The Boston Marathon returns to the city in full force on Patriot's Day after two years of pandemic-related delays and changes to the Boston tradition.
GBH News reporters will be along the course. Follow our coverage below, or see more stories here.
POSTED 4:42 PM
Every Boston Marathon is special to the runners who dedicate the time and training to run the world-famous course from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.
But Monday's race, the first in-person marathon held on the traditional Patriots' Day date since 2019, was especially meaningful as Boston felt like its normal self after three years of COVID-induced changes to the race, GBH's Esteban Bustillos reports.
Odds are every runner made a few special memories on Monday. But few probably had as many meaningful moments on the course as Dmytro Molchanov.
Molchanov, who lives in Brooklyn but is originally from Ukraine, had the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag painted on his face as he carried his country's banner in his arms.
Read: Boston gets its groove back as Marathon returns to Patriots' Day for first time since 2019
POSTED 4:05 PM
Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon in 1966, joined Boston Public Radio today to talk about that experience and the 50th anniversary of women officially being allowed to compete.
“I knew I had to finish or I'd set women back 50 years, because I had a lot of responsibility on my shoulders,” Gibb said.
Read and listen: 'We could never go back': Bobbi Gibb recalls making Boston Marathon history
POSTED 3:46 PM
For the second time in race history, athletes in the Boston Marathon’s Para Athletics Divisions have crossed the finish line.
American Liz Willis won the women’s T61-T64 division. Adrianne Haslet, survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, finished third in the same division. Haslet ran with support runner Shalane Flanagan, also a martathon champion. American Marko Cheseto Lemtukei won the men’s T61-T64 division.
Australian Michael Roeger finished first in the men’s T45-T46 division, and American Andrea Cilliers took the women’s division.
Ary Carlos Santos of Brazil won the T-13 men’s division, and American Lisa Thompson won the women’s.
American Chaz Davis came in first in the T-11/T-12 men’s division, and American Joyce Cron took the women’s division.
POSTED 3:29 PM
The historic Boston Marathon runs from Hopkinton to Copley Square in Boston, not through many of Boston’s neighborhoods. Some runners have created an alternative marathon, like 26.TRUE, created by the PIONEERS Run Crew.
GBH’s Emily Schario created a TikTok about those efforts:
@gbh Editor's note: Reposting to expand and clarify some details about fundraising and access. Thank you for your feedback! 🙏 #BostonMarathon #Boston #Running @SNAX ♬ FEEL THE GROOVE - Queens Road, Fabian Graetz
POSTED 2:55 PM
Only a small margin of distance runners identify as Black. Despite the positive mental and physical health benefits of running, people of color are not often encouraged to join the sport.
Advocates and athletes in Greater Boston say Black people don't pursue running for a variety of reasons, including lack of support and concerns of safety. Four of these community advocates joined Basic Black to discuss these barriers, and how they are working to get more people of color interested in running.
"For Black people, it really boils down to the systemic racism in our society, and really where Black people can and can't go because of who they are," said Adrienne Benton, who serves on the Boston Athletic Association's board of governors and is a member of both the National Black Marathoners Association and Black Girls Run.
"If you can't go further than a mile outside of where you live because you're fearful that you won't be accepted in certain communities, then, basically, you're probably not going to run more than a mile," she said.
Watch Benton and other community advocates on the latest episode of Basic Black
POSTED 2:28 PM
Today’s 126th running of the Boston Marathon marks 50 years since women officially entered the race. In her latest commentary, Callie Crossley recognizes the determined women who made it happen, including Bobbi Gibb and Katherine Switzer.
"By their very presence, all of the women running this year’s race are paying tribute to the pathbreakers like Switzer. Look for them as they crest Heartbreak Hill with the wind of history at their backs," Crossley writes.
Read more about women's inclusion in the Boston Marathon.
