Boston Marathon week set
The 130th Boston Marathon is scheduled for Monday, April 20, with more than 30,000 runners expected from 137 countries and all 50 states. (bostonglobe.com) Race organizers say all four defending champions are entered, creating an unusually consistent elite field. (nbcboston.com) Forecasts are calling for cool, dry conditions—about 5 to 15 degrees below normal for mid‑April—which race guides note as potentially favorable for fast times. (bostonglobe.com)
Boston Marathon week is underway, with the 130th running set for Monday, April 20, on Patriots’ Day. (baa.org) The Boston Athletic Association says 30,000 participants will race from Hopkinton to Boston, and race-week materials list 32,494 entrants from 137 countries and all 50 states. (baa.org; baa.org) This year’s field brings back all four 2025 champions: John Korir and Sharon Lokedi in the open divisions, plus Marcel Hug and Susannah Scaroni in the wheelchair divisions. The Boston Athletic Association also says eight of the top 10 men from 2025 are returning. (baa.org; baa.org; baa.org) The race is also changing how runners get onto the course. The Boston Athletic Association expanded the start to six waves in 2026, up from four in prior years, with athletes assigned bibs, corrals, and wave times in March. (baa.org; boston.com) That matters on a course that still runs 26.2 miles through eight cities and towns, starting on Main Street in Hopkinton and finishing near Copley Square after the Newton hills, Kenmore Square, and the Massachusetts Avenue overpass. Boston.com’s course guide says runners follow Route 135 through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, and Wellesley before turning onto Route 16 and then Commonwealth Avenue. (boston.com) The event remains one of the anchors of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the series that also includes Tokyo, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. The Boston Athletic Association calls it the world’s oldest annual marathon. (baa.org; usatoday.com) Race week extends beyond Monday. The City of Boston says the Boston Athletic Association 5K and Invitational Mile are scheduled for Saturday, April 18, and the city’s Patriots’ Day Parade will also take place on April 20. (boston.gov) City officials are warning visitors not to rely on personal cars. Boston’s traffic advisory says parking restrictions and street closures will be in effect for Marathon Weekend and urges spectators to use the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Bluebikes, or walking instead. (boston.gov) Early weather forecasts point to cooler conditions after a warm week. WMUR reported Monday that temperatures are expected to cool by race day in a setup that “looks to favor the athletes,” while local race guides have described the outlook as cool and relatively dry. (wmur.com; bostonglobe.com) The first major checkpoints now are practical ones: bib pickup, bus loading, and wave starts. Boston.com says official buses from Charles Street begin loading Wave 1 runners at 6:45 a.m., with the last bus to Hopkinton leaving at 9:30 a.m. (boston.com)
