- A group of Massachusetts National Guard soldiers began the 128th Boston Marathon starting in the historic town of Hopkinton.
- Hopkinton is commemorating its 100th anniversary as the starting point for the marathon, with a sign reading “Hopkinton 100 Years” at the start line.
- Good weather was expected for the race, which drew nearly 30,000 runners to Hopkinton.
A group of Massachusetts National Guard soldiers crossed the start line of the Boston Marathon early Monday morning, painted in honor of the town that has hosted the marathon for the past century, marking the 128th running of the world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon. I started it.
Race director Dave McGillivray sent the group of about 30 people out just after 6 a.m., thanked them for their service and told them to have a good time. Lt. Col. Paula Reichert Karsten, one of the marchers, said she wanted to participate in a “quintessential Massachusetts event.”
Hopkinton is celebrating 100 years as the starting line of the Boston Marathon. In 1924, the starting point was changed from Ashland to Hopkinton, and the race became his official Olympic marathon distance of 42.2 miles. The words “100 Years in Hopkinton” are written on the starting line. The announcer welcomed the crowd to “the quiet little town of Hopkinton, 364 days a year.”
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“Running from an environment like this toward downtown makes it a much more iconic course,” McGillivray said.
U.S. military members cross the starting line during the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2024 in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Race volunteer Hank Lopez, 63, stood at his post near the starting line. Later Monday, he plans to don his bib and enter the race to run his 100th marathon. He typically participates in marathons with far fewer runners. This is my first Boston Marathon.
“It’s the 100th anniversary of Hopkinton and the Boston Marathon, and it’s my 100th marathon,” said Lopez, who ran multiple marathons this year to ensure Boston was his 100th. “The marathon is world famous. Go big or go home.”
The town, about 42.2 miles west of Boston, was once again the rendezvous point Monday morning for some 30,000 runners preparing to make the trek to Copley Square. The weather forecast called for sunshine and temperatures in the mid-50s, rising to the mid-to-low 60s for the stragglers who made it to Back Bay in the late afternoon.
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Two-time defending champion Evans Chebet is hoping to become the first runner since 2008 to win three years in a row. Women’s winner Helen Obiri also competed a year after Kenyans dominated the elite race for the third year in a row.
Top American athletes include Emma Bates, who finished fifth last year. The 31-year-old former Boston resident stepped into her hole midway through last fall’s Chicago Marathon, tearing tissue from her foot.
This injury caused a setback and prevented him from participating in the Olympic marathon trials in February. A year after she led her pack through Brookline with crowds screaming her name, she returned to Boston.
“It was the best thing of my career, that’s for sure,” she said last week. “When you get to the front and set yourself up to be the biggest success that you can be that day, it’s really special to know that as long as you believe in yourself, as long as you go after it, you can do some pretty big things.” It was a “thing”. “
Obiri, a two-time Olympic medalist, is one of the favorites to win Monday’s race, the 128th edition of the world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon event. Sarah Hall, who has finished on the podium in two major marathons, joins Bates on a strong American team.
Chebet’s victory marks the first time he has won three straight in Boston since Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot won three in a row from 2006 to 2008. He also hopes a win will qualify him for the Olympics.
Chebet was left off the Kenya Marathon team’s provisional roster despite winning six of the last seven races, including big wins in Boston and New York. He said last week that he hopes a strong performance will reignite his candidacy.
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Kenya dominated the marathon gold medals at the Tokyo Games three years ago, with Eliud Kipchoge winning his second consecutive Olympic title and Perez Cepchirchir winning the women’s race. The country has drawn up a provisional shortlist of five men and six women for three spots each for men and women in 2024.
The Kenyan has won the men’s race in Boston four times in a row and three in a row in the staff division.
McGillivray usually runs the course at night after a race. This year, he will join the second wave of athletes and run with his two children for the first time.
“It’s special in so many ways,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve run with my kids during the day. There are a lot of special elements to this year’s race.”
