Boston Marathon Preview
Organizers expect about 30,000 runners at Monday’s 130th Boston Marathon and the start format has been changed from four waves to six while the field was expanded. (runnersworld.com) Weather forecasts issued today call for cooler conditions on race day, and the B.A.A. is offering multiple live‑tracking and broadcast streaming options for Marathon Monday. ( )
Boston’s Marathon Monday is shaping up as a bigger, cooler, more spread-out race, with 30,000 runners expected across a new six-wave start on April 20. (baa.org) The Boston Athletic Association says 32,494 participants are entered for the 130th edition, with 30,000 expected to actually start in Hopkinton. The field includes runners from 137 countries and all 50 states. (baa.org) The biggest race-day change is at the start line: Boston is moving from four waves to six. The B.A.A. says the waves will range from about 3,200 to 7,100 runners instead of roughly 7,500 in each wave in recent years. (baa.org) Race officials say the extra waves are meant to ease crowding from bus loading through Athletes’ Village and onto the course. All runners are still expected to be across the start before 11:30 a.m., and the finish line is scheduled to close at 5:30 p.m. (baa.org) The weather forecast issued Friday points to temperatures largely in the 40s, with no significant rain or snow expected. CBS Boston said a northwesterly wind of 10 to 25 miles per hour could create a crosswind for much of the course. (cbsnews.com) That setup is a sharp contrast with some recent Marathon Mondays that brought heat, heavy rain, or both. This year’s forecast calls for near-40 degrees at the Hopkinton start and mid-to-upper 40s in Boston by early afternoon. (cbsnews.com) For spectators and families, the B.A.A. is pushing its free Racing App, which offers live runner tracking, leaderboards, results, course maps, weather, and checkpoint alerts. The association also says the point-to-point course makes planning essential if you want to see the same runner in more than one town. (baa.org) WCVB’s local coverage begins at 4 a.m. Monday, with the professional race broadcast starting at 9 a.m. The station said its coverage will stream on its app, website, and the Very Local platform, while the B.A.A. spectator page lists ESPN2 coverage from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Eastern. (wcvb.com, baa.org) The race remains a point-to-point run from Hopkinton to Boylston Street in Boston, crossing Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline along the way. The B.A.A. says Hopkinton has been the start town since 1924. (baa.org, baa.org) By Monday morning, the practical questions will be the same ones Boston always asks: when your wave goes off, what the wind feels like on the course, and whether your tracking app updates before your runner reaches Boylston Street. (baa.org, baa.org, cbsnews.com)
