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Boston Travel Guide

Boston is not only one of America's oldest cities, it's also one of the most walkable, and we'd even go as far as saying it's one of the easiest to explore. From the Italian roots of the North End to Boston's quintessential brick facades and New England charm, the city has historical and cultural fascination around every corner. First-time visitors wondering what to do in Boston will be thrilled to find that there is an activity to please every kind of traveler—Red Sox games for the sports fans, oysters shucked fresh at the Boston's best restaurants for the foodies, Freedom Trail walking tours for the history buffs, and public green spaces for relaxing in the summertime.

Boston is an intimate city, but its cultural breadth makes it feel like a much larger hub. You can feast on some of the country's best dim sum in Chinatown, then walk 15 minutes and be at a brewery by the water. You can go spend an afternoon at a world-renowned art museum and wind up at a Sox game that night, or start your day strolling the Harvard University campus and end the day taking in a concert at the legendary House of Blues.

Eastern Standard Time (Daylight Savings Time, seasonal. Dates vary)

Best Time to Go

The best time to visit Boston is from May to November. The late spring and summer months bring beautiful weather (temperatures reach nearly 70 by May and hover in the low 80s by July). Fall in Boston is picturesque, with Harvard University, MIT, and Boston University's campuses trimmed in foliage and temperatures slipping into the low 70s in September and low 60s in October.

Visiting in the late spring means catching the Bruins and Celtics close to the playoffs, but you'll want to avoid the graduation weeks in May if at all possible. The summer is lovely in Boston—it's not too hot, and while tourists flock to the city in June, July, and August, the student population clears out. Fall is by no means the off-season, with tourists continuing to arrive and students moving in, but visiting in September and October affords you some of the very best Boston weather. We'd recommend avoiding Boston travel from November to April, as these are the coldest, grayest months.

Things to Know

Boston Common is the oldest public park in the United States dating back to 1634.

Boston was the first U.S. city to build a subway line, the Tremont Street Subway built in 1897.

Another Boston first was Revere Beach, the first public beach in the country.

Boston baked beans, New England clam chowder, Boston cream pie, lobster rolls, and Fenway Franks are some of the foods associated with the city.

Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood is one of the city's oldest communities, named for the beacon that once warned locals about invasions. Today it's a protected historic district, and its classic homes can be admired on a self-guided walking tour .

The National Park Service manages several of Boston's popular tourist sites.

How to Get Around

Trains: Public transportation in Boston runs through Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which offers two types of trains: the metro and the commuter rail. There are 13 commuter rail lines, all of which will take you out to various suburbs of the city. There is also a comprehensive metro—which Bostonians call "the T"—that runs throughout Boston and can easily bring you to most major attractions and neighborhoods in the city. The T has four lines—the red line, blue line, orange line, and green line—and is generally very easy to navigate. Find the subway map here .

You can purchase a CharlieCard , a reusable card to use on MBTA trains and buses.

Buses: The MBTA offers a vast number of city buses , all numbered and servicing different areas of the city. They also have Silver Line buses that go to Logan Airport from South Station.

Taxis: While taxis are not as abundant here as they are in, say, New York City, it's still simple to grab a cab at Logan Airport or at South Station (a central transportation hub where most buses and trains from other cities arrive). You can also, of course, call in advance for a taxi from a local cab company like Boston Cab Dispatch .

Car service: Uber and Lyft are available in Boston, as are black car services like Master Livery .

Best Hotels

Boston harbor hotel.

Address: 70 Rowes Wharf, Boston, MA 02110 Phone: (617) 439-7000 Book Now

The epitome of luxury hospitality in Boston, Boston Harbor Hotel is a five-star property right on the water with 232 rooms and suites. The centrally located hotel is walking distance to South Station, Faneuil Hall, and State Street. Guests will enjoy dining on-site at Rowes Wharf Sea Grille, exercising in the private health club, and languishing in the beautifully designed common areas.

Encore Boston Harbor

Address: 1 Broadway, Boston, MA 02149 Phone: (857) 770-7000 Book Now

Bringing Las Vegas hotel vibes to Boston, Encore Boston Harbor opened in 2019 offering the chic atmosphere promised by Wynn Hotels. In Everett, Massachusetts, it's slightly out of the way, but you can still make it to the heart of downtown Boston in 15 minutes by car. Encore Boston Harbor has a 24-hour casino and exemplary dining at Rare Steakhouse.

Four Seasons Hotel Boston

Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Boston

Address: 200 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116 Phone: (617) 351-2036 Book Now

Four Seasons Hotel Boston gives travelers a taste of the Back Bay and is near Boston's Freedom Trail and Beacon Hill. The hotel is perfect for long-term stays or families. Four Seasons Hotel Boston has a lovely heated indoor pool and on-site dining with views of the Boston Public Garden at Aujourd'hui Lounge. "You can tell that the staff of Four Seasons Hotel Boston considered every angle of the guest experience," said Liz Cantrell , a T+L senior editor.

The guest rooms were redone in 2019 and the property underwent a renovation of the public spaces in 2023. "The new design is stunning and reflects the Boston Public Garden and pays homage to the historic brownstones around the neighborhood of Back Bay," Cantrell added. "There are shades of green and botanical touches throughout the hotel, but I found the most stunning example to be the impressionist mural — depicting the Public Garden's flora and fauna — behind the reception desk."

XV Beacon Hotel

Address: 15 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108 Phone: (617) 670-1500 Book Now

Named for its address of 15 Beacon Street, XV Beacon Hotel is a five-star property with a boutique spirit and a historic facade. The beaux-arts building in the luxe Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston is home to just 63 rooms, cultivating an intimate, exclusive feel. But even more remarkable is the fact that there are only seven rooms to a floor, which guarantees ample space and privacy in each guest room.

Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel

Address: 90 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02108 Phone: (617) 772-5800 Book Now

On Boston's iconic Tremont Street, Kimpton Nine Zero is an inviting boutique hotel with complimentary wine happy hours and 190 rooms and suites with chic decor pieces (if you're lucky, you might end up with an Eames chair set by the window). The hotel sits at the intersection of Downtown Crossing, Beacon Hill, and the Financial District, and is a short walk to Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, the waterfront, and TD Garden for those keen on catching a Celtics or Bruins game.

The Liberty, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Address: 215 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114 Phone: (617) 224-4000 Book Now

On Charles Street, The Liberty has North End charm with exposed brick-lined interiors and high-end Italian fare at Scampo. The hotel was once the Charles Street Jail, and the common spaces really play into that theme. Visit Alibi for cocktails and small plates "set in the old 'drunk tank' of what was Boston's historic Charles Street Jail," and their seafood restaurant called CLINK, also on-site.

The Charles Hotel

Address: 1 Bennett Street,Boston, MA 02138 Phone: (617) 864-1200 Book Now

The Charles Hotel is a Cambridge landmark located right in Harvard Square—situating it next to great coffee houses, music venues, shopping, and some of the most idyllic brick-lined streets in Cambridge. The rooms at The Charles Hotel are furnished with historic pieces from all over New England and some offer views of the Charles River. You'll also find high-end suites to accommodate larger families, including the Dean's Suite, Presidential Suite, and Chancellor's Suite.

