Every third Monday in April, Bostonians of all ages gather to support runners as they run the 26.2-mile course, starting in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and ending down Boylston Street at Copley Square in downtown Boston.
But how did the world’s oldest annual marathon and beloved Boston tradition come to be?
The marathon takes place annually, coinciding with Patriots’ Day, a state holiday in Massachusetts that commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the opening battles of the American Revolutionary War. The first marathon took place in 1897. The organizers of the marathon had originally wanted to follow the same route the soldiers took from Concord to Boston in 1775. However, In order to meet the standard length of a marathon at the time, 24.8 miles, they chose to begin the race in Ashland. The standard for marathon lengths changed internationally in 1921 to 26 miles, so the starting point was pushed even further back to Hopkinton, Massachusetts in 1924. Running through historic landmarks and towns that played key roles in the American Revolution, the race becomes a culmination of the strength of the Boston community, both past and present.
This year’s race, on Monday, April 20, 2026, will mark the 130th anniversary of the marathon. Today, the Boston marathon welcomes people of all genders, races, and abilities, a true representation of Boston’s diverse community. But, it hasn’t always been that way.
The first person of color to run in the Boston Marathon was Aaron Morris, a Black runner from Brooklyn, New York. On April 19, 1919, at a time when America was still heavily racially segregated, Morris’s participation and excellence, finishing 6th in the race, was historic. He would help pave the way for other runners of color and diversity in the marathon.
Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb was the first woman to run the marathon in 1966. She formally reached out to the Boston Athletic Association to participate in the race, and they rejected her, citing that “Women are not physiologically capable of running a marathon and we would not want to take on the medical liability. Furthermore, the Boston Marathon is a men’s division event” (“Bobbi Gibb Marathon Pioneer”). Gibb refused to let this discourage her and made her way from San Diego to Boston. She hid in a bush near the starting line to sneak into the line of runners and dressed in her brother’s clothes to disguise herself. As she ran, spectators began to recognize that she was a woman. To her surprise, she received support from fellow runners and sideline viewers.
The first woman to officially participate in the marathon was Kathrine Switzer. The event was male-dominated, as exhibited by Gibb’s experience, but there were no official rules prohibiting women from participating. She is the first woman to have an official run in the marathon as she registered through the Boston Athletic Association and received a running bib, while Gibb did not. She registered under the initials K.V. Switzer and bib number 261. She ran the race on April, 19, 1967. Openly running as a woman, race director Jock Semple tried to kick Switzer out of the race and rip off her running bib. Tom Miller, Switzer’s boyfriend, intervened, allowing Switzer to continue. Though rattled by the confrontation, she persisted and crossed the finish line.
The Boston Marathon finally officially welcomed female runners in 1972, a result of the bravery of both Gibb and Switzer.
A couple of years later, in 1975, Bob Hall would become the first officially recognized wheelchair athlete in the marathon. The race director, Will Cloney, told Hall he would recognize him if he finished the race in under 3 hours and 30 minutes. He finished in 2 hours and 58 minutes. In 1977, the Boston Athletic Association recognized a women’s and men’s official wheelchair division. Now, thousands of wheelchair athletes from around the world have participated in the marathon.
The Boston Marathon, today, represents a joyful celebration of community: the diverse pack of runners alongside the viewers, locally, and those watching at home on television, who celebrate their athleticism and strength. This year, as the marathon approaches, it’s important to recognize the individuals like Morris, Gibb, Switzer, and Hall, whose bravery and legacy shaped the marathon we know today: a marathon for everyone.