Boston Marathon — who, weather, logistics
About 30,000 runners from 137 countries and every U.S. state will start in Hopkinton for Marathon Monday, and forecasts are calling for cooler conditions on race day. (wbur.org, wmur.com) The Boston Athletic Association is not making the marathon cup‑free but is testing reusable silicone cups at the Boston 5K, and local coverage highlights Heartbreak and the Newton miles as the race’s decisive late challenges — this year’s field also includes runners doing purpose‑driven efforts, such as an Army veteran who will ruck the course. (boston.com, boston.com)
Marathon Monday will send 30,000 runners from Hopkinton to Boylston Street on April 20, with a cooler forecast replacing the warm spell that hit New England this week. (wbur.org, wmur.com) The Boston Athletic Association says 32,494 entrants are registered for the 130th race, with 30,000 expected to start, representing 137 countries, all 50 states, and 4,698 Massachusetts residents. (baa.org) Race organizers changed the start this year from four waves to six, keeping the field at 30,000 but spreading runners into groups of about 3,200 to 7,100 to ease bus loading, Athletes’ Village crowding, and course congestion. (baa.org) The field includes defending open champions Sharon Lokedi and John Korir, plus defending wheelchair champions Susannah Scaroni and Marcel Hug, although the Boston Athletic Association’s April 3 update listed Scaroni among later withdrawals. (baa.org, baa.org) The course still runs point to point from Hopkinton through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and into Boston, finishing with the right turn on Hereford Street and the left onto Boylston Street. (baa.org) For spectators, the Boston Athletic Association is urging people to plan ahead because road closures begin around 7 a.m. in Hopkinton, and the race’s point-to-point layout makes it hard to catch runners in multiple places without using the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail. (baa.org) Aid stations are not going cup-free for the marathon, even after Paris required runners to carry their own containers this year. Boston will instead test 30,000 reusable silicone cups at Saturday’s Boston 5K and collect them for washing and reuse. (boston.com, baa.org) The late race will still turn on the same terrain that has shaped Boston for decades: the Newton Hills on Commonwealth Avenue and Heartbreak Hill before the descent into Brookline and the final run through Kenmore Square. (baa.org, wbur.org) Among the purpose-driven entrants is Army veteran Jeff Fulton, who is running the Tough Ruck division in honor of fallen service members after 12 years in the Army and two combat tours in Afghanistan. (boston.com, toughruck.org) By late morning on April 20, the last of the six waves should be over the start line before 11:30 a.m., and the finish area on Boylston Street is scheduled to close at about 5:30 p.m. (baa.org, baa.org)
