Boston Marathon outlook
The 130th Boston Marathon is scheduled for April 20 and all four defending champions are listed to run in Hopkinton-to-Boylston fields. Forecasts are trending cool and dry — race‑day temperatures are expected to be roughly 5 to 15 degrees below normal — and start waves are set between about 9:00 a.m. and 11:21 a.m. on Monday. (bostonglobe.com)(boston.com)
The 130th Boston Marathon is six days away, with cooler-than-normal weather and all four 2025 champions still listed to start on April 20. (baa.org) (wmur.com) The Boston Athletic Association says 32,494 participants are entered and about 30,000 are expected to run from Hopkinton to Boylston Street on Patriots’ Day. The field includes runners from 137 countries, all 50 states, and 4,698 Massachusetts residents. (baa.org) Race morning will use a new six-wave start instead of four, with organizers saying the change is meant to reduce crowding from bus loading through the early miles. The final wave is scheduled to be over the line before 11:30 a.m., and the course closes at 5:30 p.m. (baa.org) (registration.baa.org) The pro races give this year unusual continuity. The Boston Athletic Association said in December that all four defending open and wheelchair champions were set to return in the same edition for what it described as a first in race history. (baa.org) That group is led by Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, John Korir of Kenya, Susannah Scaroni of the United States, and Marcel Hug of Switzerland. Lokedi broke the women’s course record in 2:17:22 last year, and Korir won the men’s race in 2:04:45 after an early fall. (baa.org 1) (baa.org 2) The men’s field also brings back eight of the top 10 finishers from 2025, including runner-up Alphonce Felix Simbu and third-place Cybrian Kotut. Former Boston champion Benson Kipruto and American record holder Conner Mantz are also in the announced field. (baa.org) On the women’s side, the Boston Athletic Association announced a field representing 18 countries and said 13 American entrants had run faster than 2 hours 26 minutes. Emily Sisson, the American marathon record holder, was announced as one of the United States contenders. (baa.org 1) (baa.org 2) The weather outlook has become part of the race story because Boston in April can swing from heat to headwinds to cold rain. WMUR reported on April 13 that the latest forecast pointed to cooler conditions that should favor runners more than spectators. (wmur.com) (wcvb.com) The course itself will not change: 26.2 miles through Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston. By Monday morning, the main questions look set to be pace, pack position, and whether the cooler air produces another fast day on Boylston Street. (baa.org)
