura Borrelli, Megan Emad, Amy Johnson, Michelle Nezolosky, Lauren Saucier, and Kevin Walsh.

Five hundred Dana-Farber team members will raise awareness and at least $750 each to support adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber. Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund have sponsored the B.A.A. Half Marathon for 14 years. During this time, runners on the Dana-Farber team have raised more than $5 million to fuel lifesaving work at the Institute. To support a runner in the B.A.A. Half Marathon, go to http://www.RunDanaFarber.org.

“We are overjoyed to see both longtime runners and first-time participants join the Dana-Farber team for next month’s race,” says Jan Ross, assistant vice president, running programs, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, division of development & the Jimmy Fund. “Our team members are as committed to finding cures for cancer by fundraising for the Jimmy Fund as they are to their personal fitness goals, and the entire Dana-Farber community is grateful for the progress that their dedication and hard work makes possible.”

The 13.1-mile rolling course is an out-and-back loop that runs along the Emerald Necklace park system. It will begin and end in White Stadium in Boston’s Franklin Park. The event attracts a field of 9,000 runners, including world-class athletes.

The race is one of three annual fundraising events in the longstanding partnership between the Boston Athletic Association and Dana-Farber. The Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai is the only walk sanctioned to take place along the historic Boston Marathon route, and the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) is a team of Dana-Farber runners who participate in the Boston Marathon each April.

To learn more about running for Dana-Farber or to support a runner, please visit http://www.rundanafarber.org. If you have registered to run the B.A.A. Half Marathon and would like to fundraise for Dana-Farber, please call the Dana-Farber Running Programs office at (617) 632-1970 or (800) 551-7036.

The Jimmy Fund solely supports Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising funds for adult and pediatric cancer care and research to improve the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world. It is an official charity of the Boston Red Sox, as well as the official charity of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Pan-Mass Challenge, and the Variety Children’s Charity of New England. Since 1948, the generosity of millions of people has helped the Jimmy Fund save countless lives and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and families worldwide. Follow the Jimmy Fund on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thejimmyfund and on Twitter: @TheJimmyFund.