Introducing The 2024 Boston Marathon

I thought about how many preconceived notions would crumble when I trotted along for 26 miles.
 - Bobbi Gibb, first woman to finish the Boston Marathon, 1966

Where To Watch

This year’s Boston Marathon will be aired live in its entirely throughout New England on WCVB-Channel 5 (coverage from 4:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.), and nationally on ESPN2 from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Internationally, it will be aired on a variety of networks. Listings and information can be found here.

NOTABLE STATISTICS:

29,451 participants are entered in Monday’s Race
16,803 Men, 12,595 Women, 53 Non-Binary Entrants

Residents of 118 Countries and All 50 U.S. States
Citizens of 129 Countries
4,464 Massachusetts Residents
9,900 Volunteers, including 1,600 Medical Volunteers
Goal of $50 million fundraised through the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program.
168 non-profits are part of the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program
17 Boston Marathon champions among the field
26 miles, 385 yards through 8 cities and towns
Estimated economic impact at $200+ million for the Greater Boston economy
$1,214,500 across Open, Wheelchair, and Para Athletics Divisions (including $50,000 course record bonus for open and wheelchair athletes)

SCHEDULE OF STARTS:

6:00 a.m. ET – Military Marchers

9:02 a.m. ET – Wheelchair Division – Men

9:05 a.m. ET – Wheelchair Division – Women

9:30 a.m. ET – Handcycle & Duo Participants

9:37 a.m. ET – Professional Men

9:47 a.m. ET – Professional Women

9:50 a.m. ET – Para Athletics Divisions

10:00 a.m. ET – Wave 1

10:25 a.m. ET – Wave 2

10:50 a.m. ET – Wave 3

11:15 a.m. ET – Wave 4

BOSTON MARATHON COURSE RECORDS:

Men’s Open: Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya), 2:03:02, 2011
Women’s Open: Buzunesh Deba (Ethiopia), 2:19:59, 2014
Men’s Wheelchair: Marcel Hug (Switzerland), 1:17:06, 2023
Women’s Wheelchair: Manuela Schär (Switzerland), 1:28:17, 2017

NOTABLE ENTRANTS & BIB NUMBERS:

Meb Keflezighi, 2014 Boston Marathon champion (most recent American men’s open division champion) – Bib 2014
Amby Burfoot, 1968 Boston Marathon champion – Bib 1968
Zdeno Chara, former Boston Bruins captain – Bib 3333
Nicolas Kiefer, former tennis world no.4, Olympic silver medalist in men’s doubles – Bib 2004
Daniel Humm, Michelin Star award-winning chef and restaurateur – Bib 6757
Matt Wilpers, fitness coach and well-known trainer – Bib 30066
Chris Nikic, first person with Down Syndrome to complete the Hawaii Ironman; also an Abbott Six Star Finisher – Bib 7796
Dave McGillivray, Boston Marathon Race Course Director – Bib 100

Yuki Kawauchi and Des Linden 2018 Boston Champions

NEWS & NOTES:

National Anthem: Ayla Brown, a Massachusetts native and finalist on American Idol. Ayla is a country music recording artist and morning show co-host on Country 102-5.

Flyover: Two F-35’s from the 158^th Fighter Wing out of the Vermont Air National Guard will fly from Hopkinton to Boston in approximately 4 minutes.

Grand Marshal: Rob Gronkowski, four-time Super Bowl champion. Gronkowski will ride down the course in the all-new 2024 All-Electric Honda Prologue.

1983 Boston Champion Joan Benoit Samuelson cross-promoting, bringing attention to baseball.

Official Starters:

Men’s & Women’s Wheelchair Division: Maddie Wilson, a local rising star in wheelchair racing. From Auburn, Mass., Maddie has completed many of the B.A.A. Distance Medley events –including Saturday’s Boston 5K—and recently won a high school national title racing on the track indoors.

Handcycle & Dup Participants: Troy Hoyt, grandson and nephew of the late Dick & Rick Hoyt. Troy is running his fourth Boston Marathon to raise money for Team Hoyt. Team Hoyt is celebrating the tenth anniversary since Dick & Rick’s final Boston Marathon in 2014.

Professional Men: Neil Cusack, 1974 Boston Marathon Champion celebrating the 50^th anniversary of his win. Neil is the only athlete from Ireland to win the Boston Marathon.

Professional Women: Joan Benoit Samuelson, 1979 & 1983 Boston Marathon Champion also celebrating the 40^th anniversary of winning gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Marathon.

2023’s Top American Emma Bates is even tougher this year. Much tougher.

Para Athletics Division: Christina Whelton, a member of Boston’s renowned Brown family. It is customary for a member of the Brown family to start one of the races on Patriots’ Day.