The Verb Hotel

Address: 1271 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215 Phone: (617) 566-4500 Book Now

A boutique, three-star hotel near Fenway Park known for keeping the spirit of rock music alive, The Verb Hotel features eclectic music-inspired decor and vibrant colors. The vibe in the rooms and common spaces is very retro-chic, and the hotel has an outdoor pool and lively pool deck. You can also dine on-site at The Verb's sushi restaurant, Hojoko.

907 Main Hotel

Address: 907 Main Street, Boston, MA 02139 Phone: (617) 354-9907 Book Now

A boutique hotel in Cambridge, 907 Main Hotel just opened in fall 2020 as a city venture by independent New Hampshire hotel company Hay Creek Hotels. In the buzzing Central Square, 907 is minimalist and cozy with a rooftop bar (the only rooftop bar in Central Square, in fact). And it's close to both Harvard University and MIT.

The Newbury Boston Hotel

Address: 1 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116 Phone: (617) 536-5700 Book Now

The Newbury Boston Hotel opens in spring 2021 and will sit at the intersection of Newbury and Arlington streets. Formerly the Taj Boston Hotel, this iconic property at 1 Newbury Street was originally a Ritz-Carlton when it opened in the 1920s. Located in the Back Bay, one of the famously high-end neighborhoods of Boston, The Newbury is walking distance to the Boston Public Garden and a myriad of other Boston attractions.

Best Restaurants

Neptune oyster.

Address: 63 Salem Street #1, Boston, MA 02113 Phone: (617) 742-3474 Website

An iconic North End seafood restaurant, Neptune Oyster serves great lobster rolls and the freshest of fish. But most patrons come for the oysters, as Neptune features eight or nine varieties, as well as for the clams, which are served fried or on the half shell. You'll have to navigate the mad scramble for the coveted seats at the counter, or wait a while for a table in this intimate but lively space, but it's worth it either way.

Oleana Restaurant

Address: 134 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 Phone: (617) 661-0505 Website

Oleana Restaurant is a signature Cambridge restaurant featuring outstanding Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine, and an imaginative mix of small plates with bold flavors. A popular place that generally requires reservations, you'll be exposed to a creative use of spice blends, delicious leafy vegetables, and a classic cassoulet .

The Boston Sail Loft

Address: 80 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02110 Phone: (617) 227-7280 Website

When you think of the Seaport District, your first thoughts may stray to tea being dumped in the harbor. But as more and more restaurants are calling this area home, visitors have flocked to the Seaport for a wide range of cuisines. The Boston Sail Loft, winner of multiple Best Clam Chowder in Boston awards, may be no-frills, but it certainly has a lot to offer, including their broiled fresh scrod that's sure to please.

Santarpio's Pizza

Address: 111 Chelsea Street, Boston, MA 02128 Phone: (617) 567-9871 Website

An East Boston landmark for more than 100 years, now with a location in Peabody, too, Santarpio's is in the Pizza Hall of Fame. Four generations of Santarpios have been assembling "upside-down" pizzas—toppings, cheese, and then sauce—on a thin crust that is unequivocally regarded as the best pizza in the city. It's hard to find, in the shadows of Logan Airport, but it's where discussions about great pizza begin and end.

Tatte Bakery & Cafe

Address: Multiple locations Website

It's not often that a bakery starts from one's home and in 14 short years expands to 18 brick-and-mortar bakeries, including two in Washington, D.C.. Nor is it easy for a bakery to be gluten-free, but Tatte's does have a "gluten-friendly" menu that's a big hit. While pastries and desserts are a big draw for patrons, Tatte's does have a dinner menu, an all-day menu, and a weekend brunch.

Christina's Homemade Ice Cream

Address: 1255 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 Phone: (617) 492-7021 Website

Featuring some of the area's finest homemade ice cream, this Cambridge institution has been hand-cranking out its product for almost 30 years. Conveniently located between Harvard and MIT, Christina's is known not only for its innovative and bold flavors, but for the sheer number of flavors that practically forces you to return multiple times. Thankfully, it's open seven days a week.

Address: 1 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116 Phone: (617) 412-4600 Website

Part of the Columbus Hospitality Group, operating seven restaurants and two hotels in the Boston area, Sorellina brings contemporary Italian-Mediterrranean cuisine to historic Copley Square. The extensive wine list is sure to impress, and their knowledgeable staff complement the "warm-modern design and chic decor" that brings loyal patrons back again and again.

Modern Pastry

Address: 257 Hanover Street, Boston, MA 02113 Phone: (617) 523-3783 Website

In the ongoing cannoli wars in the city's North End, Modern consistently earns top prize. A family-owned business dating back 90+ years, their hand-crafted pastries attract such a following that lines often snake out the door and around the corner. Want something other than a cannoli? Try their carrot cake, ricotta pie, or their delicate pizzelle.

Address: 9 East Street, Boston, MA 02111 Phone: (617) 654-9900 Website

Omakase, a form of Japanese dining where patrons leave themselves entirely in the hands of the chef, is elevated to art form at O Ya. If you don't wish to splurge on omakase, the sushi à la carte is exceptional, and there's a nice range of sakes available to complement the sushi.

Mamma Maria

Address: 3 N Square, Boston, MA 02113 Phone: (617) 523-0077 Website

Mamma Mia is a Boston institution, featuring regional Italian dishes that leverage the local markets, and the bountiful New England produce, meats, and seafood. Romantic, old-world, and authentic are some of the adjectives used to describe this intimate restaurant overlooking North Square, with its cobblestones and historic buildings that transport you back in time.

Address: 21 Bow Street, Somerville, MA 02143 Phone: (617) 616-5319 Website

Union Square in Somerville, just across the Charles River from Boston, is home to this gem of a restaurant, serving luscious Peruvian food. As you immerse yourself in Andean culture, you'll be guided through the staples of Peruvian cuisine, like slow-cooked stews and ceviches. The original "closed-door" in-home restaurant has now expanded to its current space, and integrates Andean music, art, and design for a full sensory experience.

Hei La Moon Restaurant

Address: 88 Beach Street, Boston, MA 02111 Phone: (617) 338-8813 Website

Situated on the outskirts of Chinatown, Hei La Moon has a huge space and a menu to match. It's a great spot for dim sum, available seven days a week, with authentic Chinese food items ranging from shark fin dumplings to fried taro cake.

Alive & Kicking Lobsters

Address: 269 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139 Phone: (617) 876-0451 Website

Lobster rolls, with a twist. Perfectly seasoned lobster meat, salt, pepper, minimal mayo, layered not on a hot dog bun, but two beautifully buttered and toasted pieces of scali bread is what you'll find at Alive & Kicking Lobsters. It's an actual lobster sandwich, that you can take outside and eat, sitting at their picnic tables of this unassuming Cambridge shop. It's definitely worth crossing over the Boston bridges for this tasty treat.

Things to Do

Fenway park.

