Marathon Details - Boston Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > MA > Boston > Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon

Boston, MA USA

April 15, 2024

http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon.aspx

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Address:	Boston Athletic Association 105th Boston Marathon Race Application "The Starting Line"/One Ash Street Hopkinton, MA 01748-1897
Phone Number:	(617) 236-1652
Fax Number:	(617)-236-4505
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 4.6

Organization 4.6

Spectators 4.9

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Number of comments: 417 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 42 > ]

S. A. from St. Paul, Minnesota (2/15/2019) "2018 was, well, wow." (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2018 race was my fourth Boston. Let's just say it's a privilege to run any Boston Marathon, and the 2018 weather will forever live in infamy. I have a huge shout-out about the 2018 race and a huge criticism. First the positive. I toed the line injured. Boston is the only marathon in the world I would've run in that condition. I was participating just to finish. And finish I did ... thanks to the medical tents, which I used as my warming shacks, where I warmed up, changed socks, and generally regrouped. They helped get me through the experience with professionalism and levity. Thank you!!! Now the big negative. Our bus driver GOT LOST on the way to the start. I could hardly believe it. He dumped us off more than a mile away, and we ended up walking along the race course -- in driving rain -- to the start. The only good part is I got to see the wheelchair athletes whiz past by me. But for a marathon as great as Boston, that was totally unacceptable. Ah well. I snagged a solid BQ for 2020 so I'll hope for better. That being said ... even an awful Boston is a tremendous event. The Super Bowl of running. Run it if you can, you will never regret it and you will cherish the medal forever.
K. O. from Albuquerque, New Mexico (4/27/2018) "Volunteers, Crowds & City of Boston 10+ STARS!" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 7th Boston, and what can I say, once you qualify for Boston, you just take it all in during the run. This was truly a monumental year. We all were hoping Weather.com had it wrong as the race got closer but, no, it was 100% rain, wind, and cold just as it was predicted. I just kept my head down, my feet on the ground (the wind swept my legs from underneath me a few times) and ran/trotted forward. I ran Boston in 2004 and 2012 (hot years) and had a rougher time those two years. There are not enough words that can adequately thank the volunteers (packet pick up, bus departure, start, during & finish), the crowds and the City of Boston for their support. Nothing can be done about the weather but in these miserable conditions, we paid for the honor to run Boston but the volunteers and crowd didn't - they came out to support the runners regardless of the conditions. My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of them. Even before the bombing, Boston has been known for its great support and now post bombing, Bostonians have embraced this race even further. GO BOSTON! It was my worst time by far (over 5 hours) but one of the most memorable experiences due to the support of this incredible city. A true testament for a great race - gushing is allowed.
H. E. from USA (4/23/2018) "Weather and poor management decisions problems" (about: 2018) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Everyone knows that you can't control the weather, but the 2018 Boston Marathon, which is arguably the premiere marathon in the USA, should have had the organizers doing a much better job for the conditions as they did not come out of the blue. The Athlete's Village should have been renamed 'The Village of the Damned'. Not sure about you, but after standing in a cold, wet, muddy overhead roof tent only for over two hours, i wasn't as race ready as i would have hoped for. At the finish line the gear check retrieval system was so bad and backwards, people that managed to finish the race without hypothermia had a second chance of going to the medical tent as we stood around for quite some time in the cold rain trying to collect our gear. Look I get it that weather is weather, but for a race of this esteem, they (BAA) did a very, very poor job to ensure the enjoyment and safety of the runners.
