By Jeff Pini, Boston.com Correspondent

BOSTON – The men's winner at the Boston Marathon and the woman who won the Boston Athletic Association's Distance Medley in 2012 headline the field for Sunday's BAA 10K.

Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia will be looking for his second major Boston race victory just two months after his Marathon win when the 10K is held at 8 a.m. Sunday beginning near the Boston Public Garden. It is the second of three events in the BAA medley, which crowned Kim Smith of New Zealand as its women's champ last year.

“I am excited to be back and racing in Boston again,” Smith said. “Winning the [2012 B.A.A.] distance medley was something I had on my plans all year, so to be back is exciting and I hope to do well again.”

The medley also includes April's 5K and October's half-marathon.

Desisa, who has run a personal best 10K of 27:58 on the road, will be challenged in the men’s race by 2012 BAA Distance Medley champion Allan Kiprono of Kenya; 2012 Distance Medley runner-up Lani Rutto, also of Kenya; three-time Olympian Alistair Craig of Ireland; 2013 Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run champion Daniel Salel of Kenya; six-time NCAA All-American Stephen Sambu of Kenya; 2012 Paris Marathon runner-up Raji Assefa of Ethiopia; and 2013 James Joyce Ramble champion Amos Sang of Kenya.

Current men’s Distance Medley leader Aaron Braun of Arizona will looking to add to his point total after finishing second at the BAA 5K in April, when he ran a time of 13:40. Also running will be top American distance runner Jason Hartmann of Colorado, who finished fourth overall and was the top American finisher in both the 2012 and 2013 Boston Marathons.

Other Americans competing will be Nate Jenkins, who has a personal best of 29:33, and Mark Amirault, who will be making his professional 10K debut. Both are natives of Massachusetts.

Smith will be looking to defend her 10K and Distance Medley title against a field that will include some of the world’s best distance runners. The Providence, RI, resident has a 10K personal best of 31:23 on the road and won the BAA 5K in April. She will be challenged by Lineth Chepkurui of Kenya, who finished second to Smith in the 5K; 2013 Crescent City Classic champion Alice Kimutai of Kenya; 2008 Bellin Run champion Millicent Kuria of Kenya; James Joyce Ramble champion Chemtai Rionotukei of Kenya; Houston Half Marathon and New York Mini 10K champion Mamitu Daska of Ethiopia; and 2012 Distance Medley runner-up Aheza Kiros of Ethiopia.

“[I am] feeling confident, it will be tough for three events, [this is] a challenging series,” Smith said. “I have been running shorter track races, trying to prepare for [those]. All my preparation has been for the 5K and 10K right now so [the training has] worked out well.”

The 6.2 mile course begins near the Boston Public Garden, and the route goes through the Back Bay.

Following the race, there will be a special ceremony in which Desisa will be gifting his 2013 Boston Marathon medal back to the City of Boston. He will dedicate his gift to the city in honor of the victims of the bombings that took place near the marathon finish line two hours after he finished the race.

By Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff

Dick and Rick Hoyt, the father-son team that has been a fixture at the Boston Marathon for more than 30 years, will receive the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPY awards in July.

Team Hoyt, recently honored with a statue at the Boston Marathon starting line in Hopkinton, will receive the award at ESPN's annual program on July 17 in Los Angeles. The Jimmy V Perseverance Award is given in honor of Jim Valvano, the late coach of North Carolina State famous for his impassioned speech about never giving up at the 1993 ESPYs as he battled cancer.

“Rick and I are grateful to be receiving this award, and learning that Jimmy Valvano’s motto was 'don’t give up, don’t ever give up,' is amazing as we have always said that there is no such word as “can’t” in the Hoyt vocabulary,” Dick Hoyt said via an ESPN press release. “Our motto is “Yes You Can” and we strive to always persevere even when others tell you that it cannot be done. We want to thank The V Foundation and the ESPYS for honoring us with this award.”

By Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff

Runner's World has produced a poignant cover for its July edition, which focuses on the tragedy at the Boston Marathon and its impact on the running community.

Editor David Willey explained the cover in detail in a blog post on the magazine's website, but also gave Boston.com a few more details today during a phone interview.

With the June issue already "in bed" when the bombs went off April 15, Willey and his staff knew their next opportunity to address Boston in print was the July issue. The bar for magazines was set high with popular covers already created by Sports Illustrated and Boston Magazine.