Address: 4 Jersey Street, Boston, MA 02215 Phone: (877) 733-7699 Website

Visiting Fenway Park is a rite-of-passage activity, because one of the best things to do in Boston is drink beer on the third baseline at a Red Sox game. Opening day at Fenway tends to fall in April, and baseball season—if the Sox make the playoffs—will run into October. Whether you're in Boston on a summer day, or you have to bundle up for a game in late September, it's always worth it to catch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.

The Freedom Trail

Violet Smirnova/Travel + Leisure

Address: 204 Freedom Trail, Boston, MA Website

Walk the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail as a self-guided tour. It starts at Boston Common and passes 16 important Boston landmarks, including Old North Church and Paul Revere's house. The Freedom Trail organization also offers guided tours, homing in on specific subject matters, from Boston breweries to revolutionary women.

Quincy Market

Address: 206 S Market Street, Boston, MA 02109 Website

Historic Quincy Market, which opened in 1826, is a Boston food hall that first-time visitors won't want to miss. Grab a steaming chowder in a bread bowl from Boston Chowder Co., or an ice cream cone at Quincy's Place. You'll also love shopping at the adjacent North Market, where you'll find local retailers, like Boston Pewter Co., and a myriad of souvenir shops.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Address: 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115 Phone: (617) 566-1401 Website

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is regarded as one of the most beautiful museums in the country, not just because of the art, but thanks to the opulent courtyard garden. The idyllic courtyard blooms year round, featuring hydrangeas in May and June, bellflowers in August and September, and even winter tropical plants in January. Art lovers will also enjoy the contemporary selection juxtaposed with iconic pieces by Rembrandt, and of course, an ever-relevant rotation of new exhibits.

Museum of Fine Arts

Address: 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 Phone: (617) 267-9300 Website

One of the most recognizable museums in the world, the MFA hosts exceptional traveling exhibitions—including impressionist exhibitions featuring the memorable works of Monet and Cezanne. They also have long-standing collections that delve into contemporary art and a stunning repertoire of global work.

Boston Common

Address: 139 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02111 Website

Boston Common is the start of the Freedom Trail, but it's also just a beautiful place to sprawl out for the day in the summer or fall. On Boston Common, you'll find Frog Pond, a picturesque pool in the warmer months and a delightful skating rink in the winter. The park dates back to 1634 and is considered America's oldest park.

Boston Public Garden

Address: 4 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02111 Website

Next to Boston Common is Boston Public Garden, another prime place to relax on a Saturday in Boston. The artfully landscaped gardens are home to iconic artwork, like the Make Way for Ducklings statues. The garden's centrally located pond is where you'll find the famous Swan Boats for a quintessentially romantic Boston experience.

Address: 100 Legends Way, Boston, MA 02114 Phone: (617) 624-1000 Website

TD Garden is where the Celtics and the Bruins play, which means you have the chance to catch a basketball or hockey game while staying in the heart of the city. (In fact, a big perk of Boston is that three of their four major sports teams play in Boston proper.) Catch the Bruins from October to April (or even May if they make the playoffs) and the Celtics on a similar timeline.

House of Blues

Address: 15 Lansdowne Street, Boston, MA 02215 Website

Certainly the most iconic music venue in Boston, the House of Blues on Lansdowne Street is where you can find A-list musical talent. You'll want to scour Ticketmaster in advance of your trip to see if there are any good shows when you're visiting.

Boston Sailing Center

Address: 54 Lewis Wharf, Boston, MA 02210 Phone: (617) 227-4198 Website

Sailing in Boston Harbor is a delightful way to see the city in the summertime. If you're a proficient sailor, you can rent a boat at Boston Sailing Center, but you can also go out with an instructor for a private sailing lesson.

Charles River Bike Path

There are ample biking and running trails in Boston, including the Minuteman Bikeway, which runs from Cambridge all the way to Bedford, Massachusetts, and Cambridge's Fresh Pond. But one of the best Boston paths is the 24-mile Charles River Bike Path, which runs along both the Boston and Cambridge sides of the river passing landmarks from Boston's Museum of Science to Watertown Square, just outside the city.

Trillium Brewing Company

Fancy an outdoor craft beer? Trillium Brewing Company has three prime locations in Boston, one in Fenway with indoor and outdoor space, one near the Seaport district which boasts a great restaurant, and a lively seasonal beer garden near the waterfront.

Best Shopping

Newberry street.

Newbury Street is the most luxurious shopping street in Boston whether you're ready to buy one-of-a-kind pieces at high-end boutiques or you're more of a window shopper. Highlights include Bobbles & Lace for women's clothing and Rothy's Newbury Street for the cult-shoe enthusiasts.

SoWa Vintage Market

Address: 450 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118 Website

The South End is known for SoWa Vintage Market, which is quite a trendy shopping scene. You'll find vintage apparel, furniture, a slew of gorgeous old leather goods, and of course, vinyl records galore.

Address: 98 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114 Phone: (617) 722-9200 Website

For those who love a luxurious independent boutique in a charming neighborhood, look no further than Good on Charles Street. You'll find elevated New England home goods, jewelry, and accessories, not to mention a well-curated selection of vintage.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

Address: 4 S Market Street, Boston, MA 02109 Website

The Faneuil Hall Marketplace is a shopping epicenter of Boston, situated right in front of Quincy Market and adjacent to North Market and South Market. Faneuil Hall Marketplace is where you'll find everything from souvenir shops to New England home goods to favorite, fashion-forward chain stores. Think of Quincy Market, North Market, South Market, and Faneuil Hall as one expansive shopping area, where you'll find great food, plenty of shopping, and a hefty dose of American history.

The Shops at Prudential Center

Address: 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02199 Phone: (617) 236-3100 Website

Have you ever wondered what's actually in the Prudential Center? Well, there's quite a lot going on at the Pru, but many see it as a shopping capital of Boston. With more than 75 stores, including essentials like Saks Fifth Avenue and Canada Goose, and a number of restaurants, it's a lovely place to spend an afternoon on a cold day.

Brattle Book Shop

Address: 9 West Street, Boston, MA 02111 Phone: (617) 542-0210 Website

One of Boston's famous independent book stores is Brattle Book Shop, right off Tremont Street near Boston Common. First opened in 1825, it's "one of America's oldest and largest antiquarian book shops."

Boston Public Market

Address: 100 Hanover Street, Boston, MA 02113 Website

Boston Public Market, near the Haymarket metro station and Quincy Market, is a popular indoor food market open year-round. It feels like a gourmet indoor farmer's market, where you'll find artisanal, locally sourced goods and delicious prepared foods.

Formaggio Kitchen

Address: 268 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, MA 02118 Phone: (617) 350-6996 Website

For the passionate foodie, Formaggio's Kitchen is a culinary institution with a truly revelatory cheese selection. They started out in Cambridge (where they have two locations), and have now expanded to a Boston location in the South End on Shawmut Avenue—and have even set up a shop in New York City.

Copley Place

Address: 100 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116 Phone: (617) 262-6600 Website

Copley Place, in the Back Bay, is a prime shopping area for legacy brands. The enclosed shopping center has more than 50 high-end boutiques, including coveted names like Louis Vuitton and Burberry.