B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa (4/21/2018) "Amazing Organization" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Extraordinary organization from beginning to end. On a day when the weather was hideous, everything that the BAA could control went off flawlessly. The volunteers were absolutely amazing and unbelievably cheerful in spite of the weather. While there were far fewer spectators than normal, the fact that so many came out and were so energetic was unbelievable. It is clear why this is everyone's favorite race. The runners are treated like stars. Enjoy a pre race draft at Start Line Brewing in Hopkinton (they are closed Monday and Tuesday) and take advantage of the free tour and tasting offered by Sam Adams Boston Brewing Co.
B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa (4/20/2018) "Amazing Organization" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Extraordinary organization from beginning to end. On a day when the weather was hideous, everything that the BAA could control went off flawlessly. The volunteers were absolutely amazing and unbelievably cheerful in spite of the weather. While there were far fewer spectators than normal, the fact that so many came out and were so energetic was unbelievable. It is clear why this is everyone's favorite race. The runners are treated like stars. Enjoy a pre race draft at Start Line Brewing in Hopkinton (they are closed Monday and Tuesday) and take advantage of the free tour and tasting offered by Sam Adams Boston Brewing Co.
E. C. from Stoughton, WI (4/19/2018) "Nothing stops these spectators!" (about: 2018) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Well you've probably heard about the weather - starting temps in the high 30's, steady rain all day and 25 mph headwinds - but the real story is how the people of Boston - spectators, volunteers, race officials - rose to the challenge. People were lining the race the entire way and screaming their support of the runners. I couldn't believe these folks - they are unstoppable - thank you for coming out!!
R. G. from Midwest (4/17/2018) "Good race. Miserable weather." (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Crossing Boston off my bucket list. Good race. Great spectators. Miserable weather.
D. G. from Halifax, Nova Scotia (9/13/2017) "All it's made out to be and more" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 1st Boston - 10th marathon overall. It didn't disappoint. Top notch organization, outstanding volunteers (and so many of them), amazing crowd support... This is a city that loves its marathon, you can't replicate that. Line ups for expo and pasta dinner were crazy but everybody was in a good mood and chatting with fellow runners made time pass quickly. The post-marathon family meeting area was a bit depressing but that is a very small issue. Overall, a fabulous experience - everything it's made out to be and more!
M. W. from Washington state (5/24/2017) "Boston, upgraded, always world's Best Marathon!" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my first time back to Boston since 2013, my 5th Boston marathon. During the hiatus, I ran in some very big marathons in Australia, Hong Kong, Spain, Italy and Japan, I must conclude that Boston was and still is the best. I noticed several changes since the bombing. They included security measures and enhanced logistics that did not adversely affect the race or related events. Very pleasant surprise! For instances, BIB number pick-up requiring photo ID and by only the runner was new. The car show -the Lamborghini-like Tesla winged cars was only a throw stone away from Convention Center instead of inside the EXPO. Video presentation of Boston race / history on screen was inside with bleachers. Some running seminars were conducted across street at the Runners' World pop-up shop. Mr. Spike, the Unicorn was an attraction in EXPO. The Expo was still extremely popular and as crowded as before. It was less congested once inside. On Saturday morning, the line to the Convention Center was the longest I have seen, several blocks long. 2017 Boston jackets and gear were popular at the Expo and were available in other sports