The Man Behind the Boston Marathon: The President Of The BAA Jack Fleming on Legacy, Community & the Future of Running

THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Dominic Schlueter

Running, Sports

4.8 • 686 Ratings

🗓️ 17 August 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jack Fleming is more than just a figure in running history. He’s shaping its future.

As President and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), Jack leads with a mission: make running accessible to everyone, all year round.

After joining the B.A.A. in 1992, he’s worked nearly every role and now sets the course for a more inclusive, community-focused organization.

That vision was clear at the recent Shoreline 5K at Carson Beach, a new, entirely B.A.A.-run event. Planned, managed, and executed solely by B.A.A. staff, this Thursday night race was designed with the community in mind.

The event was all about participation. No cash prizes or age-group awards. Every finisher got a custom B.A.A.-adidas cap, a new kind of giveaway. This speaks to Jack’s leadership, that goes far beyond this one race. Under his watch, the 2024 Boston Marathon charity program raised a record $45.7 million, with a total philanthropic impact of $71.9 million.

He was recently inducted into the Road Runners Club of America Hall of Fame, cementing his status as a sport leader.

But Jack isn’t slowing down. He’s out running local races every week, focused on growing the sport, connecting with new runners, and making all B.A.A. events matter—on and off the course.

In today's conversation,

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Ladies and gentlemen, before we hop into today's episode of the podcast, I want to tell you that
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1:06.4	One other thing that I just wanted to express is that what maybe those who try to be disruptors
1:15.1	or more than that, in this case, terrorists, didn't know, is that when you are trying to do
1:22.8	something devastating like that, you're kind of picking on the wrong sport, you're kind of picking on the wrong sport. You're kind of picking on the wrong
1:28.5	people. You're kind of picking on the wrong city. You're talking about really, really resilient
1:34.4	people, committed people that are dead set on coming back, right? They're going to return.
1:53.9	That was the CEO and president of the BAA, the Boston Athletic Association, Jack Fleming,
2:00.0	talking about how Boston and the Boston Marathon came back from the tragic Boston bombings in 2013 and is one of many fun stories and
2:03.1	insightful stories and I would say unheard of stories from Jack in today's conversation of the
2:08.5	podcast. It was, guys, it was an honor to speak with someone of his tenure, someone who has had
2:13.9	the profound deep impact on that sport that Jack has had. He's devoted his life to the
	...

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