Boston Marathon

For the rowing event, see Boston Rowing Marathon. For the April 15, 2013 bombing, see Boston Marathon bombing.

Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon logo
DateUsually the third Monday of April (Patriots' Day)
LocationEastern Massachusetts, ending in Boston
Event typeRoad
DistanceMarathon
EstablishedApril 19, 1897; 127 years ago (1897-04-19)
Course recordsMen: 2:03:02 (2011)
Geoffrey Mutai
Women: 2:19:59 (2014)
Buzunesh Deba
Official sitewww.baa.org/races/boston-marathon Edit this at Wikidata
2024 Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April.[1] Begun in 1897, the event was inspired by the success of the first marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics.[2] The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's best-known road racing events. It is one of seven World Marathon Majors. Its course runs from Hopkinton in southern Middlesex County to Copley Square in Boston.

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has organized this event annually since 1897,[3] including a "virtual alternative" after the 2020 road race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race has been managed by DMSE Sports since 1988. Amateur and professional runners from all over the world compete in the Boston Marathon each year, braving the hilly Massachusetts terrain and varying weather to take part in the race.

The event attracts 500,000 spectators along the route, making it New England's most viewed sporting event.[4] Starting with just 15 participants in 1897, the event has grown to an average of about 30,000 registered participants each year, with 30,251 people entering in 2015.[5] The Centennial Boston Marathon in 1996 established a record as the world's largest marathon with 38,708 entrants, 36,748 starters, and 35,868 finishers.[4]

  1. ^ "Marathon Dates". BAA.org. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference first was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "About Us". BAA.org. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference facts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Boston Marathon Race Statistics, 2015". Race Statistics, 2015. Boston Athletic Association. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015.