December Thieves

Address: 51 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114 Phone: (857) 239-9149 Website

Venture to the chic enclave of Beacon Hill—which some might think of as a more intimate version of the Back Bay—and you'll find December Thieves, which offers a "curious and cultivated" selection of clothing, accessories, and home goods. The Beacon Hill boutique fuses luxury comfort, high-fashion, and academia.

Neighborhoods to Know

Back Bay: Often regarded as the ritziest neighborhood in Boston, Back Bay is home to Newbury Street, Copley Square, and the Prudential Center. Come for the classic Boston attractions, stay for the luxury, brick-facade row houses.

Cambridge: Cambridge sits directly across from Boston, with the Charles River separating the two. Cambridge is, of course, home to Harvard University and MIT. Think of it this way: Boston is to Manhattan as Cambridge is to Brooklyn. Known for more than just the ivy leagues, visitors will love poking around Harvard Square during the day, grabbing a cup of coffee from the Peet's featured in Good Will Hunting and picking out a book at The Coop, and checking out the lively scene in Central Square at night.

South End: Tucked just beyond Back Bay and Fenway/Kenmore, the South End is known for its Victorian-style row houses. It's a low-key neighborhood with residential charm, but still offers local shopping and trendy eateries.

North End: The North End is right by the water, across from East Boston, and a short walk from Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. It's the hub of Italian culture in Boston—often called Boston's Little Italy—and is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Boston, home to landmarks like Old North Church and Paul Revere's house.

Seaport: Southeast of downtown, nestled by the Boston waterfront is the chic yet laid-back Seaport neighborhood. The Seaport is a charming area to simply walk along the water and fantasize about living in the high-rises overlooking the harbor.

Fenway/Kenmore: In terms of hanging out in the Room Where It Happens, Fenway/Kenmore tends to be the heart of the action, especially during baseball season. Fenway/Kenmore is home to Fenway Park, the House of Blues, pub-lined Landsdowne Street, and a slew of great restaurants. It's also where you'll find the famous Boston Latin Academy, and is adjacent to the Back Bay and close to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Winter : Expect up to nine days of rain or snow in the winter months, and temperatures dipping into the low 30s. Generally, December to February is cold and snowy—with quite a bit of slush. Spring : You'll still get about eight days of rain per month in the spring, but temperatures will start to rise by April to the mid 50s, and by May can get up to the high 60s. Summer : If you like a warm breeze on summer evenings, you'll love Boston in June, July, and August, when temperatures are in the high 70s and low 80s. Summer is extremely pleasant (and mild compared to the Southeast), though it does get a bit humid. Fall : September temperatures can still be in the 70s during the day, but by October, you can feel dips into the 40s at night. Nonetheless, fall brings mild temperatures and lovely foliage.

The following are average Fahrenheit lows and highs by month. Average annual precipitation 21.14 inches.

January 23 - 37 February 24 - 38 March 31 - 45 April 41 - 56 May 50 - 66 June 59 - 76 July 66 - 82 August 65 - 80 September 58 - 73 October 47 - 62 November 38 - 52 December 29 - 42

Apps to Download

MBTA : Bus, metro, and commuter rail schedules iOS | Android

ParkBoston : A preferred way to pay for parking in most Boston neighborhoods iOS | Android

Uber : Rideshare servicing Boston iOS | Android

Lyft : Rideshare servicing Boston iOS | Android

Boston   Travel Guide

30 Top-Rated Things to Do in Boston

As Massachusetts' capital and the birthplace of the American Revolution, there's no shortage of historical sites for travelers to explore within Boston's city limits (and beyond). There's even a Boston Tea Party Museum on the harbor

• All Things To Do
• 1-Day Itinerary
• 2-Day Itinerary
• 3-Day Itinerary

Freedom Trail Freedom Trail free

Stretching 2½ miles, the Freedom Trail weaves past 16 of the city's most historic sites, including Faneuil Hall Marketplace , the Paul Revere House and Old North Church . Taking in all of the trail's attractions requires at least half a day (and some comfortable walking shoes), but you can easily plot points of interest before you begin your jaunt from Boston Common .

Though most visitors agree the trail is easy to navigate on your own, some recommend a guided tour or downloading an app to tell you about the sites. (You'll find a handful of apps available for Apple and Android devices.) If you have a Go Boston Card, standard guided tours given by the Freedom Trail Foundation are covered by your pass.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Quincy Market Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Quincy Market free

U.S. News Insider Tip: Every Friday and Saturday, Haymarket (one America's oldest open-air markets) pops up adjacent to Faneuil Hall. In order to navigate this often-chaotic scene successfully make sure to bring small bills, leave bulky bags at the hotel and keep it moving on the sidewalk. - Jill LeGrow

Four buildings – Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, North Market and South Market – constitute Faneuil Hall Marketplace, with the oldest being Faneuil Hall. Built in 1742 and now a stop on the Freedom Trail , Faneuil Hall has had a long and important history in Massachusetts politics. Samuel Adams once stood here to push for resistance against the British, and abolitionists and suffragists have stood on their soapboxes here. In fact, this is where colonists famously challenged the Stamp Act of 1764 by proclaiming, "no taxation without representation." From those illustrious days, the marketplace has expanded to include more than 100 shops and restaurants.

Boston Public Garden Boston Public Garden free

Though the Boston Public Garden sits right next to Boston Common , the two are quite different. The public garden is newer (established in 1837) and holds the distinction of being America's first public botanical garden. Flowers and trees are beautifully organized and kept in quality condition throughout. You can see the colorful arrangements and exotic trees from the 6-acre pond as you glide along the water in a Swan Boat. Additionally, the park houses two of Boston's most iconic statues: Make Way for Ducklings (a bronze sculpture of a duck and her eight ducklings) and a sculpture of George Washington (which shows America's first president riding on a horse).

Visitors looking to relax after sightseeing will enjoy the Boston Public Garden. Parkgoers say you'll find plenty of shade beneath the park's trees, which comes in handy on hot summer days. Plus, you'll likely spot some ducks and geese swimming around the lagoon. And if you have a few dollars, visitors recommend taking a 15-minute ride on a Swan Boat. The large paddle boats cost $4.50 to ride (or $3 for kids ages 2 to 15 and $4 for seniors); travelers with Go Boston Cards ride for free. Swan Boats are usually available between mid-April and Labor Day.

Popular Tours

Martha's Vineyard Daytrip from Boston with Round-Trip Ferry & Island Tour Option

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from $ 119.00

Boston Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour with 14 Stops

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from $ 42.00

Freedom Trail: Small Group Tour of Revolutionary Boston

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North End North End free

Chances are you'll end up in the North End at least once during your visit to Boston. It's steeped in the city's rich history as it holds the title of Boston's oldest neighborhood and houses three attractions on the Freedom Trail . What makes this neighborhood a top point of interest, however, is its Italian culture: The North End is considered Boston's Little Italy.

