The 2025 Boston Marathon is coming up on Monday, April 21.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Boston Marathon having a wheelchair division. A handful of prior winners in the wheelchair division will be taking on the race again this year.

Past winners of the professional men’s and women’s divisions will also be returning, including 2024 title holders Sisay Lemma from Ethiopia and Hellen Obiri from Kenya. If Obiri claims another win, she’ll become the first woman since the 1990s to win three consecutive Boston Marathon titles.

When do the runners start the Boston Marathon?

Athletes take off from the starting line in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, in waves:

  • 9:06 a.m. men’s wheelchair division
  • 9:09 a.m. women’s wheelchair division
  • 9:30 a.m. handcycles and duos
  • 9:37 a.m. professional men’s division
  • 9:47 a.m. professional women’s division
  • 9:50 a.m. para athletics division
  • 10:00 a.m. wave one
  • 10:25 a.m. wave two
  • 10:50 a.m. wave three
  • 11:15 a.m. wave four

The professional men’s and professional women’s division frontrunners are expected to cross the finish line around 11:45 a.m. and 12 p.m., respectively.

Where can I watch the 2025 Boston Marathon?

Live on TV

In Boston, WCVB Channel 5 will have race day coverage from 4 a.m. until 8 p.m. That coverage will be simulcast to WMUR (Manchester, New Hampshire) WMTW (Portland, Maine) and WPTZ (Burlington, Vermont).

ESPN2 will have Boston Marathon coverage from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

Streaming online

WCVB, WMUR, WMTW and WPTZ will all live stream the race on their digital platforms and apps.

A live stream will also be available on Very Local Boston. Streamers can find Very Local in the app store for their mobile device or television.

In person

There is space to gather all along the race course. Among the more popular viewing spots are the Scream Tunnel at Wellesley College , Heartbreak Hill , which culminates around mile 21 at Boston College, and of course, the finish line on Boylston Street.

Parking is limited and many streets are closed for the marathon. Spectators are encouraged to use the MBTA to get to viewing locations.

The Boston Marathon route

The Boston Marathon route starts in Hopkinton and makes its way through suburbs, all the way to the finish line on Boylston Street at Copley Square.

Find recommended spectator spots along GBH News’ Boston Marathon route map below. Looking for ways to get here? Open the left menu and check the box next to “parking and transit” for suggestions.

Who is running in the Boston Marathon?

Athletes who complete other marathons can qualify for the Boston Marathon if they meet or beat set cut-off times based on age and gender.

More than 36,000 athletes applied for the 2025 Boston Marathon, and more than 24,000 were accepted into the race.

Athletes who did not have qualifying times can still participate in the Boston Marathon through the race’s charity program.

What famous athletes are running in the 2025 Boston Marathon?

Defending champions are going to be big names this year. Hellen Obiri is back for the professional women’s division, as is Sisay Lemma in the professional men’s field, Marcel Hug of Switzerland for the men’s wheelchair division, and Eden Rainbow-Cooper of England in the women’s wheelchair division.

Professional men’s division:

  • Sisay Lemma won this division at last year’s Boston Marathon. His personal best marathon time is 2:01:48, recorded in Valencia in 2023.
  • John Korir, from Kenya, who won the Chicago Marathon last year. His personal best, from Chicago in 2024, is 2:02:44.
  • Evans Chebet, from Kenya, who won the Boston Marathon in 2022 and 2023. His personal best is 2:03:00, run in Valencia in 2020.

Professional women’s division:

  • Hellen Obiri has won the Boston Marathon the past two years. Her personal best is 2:21:38, run in Boston in 2023.
  • Amane Beriso, from Ethiopia, finished second in Boston in 2023. She is the reigning world champion with a personal best marathon time of 2:14:58, recorded in Valencia in 2022.
  • Yalemzerf Yehualaw, from Ethiopia, is making her Boston debut this year after claiming the title at last year’s Amsterdam Marathon, where she recorded her personal best marathon time, 2:16:52.

Men’s wheelchair division:

  • Marcel Hug won the Boston Marathon men’s wheelchair division seven times, including last year with a course record of 1:15:33.
  • Josh Cassidy, from Canada, who won the division in 2012 and held the course record for several years with a time of 1:18:25.
  • Aaron Pike, from the United States, who placed second in Boston in 2022. His personal best is 1:20:02, recorded at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota in 2022.

Women’s wheelchair division:

  • Eden Rainbow-Cooper won this division last year with a time of 1:35:11. She also competed in the Paralympic Games last year.
  • Manuela Schär, from Switzerland, who has won the division four times and holds the course record of 1:28:17, recorded in 2017.
  • Susannah Scaroni, from the United States, who won the division in 2023 even though she had to fix a loose wheel during the race. Her personal best is 1:27:31, from Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota in 2022.