stores in town. There was a huge selection of vendors with running gears and samples. In contrast, at the Tokyo marathon, only BIB runners could enter its expo. The expo had much less merchandise and few samples. There were many Boston Marathon legends there, including Meb Keflezighi, Bill Rogers, Amby Burfoot and more&.. I was lucky enough to have met 16 times Boston Marathoner and author of "Boston Marathon", Tom Derderian at the EXPO. He was very gracious to write encouraging words for the Sunday Runners Group from my hometown. On race day, the check bag drop was at the Boston Common instead at the Hopkinson, it turned out to be non - concern as the day time temperature would exceed 70F. To ride the bus to Hopkinton, the boarding area no longer allowed family or friends, only runners. Compared to the Tokyo marathon, where all filled or empty bottles were banned, Boston allowed clear gallon bag each for food and drinks (up to 1 liter). That was so very race friendly. Runners could rehydrate and refuel at the big tent or with own supply before the start time. Food, drink, samples and pot-a-potties were plentiful. Since it was a bigger crowd, the wait time in the big tents was shorter and less time for social. Slightly more challenging to warm-up or stretch. Instead of a 3 waves start in 2013, it was 4 waves, 8 corral for each wave. On route, the spectators were awesome and they cheered for you like family members. In addition to the items supplied by the BAA every mile, the local residents had signs everywhere that "free water, free fruit" was available all along the route for the runners. The hotels we stayed had big sign of "START" at the door and "FINISH" at the check-in desk, race information on the lobby table and workers in T-shirts with BIB numbers. Runners just felt so much at home. Along the race course, there were huge flags with direction to toilets that was very prudent. At my last foreign race, poorly marked signs caused near collisions among runners exiting these facilities. I could not help but to reminiscence all with the last time when my late training partner was there. The hometown group went to Dillon's for lunch with all the excitement before the race, two days before the bombing. It was that event in Boston when we as a group began to run together. Since the original organizer, DB ran on Sunday and that how the Sunday Group started. We had made T-shirts with our names and "Boston Strong" on to show our support of Boston. Some of us were in the Boston Strong in 2014, some in 2015, and 2016. The group met on Sunday for run, coffee and camaraderie. I made back to Boston this year. We had lunch at the Dillon's place again but with new runner friends. Boston Marathon has been the chief link that tied our group runners together. The "Boston" documentary was an excellent movie that give us all the history and growth through time. And about the "qualification" was originally meant to limit the growing size of race at the time. It turned out to be an attraction for runners and it has made the race grow every year. That attraction still hold true to this day. I would love to run Boston again, but I clearly sense that qualifying will be very difficult compared to when I was younger. Less than 200 people age 70 or above ran Boston in 2017. The effects of aging on performance accelerates dramatically after age 70. Yet, I doubt the BAA qualifying time standards for the senior age groups accurately reflects the typical human aging process. I hope Boston will continue being at the forefront of change and reexamine its qualifying times based on the latest biogerontology and other medical science. Boston stands head and shoulders as a "must-do" and a significant accomplishment simply because of its unique qualifying standards. The race and its tradition are a treasure. The EXPO, the best managed race logistics and superb local support makes Boston the best marathon on earth.
A. S. from Philadelphia, PA (4/18/2017) "Lives up to it's amazing reputation" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Boston Marathon, and it definitely won't be my last. BAA is a class organization all the way. For those of you trying to BQ, it's worth the effort. The support is top notch, the crowds are beyond incredible, and the course is challenging but fun. Can't wait for next year!