While Italians weren't the first to settle in this area (English settlers arrived first then European Jews, African Americans and Irish immigrants), their cultural influence on the North End withstood the test of time. Today, you'll find all kinds of Italian food from classic pizza pies served at the popular Regina Pizzeria to Sicilian-style seafood, such as black linguine (made with squid ink) and calamari meatballs at The Daily Catch . For dinner, try Mamma Maria for fine dining, Giacomo's for its affordable, made-in-house pasta or Bricco , which sources its meats and bread from its own meat and bread shop, located right next door. If you’re only interested in pizza, hit up Galleria Umberto for delectable solo slices or Antico Forno for its full-size, wood-fired pies. Prezza is known for its extensive wine list, boasting hundreds of wine labels to choose from. For dessert, make sure to pick up a cannoli at Mike's Pastry or Modern Pastry , or tiramisu at the 24-hour Bova's Bakery .

Museum of Fine Arts Museum of Fine Arts

If you want to make the most out of the Museum of Fine Arts, one of the most comprehensive art institutions in the country, then you'll need to spend a good chunk of your day here. The museum is home to one of the best art collections in the world, including the celebrated Art of the Americas wing. Inside this sprawling collection, you'll encounter galleries showcasing iconic pieces from indigenous cultures in North, South and Central America to works by contemporary artists like Edward Hopper.

You'll also find an impressive collection of Asian art here, plus works from Monet, Renoir, Manet and Rembrandt on display. And in special temporary exhibits, you can admire masterpieces from Black artists like Diedrick Brackens and Picasso, among others.

Boston Common Boston Common free

The grounds of Boston Common started as a cow pasture in the mid-1600s. It was also used for Puritan punishments, like whipping, and even for hangings. In 1768, the area was transformed into a British camp. After the Revolutionary War, the park became a popular locale for public speeches and rallies. Now, the Common is best known because of its status as the oldest public park in the country. You'll also find a variety of activities and events – including theater and musical performances and free fitness classes – hosted here throughout the year. If you plan to traverse the Freedom Trail , you'll start the walk here at Boston Common.

Though some visitors say you won't find much to do in this park, Boston Common is great for picnics or a leisurely stroll. Travelers also mention that this site is a wonderful spot to take young children. In addition to ample running room on the park's green space, kids can play at the Tadpole Playground or Frog Pond. Frog Pond offers a spray pool during the warmer months and an ice skating rink in the winter. Some visitors do note that the park tends to draw Boston's homeless population, particularly at night.

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Fenway Park Fenway Park

U.S. News Insider Tip: If you want to watch a Sox game without a ticket, head to the Bleacher Bar on Lansdowne Street. Located beneath the bleachers of Fenway, the best tables are positioned directly in front of the huge garage window that overlook centerfield. – Jill LeGrow

Fans of America's favorite pastime won't want to miss a game at Fenway Park. Home to the Boston Red Sox, this stadium has been the site of home runs, stolen bases and grounders since 1912. Regardless of whether or not you're a diehard Red Sox fan, you should try to catch a game and admire the ballpark's original architecture. Must-see features of the park include Pesky's Pole – the right field foul pole named after former Red Sox player Johnny Pesky – and the 37-foot-tall "Green Monster" wall in left field.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

After Isabella Stewart Gardner's husband died in 1898, the art enthusiast carried out their plan to buy land in Boston's Fenway area and open a museum to display her impressive collection of Italian art. The museum, which was fashioned after the Palazzo Barbaro in Venice , was completed in 1901, at which point Gardner moved in to the fourth floor and began installing her collection. Today, you can visit this Boston museum to get your fill of the Italian masters, such as Raphael and Titian. The building also showcases a cache of beautiful furniture, photographs, sculpture and rare books straight from Europe. The museum's New Wing, designed by Renzo Piano, includes a glass atrium, greenhouses and landscaped gardens.

The art isn't the only interesting thing here: the museum is also the site of the single largest property theft on Earth. In the wee hours of March 18, 1990, two thieves made their way into the museum disguised as police. The duo stole 13 works, including pieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet. Today, the museum has empty frames on the walls as placeholders until the art returns to the museum. As you may have guessed, the crime has not been solved and the works haven't been recovered. The museum is even offering a sizable reward ($10 million) for information leading to the art. 

Boston Duck Boat Sightseeing City Tour with Cruise Along Charles River

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Boston Public Library Boston Public Library free

A library isn't always all about books. The main branch of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, which opened in 1895, is so much more, according to recent visitors who call the architecture "beautiful" and a “must-see.” Walking into the Renaissance Revival building is akin to visiting a museum. On Dartmouth Street, two immense stone lions sculpted by Louis Saint-Gaudens stand guard by the main entrance. Inside, Bates Hall, the library's main reference reading room, is a 218-foot-long room with a barrel-arch ceiling soaring 50 feet high.

Visitors can take a free tour and learn all about the murals found throughout the library, including John Singer Sargent's series on the "Triumph of Religion." Other murals include works by French artist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, who depicted eight library-centric disciplines in "The Muses of Inspiration," and Edwin Austin Abbey's "The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail."

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

A must for any history buffs or fans of our nation's 35th president, this excellent library and museum details the life of President John F. Kennedy. Exhibits include his presidential papers; masses of Kennedy memorabilia, including re-creations of his desk in the Oval Office and of the television studio in which he debated Richard M. Nixon in the 1960 election; and artifacts from the U.S. space program. There's permanent display on the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis plus plenty of other artifacts and information about Kennedy's life and presidency. The building itself is quite striking and was designed by architect I. M. Pei.

Museumgoers say that while the museum is off the beaten path (it sits about 5 miles south of downtown on Columbia Point), it is well worth the trek thanks to the exhibits and staff. However, some wish the exhibits had a more detailed explanation of Kennedy and events during his life. The views from the museum are amazing, add some visitors.

Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park

If you want to get outdoors in the greater Boston area, consider hopping a ferry (which operates from mid-May through mid-October) to the Boston Harbor Islands. This collection of 34 islands located in the Massachusetts Bay boasts plenty of things to do and see including historic sites, hiking trails, beaches, wildlife and much more. Popular islands include Spectacle, Georges and Peddocks, though ferries also go to Lovells, Grape, Bumpkin and Thompson.

The 114-acre Spectacle Island is a great option for those looking to hike. Here, you'll find 5 miles of trails, including one which leads to the harbor's highest hill, offering incredible views of Boston's skyline. If you’re looking for a place where you can sink your toes into the sand, head to Lovells Island. Here, you’ll find secluded shorelines as well as tide pools (when it's low tide, a whopping 71 acres are added to the island's land mass). Meanwhile, history lovers will enjoy a trip to Georges Island. Georges Island is home to Fort Warren, which the U.S. government used for patrolling and training Union troops as well as housing Confederate prisoners during Civil War times. Peddocks Island, one of the largest of the Boston Harbor Islands, offers a little bit of everything. This island is considered a prime camping spot and features scenic hiking trails that pass through coastal forests, headlands connected by tombolos and the biggest beach of any island. You'll also find a little bit of history thanks to Fort Andrews and a restored chapel from World War II.

Newbury Street Newbury Street free

Located in the Back Bay along eight blocks between Massachusetts Avenue and Arlington Street, Newbury Street is home to gorgeous 19th century brownstones. It's also Boston's premiere destination for dining and shopping. Newbury Street has been called one of the most expensive streets in the world, thanks in large part to the significant cluster of expensive shops on the lower end (by numbered address) nearest Arlington Street.

