The
Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston,
Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and
inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896
Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and
ranks as one of the world's best-known road racing events. It is one of five
World Marathon Majors. Today, the Boston Athletic Association manages this
event. Amateur and professional runners from all over the world compete in the
Boston Marathon each year, braving the hilly New England terrain and varying
weather to take part in the race.The event attracts an average of about 20,000
registered participants each year. In the 100th running of the Boston Marathon
in 1996, the number of participants reached 38,000.
On a Monday: The Patriots' Day
Race
From 1897-1968, the Boston Marathon was held on Patriots' Day, April 19, a
holiday commemorating the start of the Revolutionary War and recognized only in
Massachusetts and Maine. The lone exception was when the 19th fell on Sunday. In
those years, the race was held the following day (Monday the 20th). However, in
1969, the holiday was officially moved to the third Monday in April. The 2004
race will mark the 36th consecutive year the race has been held on a Monday. The
last non-Monday champion was current Runner's World editor Amby Burfoot, who
posted a time of 2:22:17 on Friday, April 19, 1968.
Women Run to the Front
Roberta Gibb was the first woman to run the full Boston Marathon in 1966. Gibb,
who did not run with an official race number during any of the three years
(1966-68) that she was the first female finisher, hid in the bushes near the
start until the race began. In 1967, Katherine Switzer did not clearly identify
herself as a female on the race application and was issued a bib number. B.A.A.
officials tried unsuccessfully to physically remove Switzer from the race once
she was identified as a woman entrant. At the time of Switzer's run, the Amateur
Athletics Union (A.A.U.) had yet to formally accept participation of women in
long distance running. When the A.A.U. permitted its sanctioned marathons
(including Boston) to allow women entry in the fall of 1971, Nina Kuscsik's 1972
B.A.A. victory the following spring made her the first official champion. Eight
women started that race and all eight finished.
First to Sponsor the Wheelchair Division
The Boston Marathon became the first major marathon to include a wheelchair
division competition when it officially recognized Bob Hall in 1975. With a time
of two hours, 58 minutes, he collected on a promise by then Race Director Will
Cloney that if he finished in less than three hours, he would receive an
official B.A.A. Finisher's Certificate. American wheelchair competitors Jean
Driscoll and Jim Knaub helped to further establish and popularize the division
Contact the Boston Marathon
Boston Athletic Association
40 Trinity Place, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-236-1652
History of the Marathon
The
marathon is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 26 miles
385 yards that is usually run as a road race. The event is named after the
fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of
Marathon to Athens. The historical accuracy of this legend is in doubt,
contradicted by accounts given by Herodotus, in particular.
The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though
the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 800 marathons
are contested throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of
competitors being recreational athletes. Larger marathons can have tens of
thousands of participants.
This listing of the Boston Marathon as number one of the USA's Top Ten Marathons was determined by a former Marathon runner. This list is constantly being revised as old races become more popular and as new races start So, if you feel we are missing one, please email
us and let us
know!