Boston Marathon field details

About 30,000 runners are expected in the 2026 Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20, with the field spanning 137 countries and all 50 states. (baa.org) The Boston Athletic Association said 32,494 participants are entered for the 130th edition, with 30,000 expected to start from Hopkinton and run 26.2 miles to Boylston Street in Boston. (baa.org) This year’s race uses six open-division start waves instead of four, a change the Boston Athletic Association says will better space runners across the course. The first open wave starts at 10 a.m. and the sixth at 11:21 a.m. (wbur.org) The elite races still go off earlier. Men’s wheelchair starts at 9:06 a.m., women’s wheelchair at 9:09 a.m., professional men at 9:37 a.m., professional women at 9:47 a.m., and para athletics at 9:50 a.m. (wbur.org) The field brings back both 2025 open champions, John Korir of Kenya and Sharon Lokedi of Kenya. WBUR also lists Irine Cheptai of Kenya, Workenesh Edesa of Ethiopia, Emily Sisson of the United States, Benson Kipruto of Kenya, Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania, and Zouhair Talbi of the United States among the names to watch. (wbur.org) The Boston Athletic Association said the professional field changed again in April, adding Milkesa Mengesha of Ethiopia and Ser-Od Bat-Ochir of Mongolia to the men’s race while listing withdrawals that included Keira D’Amato of the United States, Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya, and Susannah Scaroni of the United States. (baa.org) For spectators, local coverage is already mapping out when the lead racers should hit the course’s best-known points. Boston.com estimates the professional men will reach Heartbreak Hill around 11:10 a.m. and the professional women around 11:32 a.m. (boston.com) At the finish in Copley Square, Boston.com projects the men’s wheelchair leaders around 10:21 a.m., the women’s wheelchair leaders about 15 minutes later, the professional men around 11:40 a.m., and the professional women around 12:04 p.m. The finish line stays open until 5:30 p.m. (boston.com) The course itself is unchanged: runners leave Hopkinton on Main Street, follow Route 135 through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, and Wellesley, then take Route 16 and Commonwealth Avenue through the Newton hills before turning onto Beacon Street and heading into Boston. (boston.com) The 2026 race also lands on several anniversaries that Boston media have highlighted, including 60 years since Bobbi Gibb became the first woman to run the course unofficially. WBUR reported that Jack Fultz, the 1976 champion, will serve as grand marshal. (wbur.org) For anyone planning race day, the practical takeaway is simple: the front of the field starts just after 9 a.m., the mass field stretches past 11 a.m., and the biggest viewing windows run from Heartbreak Hill late in the morning to Boylston Street through the afternoon. (wbur.org)