On Monday, over 30,000 runners will gather to take part in one of the most prestigious races in the United States. The 2025 Boston Marathon kicks off early, with events starting at 6 a.m. ET.
Monday will mark the 129th running of the Boston Marathon. Both of last year’s champions from the men’s and women’s side will look to repeat in 2025, with one of them going for a historic victory.
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With the event just around the corner, here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Boston Marathon.
The 2025 Boston Marathon will be held Monday, April 21. The event is traditionally held on Patriots’ Day, which commemorates the inaugural battles of the American Revolution.
Patriots’ Day is observed in the following seven states: Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and North Dakota observe the holiday on the third Monday in April, which is traditionally when the Boston Marathon takes place. The other three stats observe Patriots’ Day on April 19.
The 2025 Boston Marathon kicks off early, with the military march starting at 6 a.m. ET. The men’s and women’s wheelchair races begin just after 9 a.m. ET.
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Below is a full list of start times for the 2025 Boston Marathon. All times are ET.
- 9:06 a.m.: Men’s wheelchair
- 9:09 a.m.: Women’s wheelchair
- 9:30 a.m.: Handcycles & Duos
- 9:37 a.m.: Professional men
- 9:47 a.m.: Professional women
- 9:50 a.m.: Para athletics division
Each wave features open division runners. Runners are put into different waves depending on their pace.
The 2025 Boston Marathon will start in Hopkinton. Runners will then reach Ashland at roughly the four-mile mark and proceed to Framingham six miles in.
From there, runners will pass through Natick and Wellesley, which sits just before the halfway point. Newton and Brookline mark the final stretch before the race ends on Boylston Street in Boston.
The entire course length is 26 miles and 385 yards — or 26.2 miles — which is standard marathon length. The finish line is located in Copley Square, a public square in Boston known for its historical landmarks.
Kenyan runner Hellen Obiri is going for a three-peat at the 2025 Boston Marathon. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
(Omar Rawlings via Getty Images)
Both 2024 champions on the men’s and women’s side will compete again in 2025. Sisay Lemma, an Ethiopian runner, will look to win it all again on the men’s side after finishing the event in 2:06:17 last year.
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On the women’s side, Kenyan runner Hellen Obiri is going for a historic victory. Obiri has won the last two Boston Marathons. If she takes home the win in 2025, it would mark the fifth time a woman has won the event in three consecutive years. Fatuma Roba is the last woman to accomplish that feat, winning the Boston Marathon from 1997-99.
The Boston Athletic Association maintains a full list of winners at the event, dating back to 1897, the first year the Boston Marathon was held.
Weather shouldn’t be a factor during the 2025 Boston Marathon. It’s expected to be partly cloudy in Boston on Monday, with a high of 57 degrees during the day. There’s a chance of rain later that evening, but it isn’t expected to impact the race.
Local coverage will begin at 4 a.m. ET on WCVB Channel 5 (ABC) in Boston. Live streaming is available through the Very Local app, which is only available in select cities. Local ABC channels will also carry the event in Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.
National coverage will take place on ESPN2. The network will begin covering the 2025 Boston Marathon at 9 a.m. ET. Coverage on ESPN2 will run until 12:30 p.m. ET.