COMMENTARY | Honoring 50 years of women in the Boston Marathonhttps://t.co/URUIWsodkH@GBHNews pic.twitter.com/IYl1LwCyhG
— Callie Crossley (@CallieCrossley) April 18, 2022
POSTED 2:00 PM
Scenes from the finish line:
Want to learn more about the finish line? Spend two minutes with Boston Marathon Finish Line Coordinator Tom Meagher
POSTED 1:30 PM
One of the 30,000 athletes running today is Karen Mejia, a 39-year-old social worker from Honduras who started running during the pandemic. She says she went from not being able to run a quarter mile without stopping just a few years ago, to running the most famous marathon in the world today.
Listen to an interview with Mejia here
POSTED 1:10 PM
“Running is really a microcosm of a larger society. So even though it should be all welcoming and inclusive, it's not,” says sociologist Tiffany Chenault. She is running the marathon for the first time this year.
Read the full story here, watch the video below:
POSTED 12:38 PM
Reporting and photo by Lex Weaver
Ready, set, go! Hoping to incite joy in their community and amongst today’s Boston Marathon runners, Mark Proctor and Charlotte McKee stood next to the unofficial Heartbreak Hill tree statue placed on their front lawn at the corner Commonwealth and Grant Avenues.
The statue, sculpted completely from the couple’s aging 100-year-old maple tree, was designed by western Mass. artist Ken Packie.
“We had Ken come out and do this as something to inspire the runners,” Proctor said.
Originally, McKee was against turning their tree into a statue.
“This was Mark's vision, from the time we knew the tree had to die. I kept saying, ‘Oh, no, no, no, that's crazy. It's our house,” McKee said. “But especially because it was a sculptor that did this during the pandemic … Yeah, it has been so much fun.”
The wooden statue has been up for over a year now, and the couple said its presence has brought back a sense happiness to the area during the hardest times of the pandemic.
“I think it seems to have brought some joy, to people, especially over the last year and a half when things were so tough,” McKee said.
The couple said that people stop by their house all the time to take pictures and selfies with the statue, and that they encourage it.
“We expect a lot of visitors today,” Proctor said.
POSTED 12:08 PM (UPDATED 12:24 PM)
Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya has won the professional women's division of the Boston Marathon, with an official time of 2:21:01, the third-fastest winning time in the race's history, according to the B.A.A. Ababel Yeshaneh of Ethiopia finished close behind. The two were neck and neck for much of the race, especially in the last mile. Nell Rojas is the top American finisher in the division, coming in 10th.
GBH's Emily Schario caught the fight to the finish on video:
In a fight to the finish, Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir wins the women’s elite race with a time of 2:21:01 🦄🏅 #BostonMarathon @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/zPYY0EcRkv
— Emily Schario (@emilyschario) April 18, 2022
POSTED 11:46 AM (UPDATED 12:35 PM)
Evans Chebet of Kenya has won the professional men's division of the Boston Marathon with an unofficial finishing time of 2:06:51, according to the B.A.A. Previous Boston Marathon champions Lawrence Cherono and Benson Kipruto follow Chebet, making for a Kenyan sweep of the men’s professional division.
POSTED 11:25 AM
GBH News intern Molly McCaul reports from the Wellesley College "scream tunnel":
at the @wellesley "scream tunnel" for marathon monday! high energy from students and community members for the halfway point @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/wG2vNFiCgw
— Molly McCaul (@MollyMOnline) April 18, 2022
POSTED 11:09 AM
It takes a village! GBH News' Esteban Bustillos is at the finish line, where volunteers are preparing to welcome all the finishers.
Volunteers are gearing up to greet runners who cross the finish line with their hard earned Boston Marathon medals. (On a side note, this is the best weather I think I've ever experienced on Marathon Monday, it's a blessing) @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/bkB4P95BBX
— Esteban Bustillos (@E_Bustillos4) April 18, 2022
POSTED 11:07 AM
Even the duckling statues in the Public Garden are cheering on runners today.
