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Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Boston Marathon

Your complete guide to the world's most historic marathon

Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Boston Marathon 1

When And How To Watch The Boston Marathon


You can follow our live coverage of the Boston Marathon on race day here, starting at 9:00 a.m. ET Monday morning (30 minutes before the race start time).


Start Date

The 2024 Boston Marathon is slated for Monday, April 15, 2024. 

Start Time

The professional men will go off at 9:37 a.m. ET.

The professional women will go off ten minutes later at 9:47 a.m. ET.

Have family or friends running the race? We have the full list of start times below:

Military March6:00 a.m. ET
Men’s Wheelchair9:02 a.m. ET
Women’s Wheelchair9:05 a.m. ET
Handcycle & Duos9:30 a.m. ET
Professional Men9:37 a.m. ET
Professional Women9:47 a.m. ET
Para Athletics Division9:50 a.m. ET
Wave 110:00 a.m. ET
Wave 210:25 a.m. ET
Wave 310:50 a.m. ET
Wave 411:15 a.m. ET
Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Boston Marathon 2

How to Watch The Boston Marathon

You’ve got a few options when it comes to keeping up with the Boston Marathon

If you’re in the area watching from home, live coverage of the Boston Marathon via WCVB will begin early at 4:00 a.m. ET and will run all the way through until pretty much the very last finisher at 8:00 p.m. ET.

ESPN2 will be providing the national broadcast to the rest of the United States.

ESPN2 will show the race live, with coverage beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET and running through both the men’s and women’s elite races until 12:30 p.m. ET. ESPN has also committed to pre- and post-race coverage on its flagship highlights show, SportsCenter.

Eurosport will carry the broadcast in Europe.

For more details on how to catch the race live, check out our complete guide here.

Course Map

Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Boston Marathon 3

The Boston Marathon is widely considered the second-hardest course of all the World Marathon Majors.

Why isn’t it considered the hardest? Well, despite its rolling terrain and the notorious Heartbreak Hill, leading to nearly 250m of positive elevation gain, the race is actually net downhill once you factor in the nearly 390m of elevation loss throughout the course.

The Boston Marathon course is the most historic marathon in the world, and although the start and finish lines have been slightly altered over the years, much of the course remains exactly as it was originally designed over a hundred years ago.

Since 1924, the race has started in the town of Hopkinton and, from there, descends through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, and Wellesley.

As runners enter Newton, the course gradually rises to the famous Heartbreak Hill. As runners finally crest the hill, they can see downtown Boston for the first time, just a few miles out in the distance.

After running through Brookline, the course enters Boston, where it finishes on historic Boylston Street.

Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Boston Marathon 4

Despite its net downhill, Boston can be a challenging marathon to pace correctly. If you’re looking for some pro tips, check out our chat with Boston veteran Des Linden here to get it just right.


Weather

Marathon Monday is now in the 7-day weather forecast, and things are looking pretty good right now (though it is still early).

Although some rain and wind are predicted for the weekend, it seems things will clear up by Monday.

Currently, it looks like race day will be sunny with mild temperatures starting in the low 50s at the start of the race, rising to about 63 towards the end of the race.

The westerly wind of 9-13 mph will benefit the runners, as it will be a tailwind for most of the race.

BOSTON WEATHER
Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Boston Marathon 5

Prize Money

Prize money at the Boston Marathon is equally distributed amongst the men and women in all divisions. Additionally, the Boston Marathon offers a $50,000 course record bonus should the record be broken.

1st$150,000
2nd$75,000
3rd$40,000
4th$25,000
5th$18,000
6th$13,500
7th$10,500
8th$8,500
9th$7,000
10th$5,500

