Boston Marathon Previews
With a month to go, the 2026 Boston Marathon spotlight is on personal stories — runners like Kevin Hayden (running to fight addiction stigma) and Andrew Mahr (supporting Mass General Hospital) — and the event’s Wreath Ceremony is scheduled for April 16. Special Olympics athletes will also participate this year. ( )
Kevin Hayden, 47, lives in North Easton and is running on behalf of Learn to Cope, a nonprofit that provides education, connection and peer‑led support for families affected by addiction. (boston.com (boston.com)) (boston.com) Hayden’s entry notes he is dedicating miles to friends and loved ones lost and frames addiction as a public‑health issue shaped by mental health, trauma and access to care rather than a moral failing. (boston.com (boston.com)) (boston.com) Andrew Mahr, 37, of Needham is running with Massachusetts General Hospital’s team for pediatric cancer care and research and says this is his second time raising funds with MGH after first running in 2014. (boston.com (boston.com)) (boston.com) Mahr recalls spotting young MGH patients cheering at Heartbreak Hill in 2014 and cites that pediatric cancer receives a much smaller share of research funding than adult cancers, a reason he’s focused on fundraising for MGH’s Pediatric Cancer Center. (boston.com (boston.com)) (boston.com) Organizers say this year’s Wreath Ceremony will mark the 42nd iteration of the tradition at View Boston and will include four olive‑branch wreaths hand‑cut from the plains of Marathon, Greece to be presented to the Boston Athletic Association. (The National Herald / Estiator (thenationalherald.com), (estiator.com)) (thenationalherald.com) The ceremony will highlight ties to Stylianos Kyriakides’ 1946 victory — the Kyriakides family and a seven‑member delegation will attend, four delegation members (including Olympian Michalis Kalomiris) will run in tribute, and presenters will include Consul General Symeon Tegos, B.A.A. Chair Peter Brown, Alpha Omega Council leadership, and emcee Arielle Mitropoulos. (The National Herald / 26.2 Foundation (thenationalherald.com), (26-2.org)) (thenationalherald.com) Regional broadcasters WCVB and Hearst’s New England stations are partnering with Special Olympics chapters to feature athletes and fundraising stories tied to the marathon, and Special Olympics Massachusetts runs an “#XtraMile” fundraising team that includes limited slots for the Boston Marathon. (WCVB / SpecialOlympicsMA (wcvb.com), (specialolympicsma.org)) (wcvb.com)
