The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced that three-time World Series champion and Red Sox legend David Ortiz will be the Grand Marshal for the 127th Boston Marathon.
This year’s Boston Marathon will take place on Patriots’ Day, Monday, April 17, 2023, and will see a field of 30,000 participants from 122 countries and all 50 U.S. States.
Boston Red Sox fans and followers of Major League Baseball may be particularly excited to watch Ortiz (nicknamed Big Papi) in his Grand Marshal duties as he leads the field for the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston on race morning.
Ortiz, who is now 47 years old, was a leader on the Red Sox MLB baseball team from 2003-2016.
During his impressive career, Ortiz amassed 541 home runs and 1,768 RBIs.
Moreover, the 127th running of the Boston Marathon this year will mark the 10-year anniversary of the tragic Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.
Ortiz stepped up and delivered an emotionally evocative speech of hope to unite Boston and the running community at large in the aftermath of the marathon bombings on April 15, 2013.
His third World Series win came just months after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
Ortiz is remembered during that time for playing an instrumental role in leading the team on the field while stepping up to help the city unite and heal in the aftermath of the attack.
During his prolific baseball career both on and off the field, Ortiz demonstrated a similar will, strength, and determined spirit that will similarly fill each runner and hand cycle athlete as they work their way through the Boston Marathon course on race day.
In his role as the 2023 Boston Marathon Grand Marshall, Ortiz will be driven to the finish in the Official Vehicle of the Boston Marathon, which is the all-new 2023 Honda Pilot.
He will arrive at the site of the finish line on Boylston Street shortly before race winners will break the tape.
The Boston Marathon Grand Marshalls in 2022 were Boston Pride team captains Jillian Dempsey and Mary Parker, who helped the Premier Hockey Federation Boston Pride team win their second straight Isobel Cup Championship.
You can read more about how you can watch the 2023 Boston Marathon here.