Starting at the higher end, by Massachusetts Avenue, you'll find more budget-friendly retailers like TJ Maxx and Forever 21, as well longtime local favorites Newbury Comics and Trident Booksellers. In fact, Newbury Comics' opening in 1978 was the catalyst that began the transformation of Newbury Street from a heavily upper-class retail destination to a hipper, trendier spot for everyone.

Samuel Adams Brewery Samuel Adams Brewery

Despite its location outside of city center, visiting the Samuel Adams Brewery is a popular stop for beer lovers. This brewery location acts as Samuel Adams' testing facility for new and specialty brews, which patrons can try. You can also take a guided tour of the facility to learn more about the brewing process.

Whether you're a local or a tourist, odds are you'll enjoy a visit to this brewery. Visitors say the staff is knowledgeable, but note there can be long entry lines.

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Cambridge Cambridge free

Cambridge, which sits about 3 miles northwest of Boston's city center, is home to both Harvard University and MIT , but there's more to see in Cambridge than just the schools themselves. The city features an impressive array of cultural institutions that feature collections and exhibitions ranging from fine art to technological innovations.

The Harvard Art Museums , which include the Fogg Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum and Arthur M. Sackler Museum, house a wide range of periods, styles and mediums within its walls. Here, you’ll find a mix of modern photography, 13th century sculpture, paintings from legends like Georgia O’Keeffe, Picasso and Jackson Pollock, and much more. If you prefer history, head to the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology , which boasts exhibits exploring everything from ancient Latin American cultures to the evolution of American eating habits and tableware to the lives of Native Americans. If science is more your speed, head to the Harvard Museum of Natural History to view dinosaur fossils, rare minerals and animal specimens from New England to Asia.

Beacon Hill Beacon Hill free

Beacon Hill is arguably Boston's most beautiful neighborhood. Located north of Boston Common , Beacon Hill is awash with quaint, cobblestone-lined alleyways, corners dotted with gas street lamps, stately townhouses affixed with bay view windows and vibrant, flower-filled window boxes. It's Beacon Hill's incredible style, a stunning mix of Federal and Greek revival architecture, that make this neighborhood an attraction in and of itself. And recent visitors couldn't agree more.

Travelers who venture to Beacon Hill are charmed by its beauty and say that it's the perfect place to take a long stroll and wander around. While here, make sure to make your way to noteworthy spots including the picturesque Louisburg Square and Acorn Street, the latter of which is one of the most photographed places in Boston. After, head down Charles Street, where you'll find restaurants, shops and bars. Fans of the TV show "Cheers" will want to walk down Beacon Street to find the bar that inspired the program.

Old North Church Old North Church

Most people who know anything about American history have heard of Paul Revere's famous midnight ride, when he rode through town to warn people about the arrival of British troops. Before heading off to Lexington, Revere gave orders at Old North Church. Robert Newman – the church's sexton – and Captain John Pulling Jr. – the church's vestryman – then climbed the steeple and held two lanterns as a signal that the British were indeed coming, but by sea.

The church itself, which is officially named Christ Church, is filled with beautiful relics from the past, including North America's oldest set of change ringing bells and chandeliers brought in from England in the early 1700s. The pews have a long history as well; Pew No. 54 was reserved for Paul Revere's son.

Boston Children's Museum Boston Children's Museum

With a giant milk bottle structure at the front of the building, it's hard to miss the Boston Children's Museum. Here, hands-on exhibits present a fun and engaging way for kids to learn about various sciences, culture, art and health and wellness, among other subjects. Among the museum's standout exhibits are "Construction Zone," where little ones can learn about and play with kid-sized construction equipment, "The Common," where kids play with color, games and music, and "Japanese House" – a 100-year-old authentic Japanese house reconstructed in Boston by Japanese carpenters.

Museumgoers praise the variety of engaging exhibits tailored to kids within different age groups and can't recommend it enough. Others warn the museum gets crowded, especially in the summer.

Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway free

Boston is packed with cool outdoor spaces, but this nearly 1½-mile-long series of parks and gardens offers more than most. The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway was established to link Boston's diverse neighborhoods through a series of lawns, parks and walkways that occupy a former highway tunnel. Since opening in 2008, visitors have flocked to this sprawling green space to enjoy temporary public art displays, bubbling fountains, numerous food vendors and a carousel. Plus, the park offers free weekly events, including food and art festivals, summer concert performances and seasonal fitness classes.

Many previous visitors said the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway not only offers a much-needed respite from the city, but also an easy way to explore Boston with kids during the warmer months. And, in many sections of the Greenway, you're never more than a few steps away from the Freedom Trail .

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Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

This hands-on museum offers an entertaining look at one of Boston's pivotal moments. You can toss (fake) tea overboard, climb around replica ships and converse with period actors about Colonial issues. Exhibits at the museum, which is located on Griffin's Wharf (close to where the actual Tea Party occurred on Dec. 16, 1773) include 3D holograms, talking portraits and the Robinson Tea Chest, an authentic tea chest from the Boston Tea Party. Two of the three ships have been recreated, the Beaver and the Eleanor, which are fun to explore. The film "Let It Begin Here" depicts the events that immediately preceded the American Revolution. You can also grab a cup of tea or a snack in Abigail's Tea Room, which has one of the best views of the harbor around.

Visitors love the interactive nature of the museum and tossing tea overboard, saying their time there was entertaining for all ages. They also add that the guides are informative and stay in character.

Museum of Science Museum of Science

If you're traveling with young ones in tow, be sure to swing by the Museum of Science. Here, kids can learn about astronomy, earth sciences and anatomy, not to mention participate in some fun interactive exhibits. Budding scientists can examine the Arctic in "Arctic Adventure: Exploring with Technology" exhibit or play on swings to learn about physics in "Science in the Park." The museum also features the Charles Hayden Planetarium, where you can indulge your inner astronaut during shows. Meanwhile, at the Mugar Omni Theater, you'll feel like you're actually in the IMAX film thanks to its cutting-edge sound technology and five-story-high projection screen.

Although the museum is very kid-focused, past visitors said that young-at-heart adults and even teens will get a kick out of the museum's engaging displays and shows. Though most travelers spend about half a day exploring the museum, you could easily allocate an entire day to this attraction. Also, remember that separate tickets (which cost extra) are needed for some museum features, such as IMAX films, planetarium shows and the Garden Walk and Insect Zoo.

Boston Duck Tours Boston Duck Tours

Wander Boston for a couple of hours and you're sure to see a Duck Tour quacking its way through the streets (and waterways). These "Truck Duck" vehicles recreate the look of a DUKW truck used by the U.S. military during World War II and transport tourists all over the city by land and water. The tours drive past a number of landmark sites including the Old State House, Newbury Street , Prudential Tower, Public Garden and the Swan Boats, and Copley Square (home to the Boston Public Library ). Once launched into the water, you'll cruise down the Charles River checking out MIT, the Longfellow Bridge, as well as the Esplanade and the Hatch Shell. 

Besides giving tours around the city, Boston Duck Tour boats have been used in all of the victory parades since 2002 for the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins (the city's major teams for football, baseball, basketball and hockey, respectively). What started off simply as a way to roll the Patriots through downtown Boston for a Superbowl celebration has turned into a much-loved tradition that continues today.