Total Prize Money (Open): $706,000

Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Boston Marathon 6

Men’s And Women’s Elite Startlists

Men’s Startlist

Sisay LemmaETH2:01:48 (Valencia, 2023)
Evans ChebetKEN2:03:00 (Valencia, 2020)
Gabriel GeayTAN2:03:00 (Valencia, 2022) NR
Joshua BeletKEN2:04:18 (Amsterdam, 2023)
Ronald KorirKEN2:04:22 (Berlin, 2023)
Cyprian KotutKEN2:04:34 (Amsterdam, 2023)
Haftu TekluETH2:04:43 (Berlin, 2023)
Shura KitataETH2:04:49 (London, 2018)
John KorirKEN2:05:01 (Chicago, 2022)
Mohamed EsaETH2:05:05 (Amsterdam, 2022)
Suguru OsakoJPN2:05:29 (Tokyo, 2020)
Sondre MoenNOR2:05:48 (Fukuoka, 2017) AR
Filmon AndeERI2:06:38 (Barcelona, 2021)
Zouhair TalbiMAR2:06:39 (Houston, 2024)
Isaac MpofuZIM2:06:48 (Valencia, 2022) NR
Albert KorirKEN2:06:57 (New York City, 2023)
Kento OtsuJPN2:08:15 (Otsu, 2021)
Ryoma TakeuchiJPN2:08:40 (Hofu, 2023)
Segundo JamiECU2:09:05 (Valencia, 2023) NR
Tsegay TuemayERI2:09:07 (Daegu, 2019)
Matt McDonaldUSA2:09:49 (Chicago, 2022)
David NilssonSWE2:10:09 (Valencia, 2020)
Tristan WoodfineCAN2:10:39 (Houston, 2024)
CJ AlbertsonUSA2:10:52 (Duluth, 2022)
Chris ThompsonGBR2:10:52 (London, 2021)
Edward CheserekKEN2:11:07 (New York City, 2023)
Nick HaugerUSA2:12:59 (Sacramento, 2021)
Will NationUSA2:13:24 (Sacramento, 2021)
Joseph WhelonUSA2:13:39 (Duluth, 2019)
Ilie Alexandru CorneschiROU2:13:39 (Berlin, 2022)
Patrick SmythUSA2:13:47 (Sacramento, 2019)
Robert MirandaUSA2:14:43 (Sacramento, 2023)
Kristoffer MugrageUSA2:15:17 (Sacramento, 2022)
Craig HuntUSA2:15:29 (Chandler, 2020)
Primoz KobeSLO2:15:37 (Rotterdam, 2022)*
Aaron GruenUSA2:15:56 (Valley Cottage, 2023)
Lorenz BaumGER2:15:57 (Cologne, 2023)
Taiyo AkiyamaJPN2:16:03 (Tokyo, 2023)
Andrew McCannUSA2:17:07 (Sacramento, 2022)
Matt RandUSA2:17:11 (Valley Cottage, 2023)
Ryan EilerUSA2:17:16 (Philadelphia, 2023)
Prescott LeachUSA2:17:30 (Sacramento, 2023)
Qianyu ChengCHN2:17:33 (Hangzhou, 2022)
Jason AyrUSA2:18:14 (Houston, 2022)
Grant O’ConnorUSA2:18:28 (Jersey City, 2023)
Mauricio Mendez CruzMEX2:18:36 (Berlin, 2022)
Jared SchatzUSA2:18:49 (Valley Cottage, 2023)
Jonathan KotterUSA2:19:00 (St. George, 2022)
Brad KahlefeldtAUS2:19:30 (Zurich, 2023)*
Miguel MoroneBRA2:19:33 (Berlin, 2023)*
Duston BybeeUSA2:19:48 (St. George, 2023)*
Giles RubioFRA2:20:14 (Valencia, 2022)*
Joel ConnUSA2:20:16 (Duluth, 2023)*
Tyler ButterfieldBER2:21:47 (Otsu, 2019)* NR
Miguel Ferrer MuroESP2:21:47 (Valencia, 2022)*
Roman FostiEST2:22:16 (Tallinn, 2023)*
Meng-Tsung (Steve) ChuTWN2:22:54 (Edmonton, 2023)*
Yemane HaileselassieERIDebut
Table data: BAA.org
* Denotes Masters
Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Boston Marathon 7

