It’s Patriots’ Day in Boston, which means it’s time for another edition of the world’s oldest annual marathon.
More than 30,000 runners will make their way from Hopkinton, Massachusetts to Boyleston Street in downtown Boston today for the 129th running of the Boston Marathon. For many amateur marathoners, it will be a momentous occasion – a chance to cross an iconic race off their running bucket lists. And for many pros, it’s an opportunity to win one of the most prestigious events in the sport.
The professional field will feature both of last year’s champions − Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma and Hellen Obiri of Kenya, who is the two-time defending champion − as well as several elite marathoners hoping to win it for the first time.
An American woman has not won the Boston Marathon since Des Linden in 2018, and the U.S. men’s drought goes back even further to 2014.
Here’s everything you need to know as the start of the race nears:
How to stream 2025 Boston Marathon, TV channel
ESPN2 will have live television coverage from 9 a.m. ET to 12:30 p.m. ET with simultaneous coverage on the network’s streaming platform, ESPN+.
Stream the Boston Marathon on ESPN+
Boston Marathon route, map
The race begins at the starting line in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. It takes runners on a scenic journey through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline before ending in downtown Boston, at the iconic finish line on Boylston Street.
When does the 2025 Boston Marathon start?
It depends on the race. The starting gun will go off for the professional men at 9:37 a.m., followed by the women at 9:47 a.m. But there are other starts before and after, as well.
The first athletes to hit the course are the men’s and women’s wheelchair racers, who start at 9:06 a.m. and 9:09 a.m., respectively. The start for handcycles and duos is at 9:30 a.m. ET. And once the pros get going, para athletes (9:50 a.m. ET start) and four waves of amateurs will follow.
Boston Marathon bib tracking, runner lookup
If you’re trying to keep tabs on a specific runner, visit BAA.org and search for them by name, bib number or group. You can also download the Boston Athletic Association’s mobile app and track runners that way.
Who are the favorites to win the Boston Marathon?
There is no shortage of contenders in both the men’s and women’s fields.
On the women’s side, the favorite is probably Hellen Obiri. The 35-year-old is still relatively new to marathoning but has quickly established herself as a force. She’s won each of the previous two editions of the Boston Marathon and could become the first woman to three-peat since Fatuma Roba, who won in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
On the men’s side, Sisay Lemma is the defending champion, but Evans Chebet of Kenya won back-to-back Boston Marathons before that. And don’t sleep on American Conner Mantz, who placed eighth in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is probably the United States’ best shot at a podium spot.
How to wrap your head around the miles, pacing of a marathon
The Boston Marathon, like all other marathons, is 26.2 miles. Visualizing that distance can be as simple as thinking of a local landmark a mile from your home and imagining what it would be like to run there and back 13 times.
Calculating marathon finish times and pace requires a bit more math. But to give you an idea of how fast the pros are going: The men’s winners over the past five years have all crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 10 minutes or less. That works out to an average pace below 5 minutes per mile.
Contributing: Stephen Beard, Elizabeth Flores and Steve Gardner
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