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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2024 BOSTON MARATHON


EVEN FOR RUNNERS WHO AREN’T RACING, IT’S THE GREATEST WEEKEND IN RUNNING. HERE’S
A RUNDOWN OF WHO’S RUNNING, HOW TO WATCH THE RACE, AND NUMEROUS PRE-RACE EVENTS.

Updated Apr 12, 2024 Brian Metzler
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Photo: Getty Images

Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion Photo: Getty Images

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Taxes, and the 2024 Boston Marathon.

Those are the two most prominent things that happen in mid-April, and both
happen to fall on Monday, April 15 this year. While there’s still plenty of time
to file your taxes, the hay better already be in the barn for anyone running the
marathon.

Here’s a rundown of what you should know about the 128th running of this iconic
footrace from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to Copley Square in downtown Boston.


THE 2024 BOSTON MARATHON

The oldest annual marathon in the world, the Boston Marathon, dates back to
1897. It’s always held on the third Monday in April, which has become known as
Marathon Monday. But it’s also Patriots’ Day, a Massachusetts state holiday that
commemorates some of the early battles of the American Revolutionary War.

The race will include a field of approximately 30,000 runners—about 22,000 of
whom qualified by running an approved race under the time qualification marks
corresponding to age and gender divisions, and about 8,000 of whom entered
through one of the 157 non-profit organizations in the Bank of America Boston
Marathon Official Charity Program. Each athlete who participates in the Boston
Marathon on behalf of one of the official charities is required to raise a
minimum of $5,000 for that organization.

A group of U.S. military soldiers starts things off on race-day at 6 A.M. as
they begin marching along the course. Then the men’s wheelchair division takes
off from the start in Hopkinton at 9:02 A.M., followed by the women’s wheelchair
racers, hand cyclists, and various para athletes. The men’s professional race
begins at 9:37 A.M., followed by the women’s professional race at 9:47 A.M. The
first of four time-seeded citizen waves begins at 10 A.M., followed by
subsequent waves every 25 minutes. A few minutes before the fourth and final
wave begins, the Boston Red Sox begin their Patriots’ Day game against the
Cleveland Guardians 25 miles to the east at Fenway Park (and just a few blocks
from the homestretch to the finish line). The early game start time dates back
to the 1960s, when it was aligned with the start of the marathon as a joint
celebration of Patriots’ Day.

RELATED: Your 2024 Boston Marathon Medal Will Be Made of Recycled Materials


A CIRCUS OF PRE-RACE EVENTS

If you’re in Boston the weekend of the race—either because you’re racing or
because you just want to soak in the vibes and events—there is a lot to see and
do. For participating runners, that probably means getting to the expo to get
your bib, doing a shakeout run on Saturday or Sunday, and laying low until
Monday morning. But the days leading up to Marathon Monday have become a
spectacle of fun runs, brand activations, swag giveaways, athlete appearances,
live podcasts, live music, parties, and more. The best part is that almost all
of it is free and open to the public.

Whether you’re running the race or not, there are numerous shakeout runs tied to
brand activations scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. (Last year there
were more than a dozen shakeout runs crammed into three days!) This year’s
schedule includes a New Balance fun run at 5:30 P.M. Friday night with Believe
in the Run that starts and ends at Solas Irish Pub (61 Exeter Street), Saturday
morning shakeout runs from Hoka’s FlyLab PopUp shop (344 Newbury Street), custom
singlets from the New Balance pop-up store (124 Newbury Street) on Saturday
morning, and a Saturday evening shakeout run with Craft (a meet-and-greet with
Tommy Rivs) at the Marathon Sports Brand House (344 Newbury Street), as well as
Sunday morning shakeout runs from the Puma, ASICS, and Tracksmith pop-up shops
on Newbury Street.

The Boston Marathon race expo will once again feature a variety of panel
discussions and athlete speakers. (Photo: Brian Metzler)

The Boston Marathon race expo will once again be at the Hynes Convention Center
(900 Boylston Street) and, aside from being the place where runners pick up
their race bibs and browse vendor booths, it will also boast numerous speakers
and events, including an Indigenous Running Panel, an Ali on the Run Podcast
with Emma Bates and Jenny Simpson, a Women in the World of Running panel, a
discussion from Dave McGillivray about running the Boston Marathon for 51
straight years, and a chat with American legend Meb Keflezighi about his
historic victory in 2014. Expo hours are Friday, April 12 from 11 A.M. to 6
P.M., Saturday, April 13 from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M., and Sunday, April 14 from 9 A.M.
to 6 P.M.  

