by Larry Eder
It was only in 1986 that the Boston Marathon moved to a professional format. John Hancock Financial Services came in and guaranteed strong fields. That, in fact, was my last year running Boston. Rob De Castella won that year and just blazed the course that year.
The Boston Marathon is the most iconic race in the US. It is all about the streets of Boston, the crowds, the excitement over the weekend. If one is in the business of the marathon, one must be at Boston, Chicago and New York in the US. Boston will be a fun weekend.
2012 Boston Marathon Runs on EarthLink’s Data Center Platform
EarthLink Hosts Event
Website, Ensures Secure High Performance Access to Data
BOSTON, MASS —
April 9, 2012 — EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK), a leading
IT services and communications provider, today announced that the 2012 Boston
Marathon will once again run the event via data center services provided by
EarthLink. With nearly 27,000 participants from across the globe, the Boston
Marathon is among the most data-driven sporting events in the country.
As the Boston Marathon’s
longtime, official data center provider, EarthLink provides the reliable, secure
infrastructure that enables the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) to
seamlessly manage this iconic event online. EarthLink Business hosts
the B.A.A.’s website, on which all participants for the Boston Marathon, as well
as other B.A.A. races, must register online. The runners’ stats and registration
information is stored securely in the cloud at EarthLink’s data center in nearby
Marlborough. Data can be easily accessed in real-time by B.A.A event organizers,
runners, spectators and worldwide media. The Marathon also attracts 500,000 spectators each year, making it New
England’s most widely viewed sporting event.
“With thousands of runners and hundreds
of thousands of spectators, access to data is critical to allowing us to track
all of our runners and manage all of the information flow required to support
this event,” said T.K. Skenderian, Marketing and Sponsorship Manager, Boston
Athletic Association. “Thanks to EarthLink, our event organizers and 26,895
participating runners know they have safe and convenient access to a
high-performance website that has the information they need both before and on
race day.”
The B.A.A’s infrastructure is
housed in EarthLink’s state-of-the-art, fully redundant data center with a
99.999% uptime guarantee, and operated according to industry best practices for
security, compliance, efficiency and performance.
“EarthLink is proud to provide
the Boston Athletic Association with the reliable, secure data center services
that keep the Boston Marathon and its runners on track, and lets the B.A.A.
focus on this seminal event in lieu of its IT infrastructure,” said Mae
Squier-Dow, EarthLink President of Premier Business Solutions.
As part of the company’s Boston
Marathon-related activities, EarthLink is also donating invitational race
entries to three local, non-profit EarthLink customers. Morgan Memorial Goodwill
Industries, The Boston Living Center, and RESPOND all received race waivers
which they use to support their fundraising efforts.
Morgan Memorial Goodwill provides
job training and meaningful work opportunities to people with disabilities. The
Boston Living Center is the area’s largest resource center for people living
with HIV/AIDS. and RESPOND is New England’s first domestic violence
agency, providing life-saving shelter, support services, training and
education to more than 75,000 people in need.
“As a result of our
EarthLink-sponsored race waivers, we expect to raise almost $15,000. These
additional funds will go a long way towards supporting our youth programs at
Goodwill,” said James Harder, Director of Communications at Morgan Memorial
Goodwill Industries.
EarthLink has a sizeable employee
base in the Boston market, with approximately 280 employees engaged in sales,
customer support and administrative roles.
About EarthLink
EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK) is a leading IT
services, network and communications provider to more than 150,000 businesses
and over one million consumers nationwide. EarthLink empowers customers with
managed IT services including cloud computing, data centers, virtualization,
security, applications and support services, in addition to nationwide data and
voice IP services. The company operates an extensive network including 28,000
route fiber miles, 90 metro fiber rings and 4 secure data centers providing
ubiquitous IP coverage across more than 90 percent of the country. Founded in
1994, the company’s award-winning reputation for both outstanding service and
product innovation is supported by an experienced team of professionals focused
on best-in-class customer care. For
more information, visit EarthLink’s website www.earthlink.net.