Boston Symphony Orchestra Boston Symphony Orchestra

Even if you're not a classical music aficionado, you can't miss attending one of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's world-renowned performances at Symphony Hall. The BSO began performing in 1881. Today, the symphony performs everything from family shows to traditional concerts and Boston Pops – a lively performance filled with singing and a variety of music. The BSO performs at Symphony Hall from September through April, then heads to Tanglewood (which is about 130 miles west of Boston) in the summer.

Past spectators not only praised the world-class talent, but also noted the impressive acoustics of Symphony Hall as a main selling point for attending future concerts. If you can't score tickets to an orchestra performance, consider taking a free tour of Symphony Hall. Tours, which are offered in the fall, winter and spring, provide information about the property, as well as insight into the orchestra's musicians and conductors.

New England Holocaust Memorial New England Holocaust Memorial free

Gaze up at the six 54-foot glass towers that comprise the New England Holocaust Memorial, and you're bound to be awestruck. Dedicated in 1995, each haunting tower is etched with numbers. The 6 million numbers represent the Holocaust's victims, while the towers represent the six major death camps. There is also a granite path covered in quotes from survivors that leads visitors inside the towers.

Recent visitors described walking through the columns as an emotionally charged and unforgettable experience. The monument's location next to Faneuil Hall Marketplace makes it very accessible while walking the Freedom Trail .

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Paul Revere House Paul Revere House

For a glimpse of what life was like in the late 1700s, head to Paul Revere's former residence in the North End . The house, which is situated on the Freedom Trail , offers insight into how homes looked in Revere's time (it's even filled with period pieces, including fine silver). Inside, history fans can admire the building's sweeping beams, spacious fireplaces and some original furnishings owned by the Revere family.

If you like American history, travelers say you'll enjoy seeing the Paul Revere House. This house is small, though, so don't allot more than an hour to tour the property. Docents are friendly and knowledgeable.

Massachusetts State House Massachusetts State House free

The golden-domed Massachusetts State House is an important building for many reasons and is one of the stops on the Freedom Trail . The land it sits on was originally used as John Hancock’s cow pasture. It was designed by Charles Bulfinch and completed in 1798 and the cornerstone was laid by Samuel Adams in 1795. A copper dome was installed by Paul Revere in 1802 (later covered in gold). Nowadays, senators, state representatives and the governor conduct the Commonwealth's business here.

Free tours are offered by docents who explain the building's history and discuss the important art and architecture within. Make sure to look for the Sacred Cod in the House of Representatives Chamber. The almost 5-foot wooden cod symbolizes the importance of the salt cod industry to the area.

New England Aquarium New England Aquarium

Your kids will find plenty to love at the New England Aquarium, starting with the Atlantic harbor seals that hang out just beyond the ticket booth. Inside, you'll find thousands of marine critters to study, and at the center: the Giant Ocean Tank. This four-story tank includes a coral reef habitat that houses more than 1,000 underwater creatures including green sea turtles, eels and barracuda. In other parts of the aquarium, you'll find exhibits dedicated to penguins, sea jellies and seadragons, plus a six-story high projection movie screen with digital surround sound, where you can watch films about sea creatures and more. And don't forget to check out the Shark and Ray Touch Tank, which allows visitors to graze sharks and rays as they swim by.

While some visitors bemoan the aquarium's compact size (which, in turn, made for thick crowds), many appreciate the attraction's variety of animals. Several travelers also recommend watching a penguin or seal feeding.

USS Constitution USS Constitution free

U.S. News Insider Tip: Every July 4th, the USS Constitution takes her annual "turnaround" sail in Boston Harbor. The particular sail is the only one open to the public and the US Navy holds a lottery with the lucky winners getting to board "Old Ironsides." – Jill LeGrow

History lovers, boat enthusiasts and military aficionados alike can't miss the chance to board the USS Constitution. Docked at the Boston National Historical Park in Charlestown, this historic vessel is the world's oldest commissioned warship still operational today. It is helmed by United States Navy sailors, who also serve as the ship's guides. The ship's accompanying museums displays nearly 2,000 artifacts related to the ship's history.

Bunker Hill Monument Bunker Hill Monument free

Bunker Hill Monument is part of the Boston National Historical Park and a stop on the Freedom Trail . The first major battle of the American Revolution took place on Breed's Hill in June 1775, though originally it was supposed to take place on nearby Bunker Hill. Names aside, the British won the battle but fared worse than their American foes. The British sacrificed about nearly half of their 2,400 men; American casualties were between 300 and 500 out of an army of 1,400 to 1,800 soldiers. Construction of the monument started in 1827 and was completed in 1842. The 221-foot granite obelisk offers fabulous views from its observatory, though you have to work for it by climbing 294 steps to the top.

Start your visit at the Bunker Hill Museum, located across the street. Exhibits explain the Battle of Bunker Hill, the construction of the monument, and the history of Charlestown. Free tickets are required to climb the monument and you can also pick them up at the museum. Visitors enjoy the museum and say the monument is awe-inspiring and the grounds beautiful.

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View Boston View Boston

U.S. News Insider Tip: To save some cash on your sightseeing, pick up a Boston CityPass which allows you to visit up to four attractions (such as the Museum of Science , New England Aquarium , Boston Harbor City Cruise and View Boston) for one discounted price. – Jill LeGrow

Replacing the iconic Top of the Hub restaurant and Skywalk Observatory that closed in 2020, View Boston opened in June 2023 to offer 360 panoramic views of Boston from atop the 52nd floor of the Prudential Center. Taking over the top three floors of the Prudential Center, View Boston includes an observatory, a wraparound roof deck and indoor/outdoor cocktail bar called Stratus, and a floor with interactive exhibits such as a projection-mapped 3D model of Boston. There's also Beacon, a bistro offering seasonal beverages and food.

The Mapparium The Mapparium

Located at the Mary Baker Eddy Library, this three-story, stained glass globe never fails to elicit wonder. Designed by the architect of the Christian Science Publishing Society building, Chester Lindsay Churchill, the globe depicts the world as it was in 1935.

The "How Do You See the World" experience includes the globe; the "Our World: Mapping Progress," which highlights humanity's achievements since 1935; and "Points of Progress," where you can learn about significant events in human rights, scientific advances, exploration, and other fields. A 10-minute audio narration features clips from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jane Goodall, Wangari Maathai (a Kenyan Nobel laureate) and others. One of the coolest features of the globe is that it is a "whispering gallery." Stand at one end of the gallery while a friend stands at the other. Whisper something to them and they will be the only one to hear it.

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There’s nothing like the Boston Marathon. See how the day unfolded.

When the sun is shining and the spectators are out, the experience of running 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boylston Street cannot be matched.

We say it every year, but: There’s nothing like the Boston Marathon.

Monday marked the 128th edition of the fabled race. From the moment the athletes set off, it was an electrifying day on the course. On the professional side, Sisay Lemma won his first Boston; Hellen Obiri defended her 2023 crown.

The weather threw a wrench into the plans of many participants. Temperatures topped out in the mid-60s, prompting a number of scratches and heat-exhaustion injuries along the course.

