Boston still testing cups, not cup‑free
Unlike the Paris Marathon, the Boston Athletic Association is not going fully cup‑free for the marathon; instead it will pilot reusable silicone cups at the upcoming Boston 5K. (boston.com) The piece framed the 5K trial as a limited experiment rather than a race‑day rule change. (boston.com)
Boston is not changing the Boston Marathon’s water stops this year; the Boston Athletic Association is testing reusable cups at the Boston 5K instead. (boston.com) The trial is set for Saturday, April 18, at the Boston 5K, which starts at 8 a.m. and has a field limit of 10,000 runners. The Boston Athletic Association says all cups at the 5K hydration stations will be reusable. (baa.org) Chris Lotsbom, the Boston Athletic Association’s director of race communications and media, told Boston.com there is “no new news to report” on Boston Marathon aid stations. He said the 5K cups will be collected and washed for reuse at other races. (boston.com) The contrast with Paris is sharp. The Paris Marathon said before its April 12, 2026 race that no cups or bottles would be handed out on course, and runners had to bring their own cup, flask, or hydration pack. (schneiderelectricparismarathon.com) Boston’s marathon setup is much larger and already built around frequent on-course service. The Boston Athletic Association says water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance Formula begin at Mile 2, and Gatorade says runners will see 25 hydration stations on the course plus service in Hopkinton and at the finish. (baa.org 1) (baa.org 2) The waste issue is one reason the question came up this week. Boston.com reported that hydration stations on the 2025 Boston Marathon course generated about 7.7 tons of discarded single-use cups, though the Boston Athletic Association said compostable cups and collection bags kept that waste out of landfills. (boston.com) The 5K is a smaller place to test whether runners will actually return cups to bins and whether crews can collect them without clogging the course. Boston.com reported that the Boston Athletic Association is sourcing 30,000 reusable silicone cups from Hiccup for the pilot. (boston.com) For now, Marathon Monday in Boston still looks familiar: paper-cup style aid stations along the route from Hopkinton to Back Bay, and a separate 5K experiment two days earlier to see if reuse can work at scale. (baa.org) (boston.com)
