MAIN Recreation Sports 2012 Boston Marathon

Inspired by the marathon at the first Olympic Games in 1896, the city of Boston held its first marathon the following year on April 18 to commemorate the famous 1775 ride of colonial patriot, Paul Revere.

This year, more than 20,000 runners from around the world will converge on Boston during marathon week, leading up to the 26-mile run of the historic 116th Boston Marathon beginning at 10 AM on Monday, April 16, 2012.

The Boston Marathon course

One of the few remaining that maintains qualifying times & requirements, the Boston Marathon features an historic course starting on Main Street in rural Hopkinton - and winds its way through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley - with an agonizing stretch up Newton's Heartbreak Hill before finishing in Boston near the John Hancock Tower at Copley Square.

Best viewing in Boston includes locations on Rte. 30, Beacon St., and anywhere along the break-neck chase to the finish on Boylston St.

Boston Marathon on the Web

Elsewhere on the Web, find out more about the Boston Marathon with links to current news and updates, a virtual tour of the route, plus plenty of background info, and a bit of trivia on the oldest running events in sports history..

Boston Athletic Association - The official sponsor of the Boston Marathon with the latest results & updates, recent photos and galleries of pictures from marathons past, related fun facts, current registration details, info on the Half-Marathon, and marathon weekend event news.

The BostonChannel.com - Local television Channel 5, offering complete results & marathon day coverage..

Boston.com Marathon Coverage - Complete results with feature stories, stats and standings by category including men, women, seniors and wheelchair runners, plus a comprehensive course description in the Boston Marathon virtual tour.

MarathonGuide.com - Great coverage of the all the major races throughout the year. Check out Boston Marathon results on race day along with feature articles, running calculators and other training advice, community bulletin board.

Heartbreak Hill Striders Running Club - Online community of marathon veterans with an extensive online course featuring interactive training tools and workout schedules, race pace calculator, race time predictors and related help for hopeful contenders.

Running Past - The 2nd Boston Marathon - Archived report from the old Boston Sunday Journal, with an account of the 1898 race - including pictures of front runners and everybody's favorite marathon factoid - the winner, Ronald MacDonald.

also see -> Chicago Marathon | London Marathon | NYC Marathon

Running & Jogging