This year marks the 130th anniversary of the Boston Marathon. Since April 19th,1897, the annual Boston Marathon has been one of the most cherished traditions for the city of Boston.
Organized by the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), the race takes place each year on the third Monday in April which is Patriot’s Day. This year, the 130th Boston Marathon took place on April 20th, 2026, and was presented by the Bank of America. Over 30,000 athletes participated from around the world and historically the event raises large amounts of money through the Bank of America Official Charity Program. Although the 2026 total has not been finalized yet, last year in 2025, 50.4 million dollars in donations were raised. Additionally, over 500,000 people line the race course in the eight cities and towns along the 26.2 mile route to cheer on the thousands of athletes running. The Boston Marathon is also supported by more than 10,000 volunteers that help make the marathon special.
The athletes of the Boston Marathon embark on a 26.2 mile journey beginning in Hopkinton and ending on Boylston Street in Boston’s Copley Square, which is right near the Boston Public Library. The minimum age requirement for the marathon is 18 years of age on race day. Additionally, athletes must meet the qualifying time standards to apply to run the Boston Marathon, however, not everyone is accepted due to field size limitations. The Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program also allows invitational entries into the marathon to select non-profit organizations which utilize this opportunity to find athletes that pledge to raise money for a cause. E
mily LeClair, a freshman at HHS, shares, “Many of my friend’s parents run in the Boston Marathon and they dedicate months training for it and it is such a great tradition as the funds from it are donated to people in need.”
This typically joyous and celebratory event was unfortunately marked by tragedy on April 15th, 2013 which is now known as the “Boston Marathon Bombing.” During the afternoon while the race was still going on, two explosions went off on Boylston Street and unfortunately four lives were lost. After this tragedy, people from around the world united to celebrate the resilience of the community, ultimately creating, “Boston Strong” which became the rallying cry that represents the community’s strength and ability to persevere during difficult times.
Nora Christofferson, a junior at HHS, states, “I have never actually been to the Boston Marathon in person or watched it live on TV but I have seen clips of it on social media and in documentaries like American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing. This documentary is on Netflix and was scary to see but also very interesting as it unfolds the events of the bombing and the craziness that ensued afterwards.”
This tragedy has shifted the Boston Marathon’s role to being a global sign of resilience as well as a reflection of the strength of the greater Boston community with the slogan, “Boston Strong.”
The conditions for the marathon this year were ideal and allowed for a great race for these athletes. This year, defending champion, John Korir of Kenya, reclaimed the men’s title with a course record time of 2:01:52 which beat Geoffrey Mutai’s time of 2:03:02 from 2011. In the women’s race, the 2025 champion, Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, also reclaimed the women’s title with a time of 2:18:51 which is the second fastest time after her own time of 2:17:22 which she set last year. Additionally, in the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug of Switzerland earned a time of 1:16:06 which was his ninth win in the men’s race. Eden Rainbow-Cooper of Great Britain in the women’s race earned her second win in the past three years at 1:30:51.
The Boston Marathon is an exciting event whether you are an athlete participating in the race or if you cheer people on from the sidelines. To learn more please visit the Boston Athletic Association’s website here: https://www.baa.org/.
