Boston Marathon week notes
Race week for the 130th Boston Marathon (scheduled April 20) is underway, with local coverage highlighting hundreds of area runners and community watch‑party guides along the course. ( ). One human detail: veteran Gerard Ottaviano is preparing for his 41st straight Boston Marathon after training through a “brutal winter.” (nationaltoday.com)
Boston Marathon week is underway, with the 130th race set for Monday, April 20, and local coverage already focused on runners and spectators lining the course. (baa.org) The Boston Athletic Association says 32,494 participants are entered for 2026, with about 30,000 expected to start on race day. Its April 2 fast facts list runners from 137 countries, all 50 states, and 4,698 Massachusetts residents. (rrm.com) The race follows the usual 26.2-mile, 385-yard route through eight cities and towns, starting in Hopkinton and ending on Boylston Street in Boston. The Boston Athletic Association says nearly 10,000 volunteers support the event from start to finish. (rrm.com; baa.org) This week’s local reporting shows how much of Marathon Monday happens far beyond the elite fields. MetroWest Daily News reported that hundreds of runners from MetroWest and Greater Milford have bib numbers for this year’s race. (metrowestdailynews.com) The spectator side is getting equal attention. The Boston Globe published a guide on April 13 to restaurants, bars, and celebration spots along the route as Marathon Monday approaches. (bostonglobe.com) Race week also arrives after the Boston Athletic Association announced a six-wave start format for 2026 and posted bib numbers, corral assignments, and wave times in March. That gives runners and families a tighter schedule to plan around before Patriots’ Day. (baa.org) One local runner drawing attention is Gerard Ottaviano of Westford, who is preparing for his 41st straight Boston Marathon. National Today reported that he and other Westford runners trained through what the outlet called a “brutal winter.” (nationaltoday.com) The professional field is still shifting in the final days before the start. A Boston Athletic Association media update dated April 3 said Milkesa Mengesha and Ser-Od Bat-Ochir had been added to the men’s field, while several athletes across the men’s, women’s, and wheelchair divisions had withdrawn. (rrm.com) By next Monday, the biggest story will be who wins Boston. For now, the clearest picture of race week is thousands of entrants, hundreds of local bib holders, and neighborhoods already preparing where to stand, eat, and cheer. (baa.org; metrowestdailynews.com; bostonglobe.com)
