Boston Marathon start times set

The 130th Boston Marathon is set for Monday, April 20, with the first official starts beginning just after 9 a.m. in Hopkinton. (baa.org) The Boston Athletic Association said the men’s wheelchair division starts at 9:02 a.m., the women’s wheelchair division at 9:05 a.m., handcycles and duos at 9:30 a.m., and the professional men at 9:37 a.m. The professional women follow at 9:47 a.m., with para athletics divisions at 9:50 a.m. and 9:53 a.m. (baa.org) The mass field will go off in six waves at 10:00, 10:15, 10:28, 10:41, 11:01 and 11:21 a.m., a staggered format the B.A.A. uses to spread runners across the course from Hopkinton to Boylston Street. (baa.org) The race falls on Patriots’ Day, the Massachusetts holiday that has long anchored Marathon Monday and made the event one of Boston’s biggest annual civic gatherings. The 2026 edition is the 130th running of the marathon. (baa.org) Television coverage is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Eastern on ESPN2, and ESPN’s listings also show streaming coverage through the ESPN App and ESPN+. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The women’s elite race includes defending champion Sharon Lokedi, who returns after setting the Boston course record of 2:17:22 in 2025. World Athletics and Runner’s World both list Lokedi among the headliners in this year’s field. (worldathletics.org) (runnersworld.com) Early race-week forecasts pointed to cooler conditions, with local coverage describing the weather as more comfortable for runners than for spectators. CBS Boston reported temperatures mainly in the 40s with wind, while other local forecasts also pointed to a breezy Monday morning. (cbsnews.com) (wickedlocal.com) For spectators and runners, the practical takeaway is simple: the race starts in stages, the pro races begin before 10 a.m., and the biggest crowds will build as wave starts continue through 11:21 a.m. and finishers reach downtown Boston through the afternoon. (baa.org) (boston.com)