"I was blown away, it was such a brilliant idea," Willey said of Boston Magazine's montage of running shoes on its cover.

Nonetheless, Runner's World surely deserves a place alongside its colleagues with the July cover. Reaction has been almost entirely positive, Willey said, assuaging his fear that some would interpret the cover -- with its picture of a Boston Marathon medal with a black band across it -- as meaning the Boston Marathon was dead.

"We've gotten a pretty big response," he said. "A lot of people say they love it, simply saying it's great, it's perfect, and when people say more, it tends to be along the lines of 'I can't wait to read the whole issue.' "

The magazine hits newsstands June 11 and goes live for tablets June 5.

By Marie Torto, Boston.com Staff

Four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers and Olympic gold medalist Frank Shorter are scheduled to run together in the All-State Life Insurance Boston 13.1 Half Marathon in September to help the race raise funds for The One Fund.

The race, on Sept. 15, begins and ends at Suffolk Downs and goes through East Boston and Revere. Proceeds from the event will benefit OneFund.

Rodgers won the Boston Marathon in 1975, 1978, 1979 and 1980. Shorter won the 1972 Summer Olympics men's marathon in Munich, the first American to win an Olympic marathon, and won the silver at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Participants can register, request printable application and find fee information on the race's website.

Ryan King (at right in left photo) and his sister, Taylor King, wore shirts they made at Sunday's Run to Remember. The back featured a poem written by a Boston.com reader. (Photos courtesy of Ryan King)

By Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff

The days after the tragedy at the Boston Marathon saw a massive outpouring of support from the running community. From large companies making large donations to OneFund to running groups organizing events as a show of solidarity and to aid the healing process, runners did what they could to help.

Countless individual efforts and gestures also undoubtedly happened yet flew way under the radar. But one took place as a result of this blog, and we're compelled to complete the story.

In April, I wrote a post titled "Everyone wants to #RunForBoston." Included was a poem that Jennifer Sloan, a reader from Cambridge, wrote and decided to share.

Shortly thereafter, Ryan King, a Tewksbury native who is serving in the Navy in Norfolk, Va., contacted me because he wanted to reprint the poem on t-shirts he was making for Sunday's Run to Remember.

"Just the way it was written, I think it spoke for Boston," said King, 28, whose duties in the Navy include serving as a command fitness leader and conducting physical training sessions.

Sloan gave permission, and King and his sister, Taylor King, wore the shirts in the race Sunday and said they received numerous compliments about the poem and their shirts.

"I am sure Jennifer Sloan would love to know that her words made an impact," King wrote in an email this week.

Certainly the words had a far greater reach and impact because of King's decision to give them such a good ride.

Just like the movement to help in the aftermath of the bombings quickly swelled as more and more got involved, these two heartfelt and meaningful actions were a case of one thing leading to another for the greater good. And they were another example of how special Boston's running community truly is.

By Chrissy Horan, Boston.com Correspondent

Memorial Day is a day to remember all of the men and women who have died serving our country. It seems very appropriate that Boston’s Run to Remember was held at the Seaport Sunday to honor Massachusetts law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. Given the role law enforcement has had in Boston over the last six weeks, specifically as it related to a running event, it was also not a surprise that the race sold out well in advance.

While originally I had not planned to run, I registered after the marathon as a way to both honor the law enforcement officers who played such an important role in the marathon and post-marathon events, as well to come together with my teammates, many of whom ran Sunday as well. A small part of me also registered to run to prove to myself that I could again be a part of a large race without fear.

About 9,000 runners showed up on this chilly drizzly morning. Due to the size and timing of the race, extra security precautions were taken this year that had never been implemented in the past. Only limited roads were open to access Seaport Boulevard and all who entered through the open roads had to go through a security check. Runners were given a clear plastic bag to bring belongings into the World Trade Center, instead of the usual option to bring your own bag/backpack to leave in the designated “bag check” area.

As we lined up at the start, my friend Nicole mentioned she had her phone and some other items weighing down the back of her running skirt. After being unable to retrieve her personal items on the baggage buses at the marathon, she didn’t want to leave anything she might need behind in case she couldn’t get back to it. It seems like the events of that day still stick with us all in various ways.