Wave 1: Jack Leduc. Jack grew up just a block from the marathon course, and has held a number of roles over the years including start line painter, announcer, and member of the Boston Marathon Organizing Committee. Jack has also served in the United States military.

Wave 2: Tom Griffin, retired Hopkinton Police Officer with a distinguished 40+ year career with the Hopkinton Fire & Police Department.

Wave 3: Paul Fitzgerald, who has facilitated the use of the DELL Technologies buildings for Parking & Transportation on race day for over 30 years.

Wave 4: Sharon Lisnow & Mary McQueeney, Founder and Director of the Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center in Hopkinton.

Dick and Rick Hoyt, Father & Son Superstars

Boston Marathon Champions Racing in the Professional Open & Wheelchair Field

Open Division:

Hellen Obiri (Kenya; also an Olympic medalist)
Evans Chebet (Kenya)
Edna Kiplagat (Kenya)
Des Linden (USA)
Caroline Rotich (USA)

Wheelchair Division:

Manuela Schär (Switzerland)
Marcel Hug (Switzerland
Daniel Romanchuk (USA)
Joshua Cassidy (Canada)

Not Running but in Attendance as Ambassadors:

Neil Cusack, Bill Rodgers, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Patti Dillon, Marilyn Bevans, and Greg Meyer.

NOTABLE STORYLINES:

B.A.A. Mission: Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running.

B.A.A. Vision: Committed to a world where all people can access and benefit from running and an active lifestyle.

I chased these two in ’73 – Jackie Hansen and Jon Anderson.

History in the Making: 100 Years in Hopkinton

2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the Boston Marathon start line moving from Ashland to Hopkinton in 1924. In an effort to align the Boston Marathon with the official Olympic Marathon distance of 26.2 miles, the start was moved from Ashland to Hopkinton, where it has remained for a century. In 1924, 147 entrants participated in the Boston Marathon; this year will feature nearly 30,000 entrants. 812,224 athletes have been entered in the Boston Marathon in the 99 years since Hopkinton first served as the start line (1924-2023).

Hopkinton has taken great pride in welcoming the world with open arms each April, playing host to numerous pioneering moments, including the first wheelchair division (1975), the women’s running movement (1966-1972), growth of the Para Athletics Division, and more. Race Distance in Hopkinton is 1.90 miles (7.25% of the race route).

Star-Studded Professional Field Set to Compete

Defending champions Evans Chebet, Hellen Obiri, and Marcel Hug lead a global field of top professional athletes racing from Hopkinton to Boston.Chebet is aiming to become the first three-peat winner in the men’s open division since Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot in 2006-2008.Obiri, a two-time Olympic medalist, won her Boston Marathon debut last April then went on to win New York City. She’s a provisional member of Kenya’s Olympic team.

Hug is a Boston champion and Paralympic Marathon favorite, set to represent Switzerland in Paris later this year. Among the top American entrants are 2018 champion Des Linden, last year’s fifth place finisher Emma Bates, 50K world record holder CJ Albertson, and B.A.A. High Performance team member Matt McDonald. Also running is world’s fourth-fastest man Sisay Lemma (personal best of 2:01:48), and two-time winner Edna Kiplagat.

Finisher medals are new, given since 1983.

The Beginning of a New Era with Bank of America

2024 marks the first year Bank of America serves as presenting partner of the Boston Marathon

As a running and community leader, the B.A.A. will work hand in hand with Bank of America to bring the Boston Marathon’s impact and reach to new heights—both on a national and global scale—in the years ahead.

The Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program features 168 non-profit organizations with a goal of raising $50 million around this year’s race. More information on the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program can be found here: https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/charity-program

10 Years Later: Reflecting on Meb’s Victory in 2014

Returning to race on the 10-year anniversary of his memorable 2014 win is Meb Keflezighi.

Meb became the first American man since 1983 to win, triumphantly crossing the finish first one year following the bombing. This year, Meb will again run the Boston Marathon as part of the MEB Foundation in celebration of his resounding victory.

Meb returns to celebrate his 10th Anniversary

B.A.A. in the Community

True to its vision, the B.A.A. is committed to a world where all people can access and benefit from a healthy lifestyle. Beyond mass-participatory races, the B.A.A. supports numerous events and community initiatives that impact more than 20 Massachusetts communities. Among the B.A.A.’s community events beyond the Boston Marathon include the B.A.A. Neighborhood Fitness Series, BRC Youth Track Meets, B.A.A. Gives Back Grant Program and Road to Wellness 5K in Roxbury. 9,000+ youths are served annually throughout 22 communities in Massachusetts, with $450,000+ invested towards access to health & fitness.

ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.)

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. manages the Boston Marathon, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The 128th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 15, 2024. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.

Wish I could be there.