THE RED SOX WILL HOST A MARATHON INSIDE(!) FENWAY PARK

WOMEN'S RUNNING

Yes, you read that right–the marathon inside one of the most famous ballparks in baseball will be 112 laps around the warming track. And the Boston Marathon race director and founder of DMSE Sports, Dave McGillivray, will be the race director of this event, according to SI.com.

Each lap is 350 meters—50 meters fewer than your standard oval—and laps will be recorded electronically. The catch (no pun intended)—only 50 runners will be accepted, and each one accepted will commit to raising $5,000 dollars for the Rex Sox Foundation, which focuses on bettering the lives of children, veterans and local communities through education, health and recreational opportunities. You can apply to be one of the lucky 50 at the foundation’s website.

The looped 26.2-mile race will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15 and will include a 6-hour time cutoff. McGillivray expects the course to be USATF-certified, meaning that, yes, you will probably be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon if you hit your age-group qualifying mark.

For the last 30 years, McGillivray has completed the journey from Hopkinton to Boston after the final runner crosses the finish line on Boylston Street, and he has completed the marathon a total of 45 times. That will not be the case at Fenway; he was the first person to sign up and plans to run as a regular participant while simultaneously fulfilling any director duties. As of earlier this week, 37 people, including a runner from Taiwan, had signed up to join the cause.

For runners curious about how to alleviate the monotony of running 26.2 miles in circles, there will most likely be entertainment on the screens for runner and spectator enjoyment. This could include past Boston Marathons, the Red Sox game (they will be in Tampa Bay) and movies like Field of Dreams.