The World Trade Center, which serves as the hub for both pre- and post-race activities, did not allow new entrants, except runners, once the race was underway. I can’t say how everyone felt about these extra measures, but for me, these steps did not add any inconvenience to my race, and actually made me feel a bit better about being in the largest crowd I have been a part of since the marathon.

And while the weather, 42 degrees with on and off rain, had many runners confused about how to dress, no one was complaining. (Having run and volunteered at this race when it was 90 degrees and sunny, personally I was much happier with today’s weather.)

Before the race began, the stage near the starting line hosted several speeches, bagpipes played Amazing Grace (I held it together today) and a moment of silence for the fallen officers we were there to honor. Tributes were also made to the marathons victims and Officer Sean Collier. Race organizers printed copies of a second race bib for runners to pin to their backs, to honor Officer Collier who had registered to run today’s race.

Police officers were on duty throughout the race course. And for as many officers I passed, I heard at least 10 times as many “thank yous” from runners around me and even several high fives exchanged.

With an upset stomach for most of the race, today was certainly not my best day. But I am so glad I ran, as today’s run will absolutely be one to remember.

By Chrissy Horan, Boston.com Correspondent

As a result of the bombings at this year’s Boston Marathon, more than 5,000 runners were stopped in their tracks along the course, unable to complete the race they had trained for all winter.

#onerun was a one-mile run along the final stretch of the marathon course that began with an email from Andy Marx, former leader of the Most Informal Running Club Ever and grew into a city-sanctioned event thanks to the collaboration of leadership from running groups across the Boston area and coordination of the race management company RaceMenu.

The event was pretty amazing. I arrived early to volunteer and so did a heck of a lot of other people. So many in fact, that RaceMenu had to close its volunteer registration link on its website because so many people wanted to help out. I helped set up and sold t-shirts for a while, but then got to head over for the coolest part of my volunteer assignment – being part of the human chain that would lead runners to the starting line

The runners lined up on Beacon Street, listening to pep talks by Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino, former Celtic Walter McCarty and city Councillor Mike Ross. Four runners, 3 with American flags and one with a Chinese flag in honor of those killed, led the line of about 3,000 runners.

I held it together while children from the St. Ann’s choir in Dorchester sang the national anthem, but after our human chain walked to the “One Mile To Go” mark on Beacon Street, my eyes filled with tears as the Boston Police played the bagpipes and our human chain broke apart to send the runners on their way.

After most of the runners passed, I jumped in and myself ran the last mile of the marathon route. For a portion of my run, I was near a couple, the guy shouting words of encouragement and filming the girl, who it appeared had run the marathon April 15th. I separated from them a bit and made my way down Boylston Street.

The crowds were not marathon-sized, but the cheers were. Runners who had already finished lined both sides of the street and along with spectators cheered as new runners finished. Many runners who had run the marathon wore their marathon bibs, and several had family hand them their medals at the finish line. A few moments after I crossed, I saw the couple I had run near earlier hugging, the girl, between sobs, saying, “I finally did it.”

Obviously there were a lot of urgent issues to resolve after this year’s Boston Marathon. For the Boston running community, it was important to again make the finish line a place of joy and celebration again.

Over a month delayed for many, there was plenty to celebrate on Boylston Street today.

Chrissy Horan is a frequent contributor to Boston.com's Marathon blog. Read more from her on her own blog, Chrissy Runs Again.

By Matt Pepin, Boston.com Staff

About 35 runners who were unable to finish the Boston Marathon when the race was stopped on April 15 will get to have a ceremonial finish just prior to the start of Sunday's Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The runners, who are from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and Michigan, will run about a half-mile from the track's Turn 4 to the its famous finish line at about 11:55 a.m., roughly 10 minutes before the call for drivers to start their engines.

“The tragedy last month in Boston still resonates with everyone, so we wanted to give runners the chance to finish the race in front of thousands of fans who will appreciate their persistence and determination,” said Doug Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway chief operating officer, in a story on the Indy 500's website.

The Indy 500 begins just after noon.

Frank Fumich (left) and Matt Nelson are running from Washington to Boston as a way to raise funds for two victims of the Boston Marathon bombings

By Marie Torto, Boston.com Staff

After the Boston Marathon bombings occurred on April 15, ultra-athletes Frank Fumich of Arlington, Va., and Matt Nelson of West Palm Beach, Fla. decided they wanted to help victims' families in the best way they know how: by running.

