On Oct. 11, for the first time in nearly 2½ years, the Boston Marathon will be run in person.
The outbreak of COVID-19 prompted officials to cancel the 2020 race and push the 2021 marathon back to October. While the runners will be back on the course, things might look a little different than in years past.
Here are all the details about this year’s marathon.
Marathon vaccination and mask rules
Athletes will need to either provide proof of vaccination or produce a negative COVID-19 test to participate. It is strongly recommended that all entrants, staff, and volunteers get vaccinated.
Masks will not be required while running the course, but will be required on participant transportation, in medical tents along the route, and in other areas in accordance with local guidelines.
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Boston Marathon date and how to watch
Date: Monday, Oct. 11
TV: WBZ, NBC Sports Network
Live streams: CBS Boston or NBC Sports app
Entry list: Have a friend or family member running the race? Search the field of runners here.
Boston Marathon start times
The race will start about an hour earlier than usual for each group. There will be no “wave” times. Instead, participants will be assigned bus-loading times that correspond to their bib number/qualifying time, ensuring that they arrive in Hopkinton and start the race with runners around the same pace as each other.
▪ 8:02 a.m.: Men’s wheelchair
▪ 8:05 a.m.: Women’s wheelchair
▪ 8:30 a.m.: Handcycles and duos
▪ 8:37 a.m.: Elite men
▪ 8:45 a.m.: Elite women
▪ 8:50 a.m.: Para athletics divisions
▪ 9 a.m.: Rolling start for all other participants
Boston Marathon route
The route follows Route 135 from Main Street in Hopkinton and goes through Ashland, Framingham, and Natick, then into Wellesley. In Wellesley, it continues on Route 16 into Newton, where it turns right onto Commonwealth Avenue (Route 30) through the Newton Hills and bearing right at the reservoir onto Chestnut Hill Avenue. The route then turns left on Beacon Street, continuing into Kenmore Square before rejoining Commonwealth Avenue into the city. The final stretch sees the route turn right onto Hereford Street and left onto Boylston Street before finishing near the Hancock Tower in Copley Square. See a map of the course here.
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Boston Marathon elite fields
There will be 14 former champions in the field, with a combined 32 first-place Boston finishes, including two-time men’s winner Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, as well as countryman Asefa Mengstu, who has the fastest personal best in the field and the 23rd-fastest marathon ever at 2:04:06.
The women’s field features nine sub-2:22:00 marathoners, including Ethiopia’s Yebrgual Melese, whose 2:19:36 personal best ranks fastest in the field. Melese will have some tough competition from fellow Ethiopian Mare Dibaba, the 2015 world champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist.
The last time the Boston Marathon was run
The marathon was last held April 15, 2019. On the men’s side, Lawrence Cherono made his Boston debut in style, edging Desisa by two seconds to win in 2:07:57
The women’s race was not as tense. Worknesh Degefa broke from the pack 5 miles in and built her lead to two minutes at one point. She ran alone from Framingham until crossing the finish line in 2:23:31, 42 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Edna Kiplagat.
Daniel Romanchuk and Manuela Schar posted runaway victories in the push-rim wheelchair division. Romanchuk, who was 20 at the time, became the youngest men’s winner, while Switzerland’s Schar won her second women’s title in three years by more than seven minutes over five-time titlist Tatyana McFadden.
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Boston Marathon by the numbers
7:47 — You have to be really fast to run this year’s marathon. Runners hoping to get in needed to be 7 minutes and 47 seconds faster than the qualifying standard for their age group. The 2020 race had a field size of 31,500 before it was canceled because of the pandemic, with 3,161 qualified runners not accepted.
20,000 — The field for this year has been capped at 20,000 for safety reasons, and the BAA was unable to include 9,215 qualifiers because of the reduction.
14,609 — There were 14,609 runners who were at least 7:47 faster than their age-group qualifying standard or achieved a qualifying time and have run between 10 and 24 consecutive Boston Marathons. The rest of the field will be made up of those running for charity/nonprofit organizations and invitational entries, including the elite runner field.
27,707 — There will be 27,707 virtual runners representing all 50 states and Washington, D.C., as well as 109 countries.
What about Boston Marathon charity runners?
There are 41 charity organizations, with 2,090 runners, participating. Over the past 32 years. more than $400 million has been raised for charity.
Other weekend events
Opening celebration: The BAA will hold its first-ever Opening Celebration to highlight important moments from Boston Marathon history on Friday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m.. in Copley Square. Sara Mae Berman, a running pioneer who finished first three times at a time when women were not yet welcome in the race, will be honored and recognized with a banner on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of her final victory.
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The celebration also will honor the legacies of notable Boston Marathon figures who were lost this year. The BAA will award the first Dick & Rick Hoyt Award, which will be presented annually to someone who exhibits the spirit of Team Hoyt’s legacy.
Former champions Des Linden, Meb Keflezighi, Manuela Schär, Yuki Kawauchi, Lelisa Desisa, Edna Kiplagat, and Geoffrey Kirui will help dedicate the Gloria Ratti Collection — the archives compiled over decades by the BAA’s late vice president and archivist Gloria Ratti. Throughout the weekend, a mobile collection of the archives will be on view in Copley Square.
Indigenous history: For the only time in its history, the Boston Marathon will take place on Oct. 11 — which is recognized as Indigenous Peoples Day in cities and towns on the route.
Patti Catalano Dillon, a three-time Boston runner-up and a member of the Mi’kmaq tribe, will be interviewed at Fan Fest Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. about setting the American marathon record at Boston 40 years ago. She also will serve as an official starter.
A ceremony will be held Oct. 8 to commemorate the 85th anniversary of Ellison Brown’s first of two marathon titles. A banner will be presented to the grandchildren of Brown, who was a member of the Narragansett tribe.
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Expo: Athletic brands, companies, and other exhibitors will fill the Hynes Convention Center for three days to display, promote, discuss, and sell their products. The expo also features running seminars and presentations, guest appearances, and other activities.
Here is the complete schedule.
▪ Friday, Oct. 8, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
▪ Saturday, Oct. 9, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
▪ Sunday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Fan Fest: Check out Copley Square for fun activities, live music, photo ops, and more. The Fan Fest will be held Friday through Sunday at Copley Square Park.
▪ Friday, Oct. 8, noon to 7 p.m.
▪ Saturday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
▪ Sunday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Restaurant Week: From Oct. 4-10, select restaurants will feature marathon-inspired items. Visit baa.org for a complete list of locations.
Grand marshals and official starters
The grand marshals will be front-line workers who have been nominated by hospitals from the John Hancock Non-Profit and BAA Charity Programs. They will be accompanied by marathon champions including Meb Keflezighi, Sara Mae Berman, Bill Rodgers, and Joan Benoit Samuelson and driven the 26 miles in two Boston Duck Boats.
In addition to Catalano Dillon starting the open races, 1968 Boston champion Amby Burfoot will start the wheelchair races. Russell Hoyt, son of the late Dick Hoyt, will be the starter for the handcycle and duo divisions, while Christina Welton, great-granddaughter of the late George V. Brown, will keep the family tradition going by serving as a starter for the para athletics division.
The marathon’s first-ever rolling start will be signaled by Hopkinton fire chief Bill Miller.
Boston Marathon bib pickup
Entrants must either provide proof of vaccination or produce a negative COVID-19 test in order to pick up their bib numbers and packets. Masks must be worn in indoor public settings, including within the Marathon Expo.
Runners can begin picking up their race bibs on Friday, Oct. 8, at the Hynes Convention Center. Pick-up hours each day:
▪ Friday, Oct. 8, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
▪ Saturday, Oct. 9, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
▪ Sunday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Boston Marathon elite fields: men, women, and wheelchair
| Name | Personal Best | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Asefa Mengstu | 2:04:06 (Dubai, 2018) | Ethiopia |
| Lemi Berhanu | 2:04:33 (Dubai, 2016) | Ethiopia |
| Lelisa Desisa | 2:04:45 (Dubai, 2013) | Ethiopia |
| Benson Kipruto | 2:05:13 (Toronto, 2019) | Kenya |
| Wilson Chebet | 2:05:27 (Rotterdam, 2011) | Kenya |
| Filex Kiprotich | 2:05:33 (Daegu, 2019) | Kenya |
| Name | Personal best | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Yebrgual Melese | 2:19:36 (Dubai, 2018) | Ethiopia |
| Edna Kiplagat^ | 2:19:50 (London, 2012) | Kenya |
| Mare Dibaba | 2:19:52 (Dubai, 2012) | Ethiopia |
| Workenesh Edesa | 2:20:24 (Valencia, 2019) | Ethiopia |
| Sutume Kebede | 2:20:30 (Tokyo, 2020) | Ethiopia |
^ denotes masters athlete (40+)
| Name | Personal best | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Marcel Hug | 1:18:04 (Boston, 2017) | Switzerland |
| Ernst van Dyk | 1:18:04 (Boston, 2017) | South Africa |
| Josh Cassidy | 1:18:25 (Boston, 2012) | Canada |
| Hiroki Nishida | 1:20:28 (Boston, 2017) | Japan |
| Kota Hokinoue | 1:20:54 (Seoul, 2013) | Japan |
| Name | Personal best | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Manuela Schär | 1:28:17 (Boston, 2017) | Switzerland |
| Tatyana McFadden | 1:31:30 (Grandma’s, 2019) | USA |
| Jenna Fesemyer | 1:37:02 (Grandma’s, 2019) | USA |
| Shelly Woods | 1:37:44 (Padova, 2008) | Great Britain |
| Name | Personal best | Country | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaz Davis | 2:31:48 | USA | T12 (Vision Impairment) |
| Misato Michishita | 2:56:14 | Japan | T12 (Vision Impairment) |
| Tayana Passos | 3:22:27 | Brazil | T13 (Vision Impairment) |
| Marko Cheseto Lemtukei | 2:37:23 | USA | T62 (Lower Limb Impairment) |
| Adam Popp | 3:17:35 | USA | T63 (Lower Limb Impairment) |
Follow Andrew Mahoney on Twitter @GlobeMahoney.