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The 2025 Boston Marathon is on Monday, April 21 this year. As you complete your final preparation, pack your bags, and explore the expo, here’s a rundown of what you should know about the 129th running of this iconic footrace from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to Copley Square in downtown Boston.
The 2025 Boston Marathon
The oldest annual marathon in the world, the Boston Marathon, dates back to 1897. It’s always held on the third Monday in April, which has become known as Marathon Monday. But it’s also Patriots’ Day, a Massachusetts state holiday that commemorates some of the early battles of the American Revolutionary War.
The race will include a field of approximately 32,000 runners—about 24,000 of whom qualified by running an approved race under the time qualification marks corresponding to age and gender divisions, and about 8,000 of whom entered through one of the 157 non-profit organizations in the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program. Each athlete who participates in the Boston Marathon on behalf of one of the official charities must raise a minimum of $5,000 for that organization.
A group of U.S. military soldiers starts things off on race day at 6 a.m. as they begin marching along the course. Then the men’s wheelchair division takes off from the start in Hopkinton at 9:06 a.m., followed by the women’s wheelchair racers, hand cyclists, and various para-athletes.
The men’s professional race begins at 9:37 a.m., followed by the women’s professional race at 9:47 a.m. The first of four time-seeded citizen waves begins at 10 a.m., followed by subsequent waves every 25 minutes. A few minutes before the fourth and final wave begins, the Boston Red Sox begin their Patriots’ Day game against the Chicago White Sox 25 miles to the east at Fenway Park (and just a few blocks from the homestretch to the finish line). The early game start time dates back to the 1960s, when it was aligned with the start of the marathon as a joint celebration of Patriots’ Day.
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A Circus of Pre-Race Events
If you’re in Boston the weekend of the race—either because you’re racing or because you just want to soak in the vibes and events—there is a lot to see and do. For participating runners, that probably means getting to the expo to get your bib, doing a shakeout run on Saturday or Sunday, and laying low until Monday morning. But the days leading up to Marathon Monday have become a spectacle of fun runs, brand activations, swag giveaways, athlete appearances, live podcasts, live music, parties, and more. The best part is that almost all of it is free and open to the public.
Whether you’re running the race or not, there are numerous shakeout runs tied to brand activations scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. (Last year there were more than a dozen shakeout runs crammed into three days!) This year’s schedule includes the Tracksmith Saturday Shakeout Run at 9 a.m., rabbit x Every Woman’s Marathon Shakeout Run Saturday at 9:30 a.m., Asics/Believe in the Run Shakeout at 8 a.m. Sunday, Heartbreak Shakeout Run on Sunday at 8:30 a.m., and Tracksmith Pre-race Shakeout Sunday at 9 a.m.
The Boston Marathon race expo will once again be at the Hynes Convention Center (900 Boylston Street) and, aside from being the place where runners pick up their race bibs and browse vendor booths, it will also boast numerous speakers and events, including the Future of Indigenous Running, an Ali on the Run Podcast with Emma Bates and Jenny Simpson, a Motherhood and Marathoning panel, and a chat with Bill Rogers (Boston Billy) a four-time Boston Marathon winner. Expo hours are Friday, April 18, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 19, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 20, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Â
The Boston Marathon Fan Fest returns to City Hall Plaza in downtown Boston, adjacent to historic Faneuil Hall. The Fan Fest is open Friday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will feature yoga sessions for runners, numerous live music performances, and pro athlete appearances.
Approximately 10,000 runners will participate in the sold-out Boston 5K at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 19. Beginning and ending on Charles Street next to the Public Gardens and Boston Common, it’s a fast loop course that passes over the Boston Marathon finish line about a half mile from its own finish line. (Cooper Teare won the men’s race in 13:38 last year, while Fotyen Tesfay won the women’s race in 14:45.) From 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, top scholastic boys and girls from the cities and towns of the Boston Marathon course, as well as a field of professional milers from around the world, will race in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile races on a three-lap course on the streets of Boston. (Casey Comber won the men’s race in 4:07.31 last year, while Krissy Gear won the women’s race in 4:42.45.)
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The Boston Marathon Course
The Boston Marathon starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and sends runners on a hilly 26.2-mile point-to-point journey to Copley Square in Boston. The course has a net-downhill profile, dropping 459 feet from start to finish. While most runners worry about the dreaded Heartbreak Hill on tired legs at mile 21, many don’t realize that the challenges start at the beginning of the course with a 350-foot downhill in the first four miles. That surprising decrease in elevation can lead to runners completing their fastest 10K time ever. Those who haven’t trained downhill tempo runs risk having legs that feel like a soupy bowl of Boston clam chowder long before they reach the infamous Newton hills.
The four Newton Hills between miles 16 and 21 are a challenge, to be sure, especially Heartbreak Hill, which is the tallest and longest hill to climb. But don’t sleep on the steep downhill mile from the top of Heartbreak—it can deaden a runner’s legs and make the final four miles to the finish line absolutely brutal. From there, it leads to the famous final turns—right on Hereford, left on Boylston—and the final, glorious 600 meters to the finish amid droves of cheering fans.