Happy #MarathonMonday! The day Boston really gets to shine #BostonMarathon @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/Wrx4L3PQUA
— Meghan H. Smith (@meghansmith55) April 18, 2022
POSTED 11:05 AM
Morning Edition host Jeremy Siegel talked this morning with first-time Boston Marathoner Ben Ferry about his pre-race routine.
Siegel: First Boston ever. How are you feeling?
Ferry: You know, about somewhere between dangerous and lethal. We’ll see what happens.
Siegel: What are you doing right now?
Ferry: Just putting on fresh socks. I have a weird complex that I like fresh brand-new socks before I race. So I wore an old pair here, put some fresh ones on and hopefully they give my feet a little something.
This is Ben Ferry. He’s here from Utah to run the #BostonMarathon for the first time.
— Jeremy Siegel (@jersiegel) April 18, 2022
He *always* puts on a fresh, unused pair of socks before a race and just completed his ritual.
Follow here for more race coverage from @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/EjhymYsOE2
POSTED 11:02 AM
Just past the 15-mile mark, American CJ Albertson leads the men’s professional division. The top three women of the professional division have hit the halfway mark in 1:09:41. According to the B.A.A, their projected finish of 2:19:21 would break the course record of 2:19:59.
POSTED 10:50 AM
Manuela Schär of Switzerland has defended her title and won the women’s wheelchair race with a time of 1:41:08. Jepchirchir leads the women’s professional division at 15K, according to the B.A.A. She is joined in the front of the race by Jepkosgei and Ethiopia's Ababel Yeshaneh and Degitu Azimeraw.
POSTED 10:42 AM
Morning Edition host Jeremy Siegel caught up with Hopkinton resident Todd Wauters this morning as he celebrated the race and cheered on runners with a Bloody Mary. His home is right near the starting line.
Siegel: Do you watch every year?
Wauters: We do. We've been here five years and we've been out here every year partying hard with them.
Hopkinton resident Todd Wauters is super stoked to have the regular #BostonMarathon back this year.
— Jeremy Siegel (@jersiegel) April 18, 2022
He’s outside way ahead of the start blasting music (and indulging in some Bloody Marys), ready to help pump up runners.
Follow here for @GBHNews coverage this AM pic.twitter.com/pK8qf9Rw27
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Brennan Barlow from Biloxi, Mississippi is running Boston for the second time. He told Siegel why this race is so special.
Siegel: I’ve got to ask, what did you have for your pre-race meal last night?
Barlow: Pasta, chicken alfredo. Just carb loaded.
Siegel: You’ve run Boston before. What makes it special for you as a runner?
Barlow: Just the atmosphere, the fans, the spectators. The entire way is just lined, and people, you know, cheering you on the whole way. I've never done local marathons and other road races and just never, never experienced anything like this. So. It's just a fun place, a great place to be for Patriot's Day.
This is Brennan Barlow. He’s from Mississippi and here to run the #BostonMarathon.
— Jeremy Siegel (@jersiegel) April 18, 2022
What was his pre-race meal? 👇👇 pic.twitter.com/iSp4nfYLxU
POSTED 10:30 AM
American Daniel Romanchuck, 23, has won the men's wheelchair race in 1:26:58, according to unofficial results from the B.A.A.
POSTED 10:27 AM
One of the most prominent athletes in this year's para athletics division is Adrianne Haslet, who lost her left leg below the knee in the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013. She has trained with Marblehead native and New York City Marathon winner Shalane Flanagan.
Learn more about Haslet's journey to becoming a marathoner in this 2020 article from our archives
POSTED 10:14 AM
The Boston Athletic Association reports that at the 30K mark, Daniel Romanchuk leads the men’s wheelchair division by 2:39. At the 25K point, Manuela Schär leads the women’s wheelchair race, ahead by 2:11.
POSTED 10:10 AM
Meanwhile, back in Boston, buses of runners are still heading to Hopkinton.