The Boston Marathon Fan Fest returns this year, but because Copley Square is
under construction it’s been moved to City Hall Plaza in downtown Boston
adjacent to historic Faneuil Hall. The Fan Fest is open Friday from 3 P.M. to 8
P.M. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M. and will feature a few
shakeout runs and yoga sessions for runners, as well as numerous live music
performances.

The Boston 5K on April 13 will feature a field of 10,000 runners, including
world-class professionals. (Photo: Getty Images)

Approximately 10,000 runners will participate in the sold-out Boston 5K at 8
A.M. on Saturday, April 13. Beginning and ending on Charles Street next to the
Public Gardens and Boston Common, it’s a fast loop course that passes over the
Boston Marathon finish line about a half mile from its own finish line. (Morgan
Beadlescomb won the men’s race in 13:25 last year, while Mekides Abede won the
women’s race in 15:01.) From 10:30 to 11:30 A.M. Saturday, top scholastic boys
and girls from the cities and towns of the Boston Marathon course, as well as a
field of professional milers from around the world, will race in the B.A.A.
Invitational Mile races on a three-lap course on the streets of Boston. (Hobbs
Kessler won the men’s race in 4:07.91 last year, while Krissy Gear won the
women’s race in 4:39.98.)

RELATED: Everyone’s Favorite Boston Marathon Dog Memorialized with Statue

(Illustration: Boston Athletic Association)


THE BOSTON MARATHON COURSE

The Boston Marathon starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and sends runners on a
hilly 26.2-mile point-to-point journey to Copley Square in Boston.  The course
has a net-downhill profile, dropping 459 feet from start to finish. Everyone
worries about trudging up Heartbreak Hill at Mile 21, but the most devastating
hill on the course might be the 350-foot downhill runners encounter in the first
4 miles that often leads to a faster-than-expected opening 10K. If you go out
too fast or haven’t done long downhill tempo runs, your legs will feel as soupy
as a bowl of Boston clam chowder even before you reach the infamous Newton
hills. The four Newton Hills between Mile 16 and 21 are a challenge, to be sure,
especially Heartbreak Hill, which is the tallest and longest hill to climb. But
don’t sleep on the steep downhill mile from the top of Heartbreak—it can deaden
a runner’s legs and make the final four miles to the finish line absolutely
brutal. From there, it leads to the famous final turns—right of Hereford, left
on Boylston—and the final, glorious 600 meters to the finish amid droves of
cheering fans.

(Illustration: Boston Athletic Association)

RELATED: A Complete Guide to the Boston Marathon Course


OFFICIAL URGE SPECTATORS TO STAY OFF THE MARATHON COURSE


Race officials are urging fans to stay off the course after a controversy
involving police blocking predominantly Black running groups cheering adjacent
to Heartbreak Hill. The B.A.A. has put messaging on social media about the
importance of having a clear course on Marathon Monday. The race’s official
Spectator Guide reminds fans that they’re banned from entering the course,
running alongside athletes, or impeding athletes in any manner. “Planning to
attend #Boston128? Keeping the course clear is essential to supporting every
athlete in having a great race day experience,” the B.A.A. posted from its
Boston Marathon X account. “The BAA Spectator Guide offers info on how to
support a great race & help you find the perfect spots to cheer!”

Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri were the 2023 Boston Marathon champions. Both are
returning to defend their titles. (Photo: Getty Images)


THE PROFESSIONAL FIELDS ARE THE STRONGEST EVER

It goes without saying that this year’s Boston Marathon will be as compelling as
previous races always seem to be, even without the marquee billing of Eliud
Kipchoge this year. Both the women’s and men’s professional fields are stacked
with talented international athletes, including past Boston champions, Olympic
medalists, and world champions. Fans of American distance running will also
rejoice to see many big names who didn’t fare quite as well as they hoped at the
U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon on February 3 in Orlando, Florida.