Women’s Startlist

 NameCountryPersonal Best
Worknesh DegefaETH2:15:51 (Valencia, 2023)
Tadu TeshomeETH2:17:36 (Valencia, 2022)
Hiwot GebremaryamETH2:17:59 (Valencia, 2023)
Judith KorirKEN2:18:20 (Eugene, 2022)
Meseret BeleteETH2:18:21 (Amsterdam, 2023)
Tiruye MesfinETH2:18:47 (Valencia, 2022)
Worknesh EdesaETH2:18:51 (Berlin, 2022)
Zeineba YimerETH2:19:07 (Berlin 2023)
Senbere TeferiETH2:19:21 (Berlin, 2023)
Dera DidaETH2:19:24 (Berlin, 2023)
Edna KiplagatKEN2:19:50 (London, 2012)*
Mary Ngugi-CooperKEN2:20:22 (London, 2022)
Nazret Weldu GebrehiwetERI2:20:29 (Eugene) NR
Ababel YeshanehETH2:20:51 (Chicago, 2019)
Vibian ChepkiruiKEN2:20:59 (Vienna, 2022)
Helah KipropKEN2:21:27 (Tokyo, 2016)
Hellen ObiriKEN2:21:38 (Boston, 2023)
Emma BatesUSA2:22:10 (Boston, 2023)
Desiree LindenUSA2:22:38 (Boston, 2011)*
Buze DiribaETH2:23:11 (Toronto, 2023)
Sharon LokediKEN2:23:23 (New York City, 2022)
Malindi ElmoreCAN2:23:30 (Berlin, 2023)*
Fatima GardadiMOR2:24:12 (Xiamen, 2024)
Angie OrjuelaCOL2:25:35 (Berlin, 2023) NR
Fabienne KonigsteinGER2:25:48 (Hamburg, 2023)
Jackie GaughanUSA2:27:08 (Berlin, 2023)
Dominique ScottRSA2:27:31 (Chicago, 2023)
Grace KahuraKEN2:29:00 (Sacramento, 2023)
Katie KellnerUSA2:32:48 (Berlin, 2023)
Briana BoehmerUSA2:33:20 (Sacramento, 2021)
Dylan HassettIRL2:33:25 (Pulford, 2021)
Parley HannanUSA2:33:43 (Carmel, 2023)
Sara LopezUSA2:33:48 (Eugene, 2023)
Annie HeffernanUSA2:34:33 (Lowell, 2023)
Nera JarebAUS2:35:00 (Queensland, 2022)*
Johanna BacklundSWE2:35:10 (Hamburg, 2019)
Argentina Valdepenas CernaMEX2:35:34 (Chicago, 2022)*
Ariane Hendrix RoachUSA2:35:39 (Sacramento, 2022)
Michelle KrezonoskiCAN2:36:39 (Sacramento, 2022)
Shannon SmithUSA2:36:43 (Columbus, 2023)
Caroline WilliamsUSA2:37:01 (Sacramento, 2022)
Gina RouseUSA2:37:10 (Sacramento, 2023)*
Kim KrezonoskiCAN2:37:20 (Sacramento, 2022)
Abigail CorriganUSA2:37:45 (Sacramento, 2023)
Marissa LengerUSA2:38:41 (Chicago, 2022)
Emilee RisteenUSA2:38:46 (Duluth, 2023)
Isabelle PickettAUS2:38:46 (Valencia, 2023)
Allie HackettUSA2:38:52 (Duluth, 2023
Mary ChristensenUSA2:38:55 (Big Bear, 2023)
Olivia AngerUSA2:39:13 (Indianapolis, 2023)
April LundUSA2:39:23 (Houston, 2022)*
Sarah ShortAUS2:39:51 (Valencia, 2023)
Maura LemonUSA2:40:30 (Valley Cottage, 2023)
Sarah SibertUSA2:40:31 (Philadelphia, 2022)
Lauren AmesUSA2:40:34 (Valley Cottage, 2023)
Kassie HarmonUSA2:41:48 (Utah Valley, 2023)*
Elizabeth CamyUSA2:42:51 (Sacramento, 2022)*
Alexandra NilesUSA2:43:23 (Hartford, 2022)*
Amber MorrisonUSA2:43:50 (Sacramento, 2022)*
Mindy MammenUSA2:44:01 (Duluth, 2023)*
Ziyang LiuUSA2:44:56 (Eugene, 2023)*
Table data: BAA.org
* Denotes Masters
Athletes to watch during the 2024 Boston Marathon elite races

Key Storylines – Keep An Eye on Defending Champions

The 2024 Boston Marathon is less than one week away and has one of the most stacked elite lineups in the raceโ€™s history. With such strong menโ€™s and womenโ€™s fields, there are countless storylines to follow.

The biggest names of the day come in the form of defending champions Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri.

Want to meet the other favorites and dark horses that could take the title from under their noses? Check out our list of athletes to watch here.

Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Boston Marathon 8

Evans Chebet

For Chebet, all roads lead to Boston.

The 35-year-old has won the two most recent Boston Marathons and will be eyeing a historic three-peat. Winning the Boston Marathon more than once, let alone three times in a row puts you in rarified air.

Only four individuals have achieved a consecutive three-peat, the most recent being compatriot Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, who won three consecutive Boston Marathons in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Not only is Chebet eyeing becoming the fifth to do so, but he’ll also be out with something to prove. Chebet was recently left off the Kenyan Olympic Marathon Team selection despite a laundry list of palmares and a personal best of 2:03:00.

However, Chebet’s road to victory will be anything but easy, with unpredictable weather, a challenging course, and, of course, a stacked field with some of the world’s best marathoners, including the likes of Sisay Lemma, Gabriel Geay, and up-and-coming dark horses like Zouhair Talbi (who isn’t afraid to run a gutsy race).

Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Boston Marathon 9

Hellen Obiri

Obiri is a seasoned veteran of the highest order and a jack of all trades. At different points in her career, she’s dominated in every distance from the 1,500m to the marathon. Now, she appears to be at the apex as a road runner.

A two-time Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion, Obiri knows how to compete and won’t likely jump the gun, using her years of experience and tactical wisdom to her benefit.

She’s coming off a stellar 2023, with two wins in Boston and New York on tough courses (and also just her second and third career marathons).

She was able to test out her speed in Houston, taking second in the half marathon, and now comes to Boston to defend her title and continue her winning streak at the Majors.


Don’t forget, you can follow our live coverage of the Boston Marathon on race day here, starting at 9:00 a.m. ET Monday morning (30 minutes before the race start time).


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Jessy Carveth

Senior News Editor

Jessy has been active her whole life, competing in cross-country, track running, and soccer throughout her undergrad. She pivoted to road cycling after completing her Bachelor of Kinesiology with Nutrition from Acadia University. Jessy is currently a professional road cyclist living and training in Spain.

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