POSTED 9:56 AM
Morning Edition host Jeremy Siegel caught up with Stuart Warden in the athlete’s village Hopkinton, where temperatures were in the 30s. Warden is originally from Australia and now lives in Indianapolis. He’s running Boston for the first time.
Siegel: What’s going through your mind this morning?
Warden: It’s a little chilly, which I like. I like this cold weather better, but a couple of hours in the athlete’s village is probably the thing that’s most daunting – just sitting around for two hours and doing nothing… What I should have done is bring a blanket!
This is Stuart from Australia. He wishes he remembered to bring a blanket for the starting line (it’s 33F in Hopkinton)
— Jeremy Siegel (@jersiegel) April 18, 2022
The good news? He likes running in the cold!
Follow along here for @GBHNews coverage of the #BostonMarathon 🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/fJxy7GKpw1
POSTED MONDAY 9:50 AM
The Boston para athletics division is underway. The 2022 Boston Marathon is only the second to include a para athletics division, offering a competitive field for athletes with vision and limb impairments.
“I just really think it’s taken years for society to catch up to what should have been in place, probably, at the beginning of the movement,” said Chaz Davis, a legally blind athlete who participated in the 2021 race.
Read more about the para athletics division
POSTED MONDAY, 9:45 AM
And the elite women runners are off. This year’s race marks the 50th anniversary of the first time women were allowed to compete in the Boston Marathon. The women’s professional field lineup includes last year's top two female marathoners, Peres Jepchirchir and Joyciline Jepkosgei, both from Kenya.
POSTED MONDAY, 9:37 AM
The professional men's division is underway. Among the competitors — in one of the fastest fields in Boston Marathon history — is defending champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya, who is hoping for a second consecutive win this year.
POSTED MONDAY, 9:30 AM
The gun has gone off for the handcycles and duos division. After the 10K mark, Maneula Schar is leading in the women's wheelchair, and Daniel Romanchuck and Aaron Pike have broken away from the rest of the pack in the men's wheelchair race. Defending men's wheelchair champion Marcel Hug announced earlier this morning he was withdrawing from the race.
POSTED MONDAY, 9:05 AM
The women's wheelchair division has begun. Racers to watch include 3-time Boston Marathon winner Manuela Schar and 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Gold Medalists Madison de Rozario and Susannah Scaroni.
POSTED MONDAY, 9:02 AM
And they're off! The gun has gone off to mark the start of the men's wheelchair division. The 2022 Boston Marathon has officially begun.
POSTED MONDAY, 8:40 AM
We're just about 20 minutes away from the first start. Here are the starting times for each division from the BAA:
6:00 a.m. - Military march
9:02 a.m. - Men’s wheelchair
9:05 a.m. - Women’s wheelchair
9:30 a.m. - Handcycles and duos
9:37 a.m. - Professional men
9:45 a.m. - Professional women
9:50 a.m. - Para athletics
10:00 a.m. - Wave 1
10:25 a.m. - Wave 2
10:50 a.m. - Wave 3
11:15 a.m. - Wave 4
POSTED MONDAY, 8:30 AM
A quick tour of Athlete’s Village, where #BostonMarathon runners are dropped off ahead of the start of the race. It’s like a mini city with porta-potties everywhere.
— Jeremy Siegel (@jersiegel) April 18, 2022
Follow here for coverage from @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/kZmZXZWnUR
POSTED MONDAY, 8:26 AM
"Today’s 126th running of the Boston Marathon marks 50 years since women officially entered the race and recognizes the determined women who made it happen," writes GBH News' Callie Crossley in her latest commentary. "By their very presence, all of the women running this year’s race are paying tribute to the pathbreakers. ... Look for them as they crest Heartbreak Hill with the wind of history at their backs."
Read Callie Crossley's commentary here
POSTED MONDAY, 8:15 AM
The forecast today in Boston calls for mostly sunny skies through the mid-afternoon, and highs in the low 50s, according to the National Weather Service. But it was a chilly start to the morning as runners made their way to Hopkinton.
