As the world’s oldest annual marathon, the Boston Marathon is one of the world’s most prestigious running events. The 120th running of the Boston Athletic Association’s (B.A.A.) Boston Marathon will take place on Monday, April 18, traversing through the streets of eight towns stretching from rural Hopkinton, MA to the city of Boston.
The inaugural Boston Marathon was originally called the American Marathon and was first run on April 19, 1897 and was held along a 24.5 mile route from Ashland to Boston. It wasn’t until 1908 that the modern distance of the race was developed – 26 miles and 385 yards. This distance was a result of the London Olympic Games when King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria wanted the race to begin at Windsor Castle (so the family could view the start of the race) and end in front of the king and queen’s royal box.
From the beginning, the Marathon was consistently held on April 19, Patriots’ Day, a holiday recognized in the states of Massachusetts and Maine that commemorates the start of the Revolutionary War. In 1969 the holiday officially moved to the third Monday in April, thus the Marathon was officially celebrated on what Boston locals lovingly refer to as “Marathon Monday”.
Other notable moments included the nicknaming of Newton’s famed “Heartbreak Hill” by Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason in 1936 and the first women runners: unofficially in 1966, bibbed (accidentally) in 1967 and officially in 1972.
Half a million spectators are expected in Boston on Monday to witness a field of 30,000 runners. Roughly 80% of these runners are time qualifiers, an important distinction as the Boston Marathon is the only major marathon in the world that only accepts the fastest qualifiers in relation to their age and gender. 20% of the remaining field is mainly composed of charity runners who, in 2015, helped raise over $26.2 million for 27 B.A.A. affiliated charities and 180 local charities.
In addition to the race course taking the Marathon right in front of the Hynes Convention Center, the Hynes is also home to the John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo, which celebrates its 40th year in 2016 and takes place the Friday – Sunday proceeding the Marathon. With over 200 exhibitors and 100,000 attendees expected over the course of three days, the expo is free and open to the public.
Contact our Sales Team by