Boston marathon how long

Every Olympic marathon run since the Games has been a distance of 26 miles, yards. From , the Boston Marathon was held on Patriots' Day, April 19, a holiday commemorating the start of the Revolutionary War and recognized only in Massachusetts and Maine. The lone exception was when the 19th fell on Sunday.

In those years, the race was held the following day Monday the 20th. However, in , the holiday was officially moved to the third Monday in April. Since the race has been held on a Monday. Roberta Gibb was the first woman to run the full Boston Marathon in Gibb, who did not run with an official race number during any of the three years that she was the first female finisher, hid in the bushes near the start until the race began. In , Katherine Switzer did not clearly identify herself as a female on the race application and was issued a bibnumber.

When the A. Eight women started that race and all eight finished. The Boston Marathon became the first major marathon to include a wheelchair division competition when it officially recognized Bob Hall in With a time of two hours, 58 minutes, he collected on a promise by then Race Director Will Cloney that if he finished in less than three hours, he would receive an official B.

Finisher's Certificate. American wheelchair competitors Jean Driscoll and Jim Knaub helped to further establish and popularize the division. Three-time defending women's champion Fatuma Roba became the fourth person to win the Olympic Games Marathon and the B. Boston Marathon when she posted a to win the Boston Marathon. Roba, who won the Olympic Marathon, joined fellow-women's champions Joan Benoit, who won Boston in and , before adding the Olympic Games title; and Rosa Mota POR , who won a trio of Boston crowns , , and , while adding the Olympic title.

Boston Athletic Association: Among the nation's oldest athletic clubs, the B. Spectators are encouraged to show up but use common sense in what is usually a massive crowd crammed together downtown, with masks maybe in place to account for the impossibility of social distancing.

There will be winners in the races, but in a sense the Boston Marathon isn't going to be about the results. It's going to be about the fact that it's actually happening, the sort of big in-person event that hasn't been possible the last year and a half.

In fact, Boston's marathon is just one of the five World Marathon Majors being run this autumn. Berlin and London, which both had more than 20, participants, are already in the books, with Berlin run on Sept.

Normally those races, along with Tokyo, would be run between March and November. Requests for a medical exemption will be reviewed individually. The qualifying window for the th Boston Marathon, scheduled to take place on April 17, , began on September 1, Registration details for that race will be announced following the Boston Marathon.

Registration dates will be announced in the coming months. Only a certified full marathon distance will be accepted for qualifying. Distances shorter than a full marathon will not be accepted.

Times from indoor marathons or virtual marathons are not accepted for qualifying purposes. The Boston Marathon does not designate which races meet qualifying standards.

You must directly contact the race you wish to qualify at to see if they have a current certification. You can find a mile-by-mile description of the route and a map here. Unlike marathons held in flatter locations, hills define the Boston Marathon route. Runners particularly dread "Heartbreak Hill" located between Mile 20 and 21 in Newton. Heartbreak Hill is the last of 4 hills in Newton which begin at Mile Heartbreak Hill is not the steepest or highest hill along the course - in fact, it makes only an 88 foot ascent over a.

If you walk - or even run - this stretch alone, you might think, "What's the big deal? However, runners consider Heartbreak Hill to be the most challenging stretch of the course because it occurs so far along in the race, at a point when their energy and stamina is almost depleted. And don't forget about the 3 other hills that come right before it.

Questions about the Boston Marathon? Check out what others have asked - or ask your own question. Boston Marathon start times are staggered and are based on the participant's division.

Please note that start times differ from previous years. These are the start times for each division in Please note that BAA always labels these times as "tentative" - there can be last-minute changes. In the photo above, you can see runners at Mile 20 in Newton, where hilly terrain begins to separate the front runners from the rest of the pack.

The fastest runners finish in just over 2 hours. In other words, they reach the finish line at Copley Square shortly past noon 11 am in However, the race continues well into the afternoon.

In keeping with the democratic spirit, you'll see unofficial participants also running at least part of the race, even though this isn't technically allowed. Some people do this just to see if they can. Still others do it just for fun. In recent years, it appears that some may do it for the photo opps. The Marathon officially ends at pm, and Boylston Street usually reopens to traffic by 8pm, with other streets used by the race opening at about 7pm.

One reason for the Boston Marathon's prestige is that it is the only U. Participants must meet the qualifying times in order to participate. Find the Marathon's qualifying times. Depending on the weather, , or more people turn out to watch the race. When the weather hits the "perfect" mark ie, not too frigid, not sweltering hot, no sleet, snow, or torrential rains , the number of Marathon spectators easily soars to over a million.

Boston Marathon weather varies dramatically based on the year - find out more here.