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The Boston Marathon Professional Fields Are Strong
It goes without saying that this year’s Boston Marathon will be as compelling as previous races always seem to be. Both the women’s and men’s professional fields are stacked with talented international athletes, including past Boston champions, Olympic medalists, and world champions. Fans of American distance running should get a chance to cheer for a top American with Connor Mantz and Des Linden listed on Kara Goucher’s list of athletes to watch.
Women’s Pro Field
The women’s race has the strongest field in Boston Marathon history with a mix of seasoned Boston Marathon veterans and newcomers looking to make their mark. Depending on weather conditions and race-day tactics, the women’s course record of 2:19:59 set by Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba in 2014 could certainly be in jeopardy.
Leading the field is two-time defending champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya, who first won the race in 2023 as only her second marathon (2:21:38) before going on to win the New York City Marathon (2:25:49). She returned to Boston in 2024 and won again with a time of 2:22:37. She’s once again considered to be one of the favorites in the women’s race.
Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi was a track star until winning her marathon debut at the 2022 New York City Marathon and returned in 2023 to take third place in New York. In 2024, Lokedi competed in her first Boston Marathon, taking second place behind Obiri and took fourth place at the Paris Olympic marathon. Coming off a win at the New York City Half Marathon in March, Lokedi looks strong and could contend with Obiri thanks to her experience with hilly courses and patience to conserve energy throughout the race.
The American women to watch include Des Linden, Emma Bates, and Dakotah Popehn. Linden is entering her 12th Boston Marathon, making her one of the most experienced pro women in the field. She is the 2018 Boston Marathon winner and took second place in 2011.
Bates took fifth in 2023 with a time that ranked her as the second fastest American at the Boston Marathon with a time of 2:22:10. She has dealt with injuries but is now looking healthy and shows promise as a major contender in the 2025 Boston Marathon.
Popehn finished the Paris Olympic marathon in 12th place as the fastest American. She comes into the race with strong preparation and promise based on Kara Goucher’s analysis.
Men’s Pro Field
Kenya’s Evans Chebet won the Boston Marathon in 2023 and 2022, but after struggling with an Achilles injury, he placed third in 2024. He is considered one of the most consistent pro runners, having placed no lower than fourth in his 16 marathon starts. Chebet is a patient runner, making him ideal to handle the ups and downs of the Boston Marathon course and conserve energy for the latter miles and their hills.
Conner Mantz is the American to watch. He joined the marathon scene in 2022 with a seventh-place 2:08:16 finish in Chicago. Mantz competed in the 2023 Boston Marathon, finishing 11th. He won the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and took eighth at the Paris Olympics. His 2024 season closed with a sixth-place finish at the New York City Marathon. In March, Mantz showed his skills at handling a hilly course, finishing second at the New York City Half Marathon in 59:15. Other American men to watch include Clayton Young and CJ Albertson.
John Korir of Kenya is preparing for his third Boston Marathon after placing fourth in 2024. Korir is one of the fastest athletes in the lineup, having won the Chicago Marathon in 2024 in 2:02:44—the second-fastest time in race history. His brother Wesley won Boston in 2012, giving John more motivation to show his skills on the course as well.
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Course Records
For years, the Boston Marathon was typically the slowest of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors races, mostly because of the hilly nature of the course and race tactics. (There are no pacesetters in the Boston Marathon, so tactics develop organically based on the runners in the elite field, weather conditions, and who decides to surge early in the race.) The women’s course record of 2:19:59 was set by Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba amid mild weather and a light breeze.
There have been a few exceptionally fast years when cool weather and strong tailwinds have greatly aided runners—including 2011 when Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai set the still-standing course record of 2:03:02. He was followed closely by countryman Moses Mosop (2:03:06), Ethiopian Gebregziabher Gebremariam (2:04:53,) and American Ryan Hall (2:04:58), who ran the fastest-ever time by a U.S. runner. (That’s not an official American record because the Boston Marathon course is not considered record-legal due to it being a point-to-point course with an elevation loss that slightly exceeds the World Athletics limit of 3.33 meters per kilometer.)
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Prize Money
This year’s Boston Marathon has a total prize purse of $1.1 million, of which $806,000 will be distributed to the top 10 women’s and men’s finishers. The race winners will each earn $150,000, while the men’s and women’s wheelchair division champions will earn $50,000. The Boston Marathon is the first Abbott World Marathon Major event to offer equal $50,000 course record bonuses across the open and wheelchair divisions.
How to Watch the 2025 Boston Marathon and Track Runners
ESPN2 will broadcast the Boston Marathon on April 21 with live coverage from 9 a.m. ET until 12:30 p.m. ET. The race will also be livestreamed on WCVB’s Very Local Boston. WCVB will provide coverage of the race the entire day, starting at 4 a.m. If you live in Boston, you are not going to forget that Patriots’ Day is also Marathon Monday.
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To track runners during the race or to search results immediately after, you’ll need to download the B.A.A. Mobile App. The app, which is available for both iOS and Android phones, features live tracking of all participants, social media integration, interactive course maps, and a lot of other information and resources.