It is almost that time of the year again for…Marathon Monday! This year the Boston Marathon will take place on Monday April 15th with the first heat of racers leaving from Hopkinton at 9am. All Maine and Boston schools have the day off for Patriot’s Day, and many adults take work off to show support for the event! In addition to the marathon, the Boston Red Sox also host their annual home opener on Patriot’s Day in the morning and live stream the race for all fans to see!
The marathon typically draws 500,000 spectators and more than 35,000 runners, making it one of the biggest Boston events of the year since its opening race in 1897. To even qualify for the marathon, racers must have finished races within a range of 3-4 hours depending on age, gender, or other classifications. The race also has a wheelchair division! Those who do not qualify but would still like to race, must raise between $5,000 and $7,500 in order to compete. Many former professional athletes and celebrities compete in the race, too! This year some big names include Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson with her husband Andrew East from the NFL, as well as Jared and Genevieve Padalecki from Supernatural.
Interested in watching the marathon and cheering on the runners? Here are some of our favorite spectating spots!
First up is the Scream Tunnel located near Wellesley College, around 13 miles into the race. Since 1897, the women of Wellesley have notoriously cheered on runners so enthusiastically that runners can hear the cheers from over a mile away! The Scream Tunnel is an infamous half-way spectating spot that you can only hear to believe. There is one tradition where fans will offer kisses to passing runners.
Our second spectating spot is located at the Newton Firehouse. Located at mile 16 of the race, hundreds of spectators gather around the firehouse to cheer on racers as they make a right hand turn to begin the climb into Newton’s hills.
A third famous cheering section is located at Heartbreak Hill between miles 20 and 21 of the marathon near Boston College. Although not particularly steep, the marathoners are beginning their final 5 mile stretch to the finish line and need the extra encouragement as they begin to tire. Spectators line the hill cheering on the runners to get them up the hill as quickly as possible!
Our fourth and final spectator spot, new this year, is Fan Fest in Copley Square. Thousands of spectators will gather in Copley to cheer on racers as they are about to cross the finish line. This year, Fan Fest will be hosting live music, promotional activities, sponsors, and more!
Click the link here for the marathon map and more details on the event. Wherever you may be watching from, we would love to see you celebrate! Share your favorite moments with us @globalimmersions or using #HomestayBoston.
Sources: BAA, Accel, RunnersWorld, Boston, Abbott, History