WOMEN’S PRO FIELD

The women’s race has the strongest field in Boston Marathon history, with 18
runners entered with personal bests of 2:23 or faster. Depending on weather
conditions and race-day tactics, the women’s course record of  2:19:59 set by
Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba in 2014 could certainly be in jeopardy.

Leading the field is defending champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya, who won the race
in her second marathon (2:21:38) before going to win the New York City Marathon
last fall (2:25:49). She’s still considered to be one of the favorites in the
women’s race, but she’s only the 16th fastest in the field. Ethiopia’s Tadu
Teshome (2:17:36), who was the runner up at the 2021 Berlin Marathon and placed
fifth in the Chicago Marathon last fall, and Hiwot Gebremariam (2:17:59), who
was eighth in Boston last year, are the fastest of seven Ethiopian women entered
with sub-2:20 personal bests. Kenya’s Judith Korir (2:18:20), the silver
medalist at the 2022 world championships, is the third-fastest woman in the
field, while her compatriot Edna Kiplagat (2:19:50), a 44-year-old two-time
Boston Marathon winner and two-time world champion who lives and trains in
Boulder, Colorado, is also in the field after a stellar, third-place finish at
the NYC Half Marathon (1:09:46) on March 17.

Emma Bates is considered the top U.S. contender after her personal-best 2:22:10,
fifth-place showing last April in Boston. The 32-year-old runner from Boulder,
Colorado, skipped the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon because of a minor injury,
but is said to be fit and ready with two weeks to go. Based on personal bests,
Sara Hall (2:20:32) is the fastest U.S. runner in the field. She turns 41 on
race day, but she’s continued to run exceptionally since her late 30s. She’s
doubling back from the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon just 72 days after her
strong fifth-place, 2:26:06 showing in Orlando..

Another 40-year-old legend, Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion who
has run well in Boston for nearly 15 years, is also doubling back from the
Olympic Trials after placing 11th (2:28:04). So is Caroline Rotich, 39, who took
sixth at the Trials (2:26:14). Rotich won the 2015 Boston Marathon running for
her native country of Kenya, but went through the long process to gain U.S.
citizenship and finally received it last October. Meanwhile, American track
legend Jenny Simpson, a four-time global medalist in the 1,500 meters (including
winning gold at the 2011 world championships) is in the Boston field. She made
her marathon debut in the U.S. Olympic Trials, but dropped out near Mile 18.
However, she’ll toe the start line with a confidence boost after a strong
showing at the the NYC Half Marathon (sixth, 1:12:06).

RELATED: Star-Studded Women’s Field Set to Dazzle at the 2024 Boston Marathon


MEN’S PRO FIELD

Kipchoge, largely considered the GOAT of marathoning, was humbled a bit last
year by perhaps not respecting how hilly the course was—that is, if you consider
a sixth-place, 2:09:23 to be humbling. But it’s more that  countryman Evans
Chebet, last year’s defending champion, took full advantage of his knowledge of
the course and ran away on the Newton Hills to win the men’s race again, this
time in 2:05:54. Chebet, who also won the 2022 New York City Marathon, is back
to try to win a third straight Boston Marathon—a feat that hasn’t been
accomplished since Kenya’s Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot won his third straight
title (and fourth in five years) in 2008.

Chebet owns a 2:03:00 personal best, which makes him the second-fastest runner
in the field behind Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma (2:01:48), the fourth-fastest
marathoner in history behind the late Kelvin Kiptum (2:00:35), Kipchoge
(2:01:09), and Kenenisa Bekele (2:01:41). Also in the deep men’s field are
Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay (2:03:00), the 10th fastest marathoner in history),
Kenya’s Cyprian Kotut (2:04:34) and John Korir (2:05:01), and Ethiopia’s Haftu
Teklu (2:04:43), Shura Kitata (2:04:49), and Mohamed Esa (2:05:05), Japan’s
Suguru Osako (2:05:29), and Norway’s Sondre Moen (2:05:48).