Spotted on the Salem, MA train platform: two #bostonmarathon2022 runners catching the 5:46, making their way to the busses in Boston that will deliver them to the start of the race. @gbhnews pic.twitter.com/mQ2aMOApim
— Annie Shreffler (@annieshreff) April 18, 2022
POSTED MONDAY, 7:40 AM
MIT students (left to right) Julia Gonik, Emily Tess, Willian Linden and Kat Liu woke up at 4 a.m. to volunteer for the marathon. They didn't have time to grab coffee before heading out at 4:05, but they are still "so excited!"
POSTED MONDAY, 7:15 AM
Today's the day! Runners — and Morning Edition Co-Host Jeremy Siegel — are headed to the Hopkinton start line.
This is what the bus trip looks like for #BostonMarathon runners headed to the start line in Hopkinton this morning.
— Jeremy Siegel (@jersiegel) April 18, 2022
Follow along here for updates from @GBHNews pic.twitter.com/g6Vy2aaKI9
POSTED SUNDAY, 5:15 PM
Tiffany Chenault never imagined she would run a marathon, let alone the Boston Marathon. As a recreational runner and an African American woman, she rarely saw people who looked like her while running around her neighborhood. She noticed that the marathon was largely dominated by white runners and elite African athletes.
“Running is really a microcosm of a larger society. So even though it should be all welcoming and inclusive, it's not,” said Chenault, who is gearing up to run the Boston Marathon for the first time on April 18.
She’s a sociology professor at Salem State University, and her personal journey with running sparked her academic curiosity. She now focuses her research on the lack of representation of African American athletes in recreational running, which experts say is caused by a number of racial, social and economic barriers that have excluded communities of color from the sport for decades.
POSTED SUNDAY, 2:30 PM
The Boston Athletic Association shared a photo of women from the 1972 race's inaugural Women's Division:
Today at 1PM at #FanFest, we'll be joined by the women of the 1972 Inaugural Women's Field: Nina Kuscsik, Pat Barrett, @KVSwitzer, Sara Mae Berman, and Valerie Rogosheske to hear about what's it's like to be back at the #BostonMarathon, 50 years later.#Boston126 pic.twitter.com/TG3w19pJ6h
— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) April 17, 2022
POSTED SUNDAY, 11:20AM
Boston Marathon legend and Maine resident Joan Benoit Samuelson stopped by GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library Friday to reflect on 50 years of women officially running in the race, saying, “If it hadn't been for their courage and their passion and their bravery, we wouldn't be talking about a women's field."
Watch the full interview with Samuelson here.
POSTED SUNDAY, 9:00 AM
Want to watch? Leave your large bags, strollers and weapons at home.
And plan ahead if you need to use the T. Several Green Line stops will be temporarily closed on Monday. Copley Square station, near the finish line, will be closed all day. South Street, Kent Street and Saint Mary Street stations will be closed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Learn more about COVID-19 precautions and other safety measures.
POSTED SUNDAY, 7:00 AM
The Boston Marathon is a major global event, this year attracting 30,000 athletes from 122 countries.
After Russia invaded Ukraine earlier, the Boston Athletic Association announced it would bar registrants who live in Russia and Belarus from participating in the event, and would not allow citizens of those countries residing elsewhere to race under their flags.
The BAA also offered to refund entry fees to Ukrainians who wanted to withdraw from the race. GBH reporter Esteban Bustillos spoke with several athletes who canceled plans to race in Boston, but who are still finding ways to run amid the war. Read more.
POSTED SUNDAY, 5:00 AM
This year's marathon marks 50 years since the Boston Athletic Association officially allowed women to participate in the race. As part of the celebration, eight women will run in honor of the eight female runners who were part of that historic 1972 field.
But before the BAA had an official women's division, several determined female runners found a way in. The first was Bobbi Gibb, who in 1966 snuck into the race after hiding in the bushes. Watch her reflect on that historic run:
