Boston Marathon

What is the Boston Marathon?

The Boston Marathon ranks as one of the world's most prestigious road racing events. It takes place on the third Monday in April (Patriot's Day).

Every year around 30,000 participants travel from around the world to take on Boston's annual 26.2-mile (42.2-km) footrace. The Boston Marathon course is legendary and it follows a point to point route from rural Hopkinton to Boston. The event is televised across the US and  draws hundreds of thousands of spectators to cheer on runners from all over the world. Spectators can pick a spot on the 26.2 mile course to cheer on the marathoners as they head to the finish line near Newbury Street.

Whether you are planning to take on the challenge and run the Boston Marathon or provide some much-needed support from the sidelines, you are in for a treat. Spend the day soaking up the electric atmosphere and watch as the city becomes one big party celebrating triumph and endurance of the human spirit.

Need to know

There are strict qualifying times all participants must meet in order to apply for a place to run the Boston Marathon. Competition is high and there is a short window where hopeful runners can register. The current qualifying standards can be found on the Boston Marathon website which is linked on this page.

Did you know?

The Boston Marathon is so unique as it's the world's oldest annual marathon. It was established in 1897 as a response to the inaugural Olympic marathon event at the 1896 Summer Olympics.

For more information on this exciting event, click on the link provided on this page and start making memories to last a lifetime. Don't forget to rate and review it at the top of this page and share your Boston Marathon experience with the GoWhereWhen.com community.