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 42 > ]

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S. A. from St. Paul, Minnesota (2/15/2019) "2018 was, well, wow." (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2018 race was my fourth Boston. Let's just say it's a privilege to run any Boston Marathon, and the 2018 weather will forever live in infamy. I have a huge shout-out about the 2018 race and a huge criticism. First the positive. I toed the line injured. Boston is the only marathon in the world I would've run in that condition. I was participating just to finish. And finish I did ... thanks to the medical tents, which I used as my warming shacks, where I warmed up, changed socks, and generally regrouped. They helped get me through the experience with professionalism and levity. Thank you!!! Now the big negative. Our bus driver GOT LOST on the way to the start. I could hardly believe it. He dumped us off more than a mile away, and we ended up walking along the race course -- in driving rain -- to the start. The only good part is I got to see the wheelchair athletes whiz past by me. But for a marathon as great as Boston, that was totally unacceptable. Ah well. I snagged a solid BQ for 2020 so I'll hope for better. That being said ... even an awful Boston is a tremendous event. The Super Bowl of running. Run it if you can, you will never regret it and you will cherish the medal forever.
K. O. from Albuquerque, New Mexico (4/27/2018) "Volunteers, Crowds & City of Boston 10+ STARS!" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 7th Boston, and what can I say, once you qualify for Boston, you just take it all in during the run. This was truly a monumental year. We all were hoping Weather.com had it wrong as the race got closer but, no, it was 100% rain, wind, and cold just as it was predicted. I just kept my head down, my feet on the ground (the wind swept my legs from underneath me a few times) and ran/trotted forward. I ran Boston in 2004 and 2012 (hot years) and had a rougher time those two years. There are not enough words that can adequately thank the volunteers (packet pick up, bus departure, start, during & finish), the crowds and the City of Boston for their support. Nothing can be done about the weather but in these miserable conditions, we paid for the honor to run Boston but the volunteers and crowd didn't - they came out to support the runners regardless of the conditions. My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of them. Even before the bombing, Boston has been known for its great support and now post bombing, Bostonians have embraced this race even further. GO BOSTON! It was my worst time by far (over 5 hours) but one of the most memorable experiences due to the support of this incredible city. A true testament for a great race - gushing is allowed.
H. E. from USA (4/23/2018) "Weather and poor management decisions problems" (about: 2018) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Everyone knows that you can't control the weather, but the 2018 Boston Marathon, which is arguably the premiere marathon in the USA, should have had the organizers doing a much better job for the conditions as they did not come out of the blue. The Athlete's Village should have been renamed 'The Village of the Damned'. Not sure about you, but after standing in a cold, wet, muddy overhead roof tent only for over two hours, i wasn't as race ready as i would have hoped for. At the finish line the gear check retrieval system was so bad and backwards, people that managed to finish the race without hypothermia had a second chance of going to the medical tent as we stood around for quite some time in the cold rain trying to collect our gear. Look I get it that weather is weather, but for a race of this esteem, they (BAA) did a very, very poor job to ensure the enjoyment and safety of the runners.
B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa (4/21/2018) "Amazing Organization" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Extraordinary organization from beginning to end. On a day when the weather was hideous, everything that the BAA could control went off flawlessly. The volunteers were absolutely amazing and unbelievably cheerful in spite of the weather. While there were far fewer spectators than normal, the fact that so many came out and were so energetic was unbelievable. It is clear why this is everyone's favorite race. The runners are treated like stars. Enjoy a pre race draft at Start Line Brewing in Hopkinton (they are closed Monday and Tuesday) and take advantage of the free tour and tasting offered by Sam Adams Boston Brewing Co.
B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa (4/20/2018) "Amazing Organization" (about: 2018) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Extraordinary organization from beginning to end. On a day when the weather was hideous, everything that the BAA could control went off flawlessly. The volunteers were absolutely amazing and unbelievably cheerful in spite of the weather. While there were far fewer spectators than normal, the fact that so many came out and were so energetic was unbelievable. It is clear why this is everyone's favorite race. The runners are treated like stars. Enjoy a pre race draft at Start Line Brewing in Hopkinton (they are closed Monday and Tuesday) and take advantage of the free tour and tasting offered by Sam Adams Boston Brewing Co.
E. C. from Stoughton, WI (4/19/2018) "Nothing stops these spectators!" (about: 2018) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Well you've probably heard about the weather - starting temps in the high 30's, steady rain all day and 25 mph headwinds - but the real story is how the people of Boston - spectators, volunteers, race officials - rose to the challenge. People were lining the race the entire way and screaming their support of the runners. I couldn't believe these folks - they are unstoppable - thank you for coming out!!
R. G. from Midwest (4/17/2018) "Good race. Miserable weather." (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Crossing Boston off my bucket list. Good race. Great spectators. Miserable weather.
