B A Event Promotions

Poorly run organization that does not keep up with correspondence. When Paulie does respond he is rude and condescending. Would never give my money to such a poorly run organization with such terrible customer service.

Like others — I’ve vowed not to race in any events organized by BA Event Promotions due to Paulie’s rude behavior.
I was a registered runner for the Memphis BBQ 5K that was supposed to take place on ⁸⁄₂₄ & benefit the National MS Society.
The race had to be rescheduled — but Paulie didn’t e-​mail the runners to let us know until 2 days before the original race day.
The date that the race was rescheduled to changed twice and since I could no longer attend (it’s now the same day as the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk) I requested a refund for my registration fee.
Paulie sent me a very rude e-​mail in response. Including saying «be happy you are alive. many are disappointed over far worse things in life.»
This rude and unprofessional behavior has made me vow to never register for a race organized by B A Event Promotions again.

I LOVE every race they put on. I always have so much fun with my friends and the other runners. It us a blast to run in a sea of green for St. Patrick’s day and a sea of red, green, santa’s and elves for christmas. The summer lets run series each have a music theme so you can dress the part if you like. Paulie does a great job organizing and putting on these races and I think his emails are funny! Do yourself a favor and grab some of your friends and try one of these races.

I’ve been running races from this company for the last four or five years, until now. This company is run by an extremely rude person, and to top that off it is almost entirely for profit (they kick a small percentage of race proceeds to the VFW that hosts the summer runs).
There are tons of races in the cities of Boston and Cambridge that are organized by positive organizations, who not only raise money for local charities, but do not treat the paying racers like *@&#.

I’m a runner. I love running races in Boston, especially with friends in the summer so the «Let’s Run, Have Fun, and Be Fit» series run by B.A. Events seemed perfect.
WRONG. The food is terrible and cold, the lines are ridiculous, the bar area is so crowded it makes a frat party seem roomy and worst of all are Paulie’s emails.
Not only are the emails so frequent that they’re terribly annoying, it appears that Paulie doesn’t think grammar and punctuation are important, which means that none of his emails make any sense. The emails are often rude, which makes sense since the man is very rude in person.
Overall this is a highly unprofessional organization and the lack of any type of customer service means that not only will I be avoiding all BA Event races in the future, I’ll be suggestion to my friends and running club that they do the same.

I received an unnecessarily rude and very brief email response to a simple request. I have run a few races with this group, but don’t think I’ll be doing another one.

I’m just going to add to the unprofessional/​harrassing/​aggressive email issue. Didn’t get a response the first 3 times I emailed looking for an answer to an easy question. Finally, I sent one stating that I found it unacceptable for an organizer to ignore his runners. Rather than just answering my question, Paulie (the organizer) came back with a rabid attack on my character for having the gaul to expect a response.
He went on to state that he gets 50k registrations and that I was acting childish for suggesting that I would spread the word on his lack of professionalism and customer service.
The t-​shirts at his races ALWAYS suck and there is never enough of the promised food at the end by the time I cross the finish line. (I typically run about 9 minute miles, usually good for the top ½ of finishers)
As these are the primary functions of a race organizer, I’d advise against BA Events. There are so many nicer, less cocky, and less stingy organizer’s races to run!
Paulie’s exact words: «Yelp for those who want to get mean with others.»

I took it personally when the organizer, Paul, sent me harassing and aggressive emails until I read these reviews… apparently he’s just a loose cannon to everyone he comes in contact with and consistently writes. like .this. because. he’s. a. total. nutjob. (insert a million smiley faces here).
I recently signed up for the Jingle Bell 5K but decided not to run after receiving multiple insolent emails in response to my complaint about being denied my race packet after I (along with 6 other people) showed up within his tiny time limit for pickups. Part of me didn’t want to support his race but the other part of me was afraid he would hunt me down to further hassle me in person. He’s a man who seems to have no boundaries or common sense. I am taking M.A.‘s advice below and running his future races for free… no need to line this loser’s pockets with my money!

My first review was posted after Paulie and I had some communications issues about me receiving a jacket after completing the «Let’s Run and Have Some Fun» race series.
I’m not sure why, but after 6 months, Paulie decided to make things right. I will not question this, and it doesn’t exactly take back the rude email exchanges we had. But ultimately, the races are fun, all my friends do them, and I think he means well under his tough shell.
I have signed up for the 2011 Summer Series and will be reading every email from BA Events with a fine tooth comb.
See ya in the beer tent!

I received a few very unprofessional emails regarding my race registration. He was flat our rude in responding to my questions and concerns. I did not participate in the event after his abrupt dismissal. I’m done with BA Events!

Unreasonably expensive, and progressively less well organized.
I’m getting less and less impressed with this operation as time goes on. The races are generally fun, and a lot of enthusiasm swirls around them, but as they get bigger, they get more and more pricey every time and less well operated (I was going to say «less well run,» but that would be confusing).
It’s nearly impossible to get answers to questions not on the FAQ, probably because Paulie is too busy sending out hype e-​mails and writing his blog, and no one else seems to be allowed to answer for him. The level of effort runners get for their money keeps creeping down — same old shirts every single year, skimpier prizes. And the prices — $ 31 for a 5K? Nuts!
The fundraising aspect is great, but where is the rest of all this cash going? A lot of it to the charities, but come on now — you would be better off donating directly and skipping the lining of Paulie’s pockets along the way. There are enough other fun races to be had around here (and lots of them are packed full of people who like post-​race beer!).

Professional communication, detailed updates and reminders, organized events and a lot of fun! I ran the St. Patrick’s Day race in Somerville in 09, the Harwich 7.3 miler and will be back this year for the Harwich Half Marathon. Can’t wait!

I’ve been disappointed too many times by the lack of planning, sheer disorganization, and disrespectful/​unprofessional attitudes of the race planners. I am DONE dealing with nonsensical emails, last minute cancellations, and rude communications from Paulie, the «organizer.» Be warned.

I ran my first race with them yesterday, despite the horrible weather I had a blast. I love that most of the runners & walkers had flair. Plus any race that highlights all of the pubs along the route gets 5 stars from me!

I like this race event planner. They put on the st. patty’s day run I did and the marathon. The medal’s are pretty cool and the shirts are actually good cotton, not cheap. The timing results are up pretty quickly after the race and there is plenty of water at the end of the st. patty’s 5k and great water station spacing for the marathon.

Dedicated to helping folks have a great time since 1995, B.A. Events teams up with Sommerville Striders Athletic Club for some fit fun! They put on races all year that are always a good time and yes, you get a medal and occasional tshirt. Whether it be the Jingle Bell Run, St. Patty’s Day race or Summer Race Series, you can guarantee a long standing tradition is held up: runners like beer. There will either be after race bars or an after race party, perfect for mingling and making new friends. And doesn’t beer taste so much better when you know you’ve earned it after a race? Maybe not, but I still have a wonderful time throughout the whole thing.
Paulie, our fearless leader, bless his heart for taking care of us, but website is terrible. The best way to get involved is meander your way through the website to find the next event and sign up. After that, you’re on the list and you’ll get the emails. Ready, set, go!