Boston Marathon running

The 130th Boston Marathon was underway Monday, sending 30,000 runners from Hopkinton to Boylston Street in the oldest annual marathon in the world. (baa.org) The race followed Boston’s staggered start format, with wheelchair athletes off first just after 9 a.m. Eastern and the mass field beginning in six waves from 10:00 a.m. to 11:21 a.m. (baa.org) Boston Athletic Association organizers said athletes came from more than 130 countries, and the course again ran 26.2 miles west to east through eight Massachusetts cities and towns before the finish in Back Bay. (baa.org) Boston is not a lottery race for most entrants. The Boston Athletic Association requires qualifying times by age and gender for standard entry, which is why the field is unusually fast even before the professional races begin. (baa.org) The event also operates as one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors and pays prize money across open, masters, wheelchair and para divisions. The Boston Athletic Association says it was the first Major to offer equal $50,000 course-record bonuses in open and wheelchair races. (baa.org) Weather shaped the day as much as the field. WCVB forecast temperatures in the 40s, a west wind that could help runners as a tailwind, and clouds building later after a cold start in the 30s. (wcvb.com) Security was also a visible part of race weekend. WCVB reported that officials installed metal barriers, security cameras and anti-ramming devices along parts of the course ahead of Monday’s race. (wcvb.com) Boston’s marathon began in 1897, a year after the first modern Olympics, and the Boston Athletic Association still bills it as the world’s oldest annual marathon. On Monday, that history looked familiar again: waves leaving Hopkinton, spectators lining the route, and Boylston Street waiting at the end. (baa.org)