Both are seasoned veterans in long-distance races, each has an impressive running resume that includes dozens of ultra-marathons. But both say that helping the victims of the marathon bombings and raising awareness are the most important things.

Nelson founded Endurance Trust in 2005 to use endurance sports as a way to raise money for charity from membership fees, sponsors and private donations. For this endeavor, they used the Boston-based web site FirstGiving to solicit donations.

"We decided that if we wanted the money to go directly to those who needed it most then we would have to deliver it to them personally," said Fumich, 45. "We figured the most appropriate and fitting way would be to run it up there."

Fumich and Nelson will attempt a 450-mile course from Washington D.C.'s 9/11 Pentagon Memorial to the Boston Marathon finish line starting on Tuesday at 6 am. They will run marathon-distance routes, each completing 26.2 miles alternatively and rest while the other runs, an estimated 250 miles per runner over the span of five days. They are expected to finish on June 1 around noon.

"We're going to run the last marathon together, starting at the Boston Marathon starting line and run the last 26.2 into the city, past the bombing sites, to the finish," said Nelson, 48. "That's the goal."

The course will consist of running through 10 states and the two will be escorted by local and state police throughout the journey. The duo will run past some of the country's most historic landmarks, which was important to both runners. They even decided to veer off the most direct route of the course twice to be able to include Delaware and Rhode Island in the course.

"We wanted to make sure to get as many states involved as possible," said Nelson. "We want the people there to know what we are doing and why we are doing it."

In terms of speed and recovery, Fumich and Nelson have a detailed time-distance strategy that allots for slow 6-hour marathons. This allows for extended rest and refueling periods.

"The key to recovery will be icing our legs, jumping into 20-minute ice baths, getting our legs elevated as soon as possible," said Fumich. "We'll eat, lay down and just try to rest as much as we can."

Traveling with an entourage of police and supporters, the extra built-in time will benefit everyone, not just the two running.

"It'll also be good for our volunteer team because if we finish early, we have time to stop and regroup," Nelson said. "Timing for us is based on coordination to build support and build knowledge so we can get people aware. There's still a lot of need, there’s still a of people who are hurting. We want to make sure people keep it in mind.

"I mean, it could've been my family," he added.

After well exceeding their originally fundraising goal of $26,200 by raising $52,000, Fumich and Nelson set a new goal of $78,600 that they hope to raise by the time they finish the run. The money will benefit the Richard family and Jeff Bauman's recovery efforts.

The Richards lost their son, Martin, in the Marathon bombings and his mother and sister suffered devastating injuries, while Jeff Bauman lost both of his legs. Fumich and Nelson plan on presenting checks to Bauman and a representative of the Richard family after completing their journey.

"I can't imagine what it’s going to feel like," said Fumich about presenting the money to the victims. "We’ve gotten pretty emotionally involved with the process and the families. I know what it means to them and I always say if things don’t hurt in life, it wasn’t really worth it. The more this hurts, the more it means to me. It's what's going to power me on. Just thinking about that moment is what is going to fuel us, which is the most important part for me."

By Marie Torto, Boston.com Staff

On Saturday, Boston Runners and Run Against Cancer Events will host #onerun to give runners who didn't get to complete the Boston Marathon on April 15 a chance to cross the finish line.

The non-competitive 1-mile run covers the final mile of the Boston Marathon course. More than 5,000 runners were still on the course when the marathon was stopped after two bombs exploded near the finish line.

Alain Ferry, founder of RACE, said the idea was first proposed by Andy Marx of Informal Running in an email the day after the Boston Marathon. The following Monday, a group met in Ferry's office and #onerun was created.

The run will start at the "One Mile to Go" marker in front of Dunkin' Donuts at 532 Commonwealth Ave in Kenmore Square. Runners will go down Commonwealth Ave., under Massachusetts Ave., take a right on Hereford and left on Boylston, just like in the real Boston Marathon.

The event, which is scheduled to start at 10 am, is free and open to everyone. More than 2,000 people have RSVP-ed on the event's Facebook page.

"Our goals for #onerun are to offer runners and spectators an opportunity to experience some of the magic of the final mile of the Boston Marathon while also attracting hundreds of thousands of dollars in consumer spending to Back Bay businesses," Ferry said. "Whether running or spectating, we'd love to see as many people out there, or more, than we had on April 15."

For more information about the race, visit #onerun's Facebook page or e-mail onerun@bostonrunners.com.