Fans heading to Game 3 at Fenway Park on Sunday will have to deal with a lot more than long concession lines and the standard parking headaches.
Before Clay Buchholz and Scott Kazmir square off in the highly-anticipated postseason tilt, the 2009 Boston Athletic Association Half Marathon will take place beginning and ending at Roberto Clemente Park at 8:00 a.m. in the Fenway. The race will feature over 5,000 participants, meaning the city will be closing down many streets around the Fenway Park neighborhood:
Park Drive will be closed at 5:00 a.m. for set up (service road remains open).
Traffic will be delayed on various streets intermittently between 7:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. (and maybe beyond) to allow the runners to proceed along the course. The course begins at Roberto Clemente Park and goes through the Riverway and over Route 9 into Brookline. The course then passes Jamaica Pond and the Arborway on its way to Franklin Park, with a turnaround in the Franklin Park Zoo. Returning from Franklin Park, the course follows the Arborway to the Jamaicaway to the Riverway before finishing back in the Fenway on Park Drive near the rose garden and Veteran's Memorial.
Once all the runners pass the intersection by the Landmark Center, the police will re-open that intersection (around 8:10 a.m.) until the runners return from Franklin Park (around 8:35 a.m. – wheelchair leaders) and then shut it down again. Police will be "pulsing" traffic through when it is safe to do so.
However, fans braving the make-or-break contest and crowds around the Fens will be treated to a variety of pregame activities including Grammy-nominated blues and soul artist Susan Tedeschi singing the National Anthem and a ceremonial first pitch from former Red Sox outfielder Dave Henderson.
