10 Fun Facts About the Boston Marathon

Posted on April 10th, 2023.

It's that time of year again - if you're a roadrunner there's a good chance that you already know what April represents on the calendar: The Boston Marathon. 

But - for anyone who is not familiar with The Boston Marathon - here are 10 fun facts about it:

1. The Boston Marathon is the oldest organized annual marathon in the world, with its first edition being run 1897.
2. The Boston Marathon is considered as one of the six World Marathon Majors - Abbott World Marathon Majors - which includes the Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City Marathons. Upon completion of all six a runner is eligible to be awarded the Six Star Finisher Medal. You can sign-up to be eligible to receive this medal here - Six Star New (worldmarathonmajors.com)
3. The Boston Marathon is a qualifier event/race, and runners must meet strict time standards for their age and gender in a qualifying marathon. You can find the required qualifying standards on a yearly basis on the Boston Athletic Associations Page - Qualify | Boston Athletic Association (baa.org) . With that being said - you can also gain entry to the race by running for one of the many fantastic charities that participate as race sponsors.
4. The Boston Marathon has a "Heartbreak Hill," a notorious incline at mile 20 that - while not the most difficult in size - is well known for its placement at (or very near) the mileage where most runners encounter the dreaded "wall".
5. The Boston Marathon is held yearly on the Monday corresponding to Patriots' Day, a holiday in Massachusetts that commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord during the American Revolution.
6. The Boston Marathon start consists of waves where runners are split-up based on their qualifying times. 
7. The course for The Boston Marathon is Point-to-point, meaning that you start and end at different locations (Hopkinton to Boston).
8. The first woman to officially run The Boston Marathon was Kathrine Switzer in 1967. 
9. The Boston Marathon course records are—2:03:02, set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011, and 2:19:58, set by Buzunesh Deba in 2014.
10. The Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the Boston Marathon, is one of the oldest and most prestigious athletic organizations in the United States, dating back to 1887.