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Boston's Morning Newsletter
Boston Marathon start times and how to track your runner
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Do you hear that? It's the sound of 30,000 runners lacing up and making their way to Hopkinton this morning for the 128th Boston Marathon. Before the starting gun fires, let's get into some of the race day basics:
What time does the race start? The heats are staggered, kicking off with the professionals and then moving into the qualified racers and charity runners. Here's the schedule:
- Men's wheelchair: 9:02 a.m.
- Women's wheelchair: 9:05 a.m.
- Handcycles and duos: 9:30 a.m.
- Professional men: 9:37 a.m.
- Professional women: 9:47 a.m.
- Para athletics division: 9:50 a.m.
- Waves 1-4: The first wave starts around 10 a.m. and the last will hit the course by 11:15 a.m.
How to watch: With 26.2 miles of race route to choose from, you have plenty of view spot options along the course if you want to go in person (and we go over them all here). But you can watch from the comfort of your own home or office on ESPN2 from 8:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. and locally on WCVB from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. If you're not by a TV, stream the race here.
Leading the pack: I'm a strong believer that the magic of the Boston Marathon comes from its every day, back-of-the-pack runners. But it's the fierce competition on a notoriously challenging course among the elite field that captures international attention. Here's a look at some of the pro athletes competing for gold today:
- Evans Chebet, of Kenya won Boston in 2022 and 2023, and he's looking for a hat trick (only four men have done that in race history). Tanzania's Gabriel Geay, who took second last year, will give him a run for his money, though.
- Hellen Obiri, of Kenya had an impressive career even before she won last year's Boston. (But the victory was extra impressive because it was only her second-ever marathon.) She'll be fighting off contenders including 2019 winner Worknesh Degefa, of Ethiopia, two-time winner Edna Kiplagat, of Kenya, and American Des Linden, who won in 2018 (and is a personal favorite since I ran that cold, soggy year, too).
- The women's wheelchair division had a shakeup last week when last year's winner, Susannah Scaroni, had to drop out of the race for a shoulder injury. Other impressive athletes to watch out for include four-time Boston winner and course record holder Manuela Schär, of Switzerland, and five-time winner Wakako Tsuchida, of Japan.
- Switzerland's Marcel Hug, the men's wheelchair course record holder and a six-time Boston winner, is back with gold in his eyes. (Will he be able to beat his own time of 1:17:06?)
- For the para division, all eyes are on Liz Willis, of Kansas. She was last year's winner in the women's lower-limb impairment division and is coming to the course hot off setting a world record in the B.A.A.'s Half Marathon in November.
- Other real pros: Yeah, there are going to be plenty of other familiar runners, including Boston greats like Meb Keflezighi and Amby Burfoot, and fan favorites like former Boston Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chára.
OK, but I also want to watch my marathoner. Fret not, you can track them live via the B.A.A. Racing App.
PSA: If you're watching the race in person today, the T is your best transportation option. It's running on a regular weekday schedule, with extra service before and "after" the race. Here are some other things to keep in mind.
- Copley Station is closed all day, so instead you'll want to head to the Arlington, Prudential, Hynes or Back Bay stations.
- On the Green Line, any above ground stops at South, Kent and St. Mary's streets are closed starting at 10 a.m.
- Buses are on a Saturday schedule. But the Route 1 bus is running every few minutes to allow for access to either side of the marathon route.
- Commuter rail riders heading in can use their $10 holiday weekend pass for unlimited travel through all zones and stations. The Framingham-Worcester Line also has some additional trips along the marathon route today.
P.S.— This is just a fraction of what's in our ultimate Boston Marathon guide, courtesy of WBUR's Katie Cole. Be sure to give it a read for all your race route and festivities needs. And for the latest marathon coverage all day, check out our live coverage online here and, as always, on air.