D. G. from Halifax, Nova Scotia (9/13/2017) "All it's made out to be and more" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 1st Boston - 10th marathon overall. It didn't disappoint. Top notch organization, outstanding volunteers (and so many of them), amazing crowd support... This is a city that loves its marathon, you can't replicate that. Line ups for expo and pasta dinner were crazy but everybody was in a good mood and chatting with fellow runners made time pass quickly. The post-marathon family meeting area was a bit depressing but that is a very small issue. Overall, a fabulous experience - everything it's made out to be and more!
M. W. from Washington state (5/24/2017) "Boston, upgraded, always world's Best Marathon!" (about: 2017) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 Boston Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my first time back to Boston since 2013, my 5th Boston marathon. During the hiatus, I ran in some very big marathons in Australia, Hong Kong, Spain, Italy and Japan, I must conclude that Boston was and still is the best. I noticed several changes since the bombing. They included security measures and enhanced logistics that did not adversely affect the race or related events. Very pleasant surprise! For instances, BIB number pick-up requiring photo ID and by only the runner was new. The car show -the Lamborghini-like Tesla winged cars was only a throw stone away from Convention Center instead of inside the EXPO. Video presentation of Boston race / history on screen was inside with bleachers. Some running seminars were conducted across street at the Runners' World pop-up shop. Mr. Spike, the Unicorn was an attraction in EXPO. The Expo was still extremely popular and as crowded as before. It was less congested once inside. On Saturday morning, the line to the Convention Center was the longest I have seen, several blocks long. 2017 Boston jackets and gear were popular at the Expo and were available in other sports stores in town. There was a huge selection of vendors with running gears and samples. In contrast, at the Tokyo marathon, only BIB runners could enter its expo. The expo had much less merchandise and few samples. There were many Boston Marathon legends there, including Meb Keflezighi, Bill Rogers, Amby Burfoot and more&.. I was lucky enough to have met 16 times Boston Marathoner and author of "Boston Marathon", Tom Derderian at the EXPO. He was very gracious to write encouraging words for the Sunday Runners Group from my hometown. On race day, the check bag drop was at the Boston Common instead at the Hopkinson, it turned out to be non - concern as the day time temperature would exceed 70F. To ride the bus to Hopkinton, the boarding area no longer allowed family or friends, only runners. Compared to the Tokyo marathon, where all filled or empty bottles were banned, Boston allowed clear gallon bag each for food and drinks (up to 1 liter). That was so very race friendly. Runners could rehydrate and refuel at the big tent or with own supply before the start time. Food, drink, samples and pot-a-potties were plentiful. Since it was a bigger crowd, the wait time in the big tents was shorter and less time for social. Slightly more challenging to warm-up or stretch. Instead of a 3 waves start in 2013, it was 4 waves, 8 corral for each wave. On route, the spectators were awesome and they cheered for you like family members. In addition to the items supplied by the BAA every mile, the local residents had signs everywhere that "free water, free fruit" was available all along the route for the runners. The hotels we stayed had big sign of "START" at the door and "FINISH" at the check-in desk, race information on the lobby table and workers in T-shirts with BIB numbers. Runners just felt so much at home. Along the race course, there were huge flags with direction to toilets that was very prudent. At my last foreign race, poorly marked signs caused near collisions among runners exiting these facilities. I could not help but to reminiscence all with the last time when my late training partner was there. The hometown group went to Dillon's for lunch with all the excitement before the race, two days before the bombing. It was that event in Boston when we as a group began to run together. Since the original organizer, DB ran on Sunday and that how the Sunday Group started. We had made T-shirts with our names and "Boston Strong" on to show our support of Boston. Some of us were in the Boston Strong in 2014, some in 2015, and 2016. The group met on Sunday for run, coffee and camaraderie. I made back to Boston this year. We had lunch at the Dillon's place again but with new runner friends. Boston Marathon has been the chief link that tied our group runners together. The "Boston" documentary was an excellent movie that give us all the history and growth through time. And about the "qualification" was originally meant to limit the growing size of race at the time. It turned out to be an attraction for runners and it has made the race grow every year. That attraction still hold true to this day. I would love to run Boston again, but I clearly sense that qualifying will be very difficult compared to when I was younger. Less than 200 people age 70 or above ran Boston in 2017. The effects of aging on performance accelerates dramatically after age 70. Yet, I doubt the BAA qualifying time standards for the senior age groups accurately reflects the typical human aging process. I hope Boston will continue being at the forefront of change and reexamine its qualifying times based on the latest biogerontology and other medical science. Boston stands head and shoulders as a "must-do" and a significant accomplishment simply because of its unique qualifying standards. The race and its tradition are a treasure. The EXPO, the best managed race logistics and superb local support makes Boston the best marathon on earth.
A. S. from Philadelphia, PA (4/18/2017) "Lives up to it's amazing reputation" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Boston Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Boston Marathon, and it definitely won't be my last. BAA is a class organization all the way. For those of you trying to BQ, it's worth the effort. The support is top notch, the crowds are beyond incredible, and the course is challenging but fun. Can't wait for next year!

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Marathon Details - Boston Marathon