The seemingly ageless Sam Chelanga, 39, and Elkanah Kibet, 40, both American
runners by way of Kenya, are the top two U.S. runners in the field. They are
both serving in the U.S. Army and members of the World Class Athlete Program
(WCAP) based in Colorado Springs. Both are doubling back from the U.S. Olympic
Trials Marathon. (Kibet was fourth in 2:10:02, while Chelanga dropped out near
mile 18.) Despite their ages, Chelanga (2:08:50) and Kibet (2:09:07) both set
their personal bests in 2023, and Kibet has run 2:11:20 or faster in five of the
six marathons he’s run since 2020, including his ninth-place 2:09:07 showing in
Boston in 2022.

A few other Americans doubling back from the Olympic Trials include CJ
Albertson, who ran a career-best race with a strong fifth-place effort
(2:10:07), Matt McDonald, who owns a 2:09:49 personal best but placed 65th
(2:20:45) in Orlando, and Joseph Whelan, who was 89th (2:22:37).

RELATED: Dave McGillivray’s Extraordinary Boston Marathon Streak is Coming Full
Circle


COURSE RECORDS


For years, the Boston Marathon was typically the slowest of the six Abbott World
Marathon Majors races, mostly because of the hilly nature of the course and race
tactics. (There are no pacesetters in the Boston Marathon, so tactics develop
organically based on the runners in the elite field, weather conditions, and who
decides to surge early in the race.) The women’s course record of 2:19:59 was
set by Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba amid mild weather and a light breeze.

There have been a few exceptionally fast years when cool weather and strong
tailwinds have greatly aided runners—including 2011 when Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai
set the still-standing course record of 2:03:02. He was followed closely by
countryman Moses Mosop (2:03:06), Ethiopian Gebregziabher Gebremariam (2:04:53,)
and American Ryan Hall (2:04:58), who ran the fastest-ever time by a U.S.
runner. (That’s not an official American record because the Boston Marathon
course is not considered record-legal due to it being a point-to-point course
with an elevation loss that slightly exceeds the World Athletics limit of 3.33
meters per kilometer.)

RELATED: Boston Marathon Course Analysis


PRIZE MONEY


This year’s Boston Marathon has a total prize purse of $1.1 million, of which
$806,000 will be distributed to the top 10 women’s and men’s finishers. The race
winners will each earn $150,000, while the men’s and womens’ wheelchair division
champions will earn $40,000. The Boston Marathon is the first Abbott World
Marathon Major event to offer equal $50,000 course record bonuses across the
open and wheelchair divisions.

The first of four citizen waves of the 2024 Boston Marathon begins at 10 A.M. on
April 15. (Photo: Getty Images)


HOW TO WATCH THE 2024 BOSTON MARATHON AND TRACK RUNNERS


ESPN2 will broadcast the Boston Marathon on April 15 with live coverage from
8:30 A.M. ET until 12:30 p.m. ET. The race will also be livestreamed on WCVB’s
Very Local Boston.  WCVB will provide coverage of the race the entire day, from
4:30 A.M. to 8 P.M. If you live in Boston, you are not going to forget that
Patriots’ Day is also Marathon Monday.

To track runners during the race or to search results immediately after, you’ll
need to download the B.A.A. Mobile App. The app, which is available for both
Apple IOS and Android phones, features live tracking of all participants, social
media integration, interactive course maps, and a lot of other information and
resources.


BOSTON MARATHON WEEKEND LODGING


If you haven’t booked a hotel room yet, buyer beware. The city is mostly
sold-out and hotel prices have been crazy high. However, next Monday—April 8—is
the cancellation deadline for most hotels, so if any runner who booked lodging
but has to cancel because of an injury, a lack of training, or any other sort of
last-minute dilemma, some additional rooms should open up this week.


Brian Metzler
Brian Metzler is the Editor in Chief of RUN and the founding editor of Trail
Runner. A former walk-on Division I track athlete, he has run 15 marathons,
completed four Ironman triathlons and run a wide range of trail running races
from 5K to 100 miles. He's also the author of several books, including "Trail
Running Illustrated: The Art of Running Free" (2021) and "Kicksology: The Hype,
Science, Culture and Cool of Running Shoes" (2019).


SIMILAR READS

Deep, Fast Men’s Field Should Make for an Electric Race at the 2024 Boston
Marathon
Star-Studded Women’s Field Set to Dazzle at 2024 Boston Marathon
6 Mistakes You Should Avoid at the Boston Marathon
Emma Bates Is Stronger Than Ever Heading into the Boston Marathon

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