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The Globe provided coverage throughout the day. Here’s how Marathon Monday unfolded.

See the full results of Monday’s race here.

2024 Boston Marathon: Elite race results

• Sisay Lemma , a 33-year-old from Ethiopia, led nearly wire-to-wire to win the men’s elite race. He prevented Evans Chebet from becoming the first man to win three consecutive Marathons in a row since 2008. Read more here.
• Hellen Obiri won her second straight Boston Marathon. She is the sixth woman to win back-to-back titles and the first since Catherine Ndereba in 2005. Read more here.
• Switzerland’s Marcel Hug broke the course record en route to a seventh men’s wheelchair title in Boston. His time of 1 hour, 15 minutes, 33 seconds beat the record he set last year. Read more here.
• Great Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper won the women’s wheelchair title with a time of 1:35:11. The 22-year-old is the first British woman to win Boston in either the open or wheelchair divisions. Read more here.
• See how the elite races unfolded, mile-by-mile .

Stories you may have missed from Marathon Monday

• In Wellesley, Marathon runners get kisses: ‘I’m not technically in a relationship right now’
• On her birthday, Sara Hall turned energy from the crowd into a 15th place finish
• CJ Albertson finishes as top American man with a little help from chicken coop technology
• For the second year, Bruins great Zdeno Chara completes the Marathon: ‘It’s the best marathon in the world’
• Former champ Des Linden ran Boston without the ‘pressure or expectations.’ She had a ball.
• After 37 years running at night, race director Dave McGillivray rejoins the fray
• Meb, the 2014 Boston Marathon winner, finishes his ‘victory lap’ for charity a decade later

2024 Boston Marathon: How it happened

Read all our Marathon stories

From world-famous elite runners to those supporting a worthy cause, tens of thousands of athletes from across the globe participated in the Boston Marathon this year, winding their way through the 26.2-mile course that runs from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.

Those who stood out in the packed field were a handful of notable names. The high-profile participants included previous champions, beloved sports stars, and recognizable faces from television. Meanwhile, former Patriots tight end and fan-favorite Rob Gronkowski was this year’s grand marshal.

Find out how notable runners, from Zdeno Chara to Des Linden, finished on Monday.

View from above: See how the Marathon looked from a blimp — 7:30 a.m.

Spectators spotted the Dick’s Sporting Goods blimp soaring across the city on Monday.

Ever wonder what the Boston Marathon looks like from a blimp? Dick’s shared photos with the Boston Globe. Take a look.

Here’s who won the para divisions on Monday — 7:00 p.m.

In the past several years, the Boston Athletic Association has made an effort to expand and enhance participation by para athletes in its main events, including a boost in prize money.

On Monday, seven para divisions were included in the 128th Boston Marathon in addition to the wheelchair division races won by Marcel Hug and Eden Rainbow-Cooper .

The winners in each para division received $2,500. Here’s a breakdown by division:

T11/T12 (vision impairment): Men - Irwin Ramirez, 3:24:21; Women - Joyce Cron, 4:27:46

T13 (Vision impairment): Men - Andrew Thorsen, 3:02:23; Women - Lisa Thompson, 4:00:58

T45/T46 (upper-limb impairment): Men - Atsbha Gebremeskel, 2:54:14; Women - Adrienne Keane, 4:44:26

T61/T63/T43 (lower-limb impairment): Men - Adam Popp, 3:11:56; Women - Tatsiana Khvitso-Trimborn, 4:00:04

T62/T64; T42/T44 (lower-limb impairment): Men - Marko Cheseto Lemtukei, 2:46:45; Women - Kelly Bruno, 3:31:30

T35-T38 (coordination impairment): Men - Joseph Drake, 4:32:44; Women - Cristina Burbach, 3:41:17

T20 (intellectual impairment): Thomas Cantara, 2:35:23

Best of Boston? Without question, Patriots Day with the Marathon and Red Sox has a celebratory vibe no other city can match. — 6:00 p.m.

By Chad Finn, Globe columnist

We could, in theory, throw down the gauntlet, issue a formal challenge, dare any other city in North America to claim it has an annual celebration of region and sport as sublime as Patriots Day in Boston.

But c’mon. What would be the point? To humor, oh, Philadelphia?

You know the truth, I know the truth, the approximately 30,000 participants in the 128th Boston Marathon and the tens of thousands of fans cheering them on know the truth, and so do the thousands that made their way to Fenway Park for the Red Sox’ traditional 11:10 a.m. first pitch.

When the weather cooperates and the vibes are equally as warm, nothing anywhere else matches Patriots Day.

Read Finn’s full column here.

Once again, Henry Richard finishes the race in honor of his late brother — 5:30 p.m.

By Cam Kerry

Henry Richard couldn’t stop smiling when he got over the finish line.

Henry, the brother of the late Martin Richard, completed the course in 5:17:11, good for a 12:06 pace. It was the 22 year-old’s fifth running of Boston in honor of his brother, who was killed in the bombings 11 years ago.

“It’s such an amazing feeling to keep coming back, year after year,” said Henry. “Running alongside friends, family, and people who just want to honor the Martin Richard Foundation’s message, it’s just an incredible feeling to see that it’s not forgotten after 10 years. People still want to keep coming back to Boston, coming back to the Boston Marathon, and just running for Martin.”

Henry sported a bright yellow ‘MR8′ uniform surrounded by his family and friends; MR8 benefits the Martin Richard foundation. Crowds along the course provided the team a plethora of support.

“It’s incredible – sometimes I feel like I’m getting a little too much support and I want people to share the wealth,” said Henry. “The cheers for MR8 are just incredible and it’s what drives us to keep going forward. I had a tough day today and I don’t think I would have been able to do it without those cheers.”

Throughout his run, Henry saw many people that he’s met throughout the years and that, along with his friends and family beside him and the memory of his late brother, helped spur him over the finish line.

“It’s incredible to see people that I’ve met along the way over the past 10 years and they can’t catch me walking,” said Henry. “Once I make eye contact with them, that’s what keeps me going forward.”

Patrick Clancy finishes his race — 5:15 p.m.

By Matty Wasserman

Patrick Clancy, whose three young children were killed at their home in January 2023, completed the Boston Marathon on Monday in their memory.

The Duxbury resident crossed the finish line in 3 hours, 59 minutes and 19 seconds, with his final mile (8:31) his fastest of the afternoon.

“It felt amazing to cross the finish line,” Clancy said. “It was a lot of work to get here, and it is a big accomplishment.”

Read more here.

Today’s race was a family affair for director Dave McGillivray — 5:00 p.m.

By Ethan Fuller

Dave McGillivray has run the Boston Marathon for 52 consecutive years. But since 1987, the race director has waited until the evening to run the course he oversees, finishing in the dark.

This year, McGillivray joined the masses, starting at the back of the second wave and crossing the finish line just before 4 p.m. among the crowd he has helped grow.

“A lot of [spectators] knew who I was, so they were calling my name out,” McGillivray, 69, said. “It’s just flattering, humbling, to think that all those people know who you are because I’ve been doing it for so long. Running at night, all I had cheering for me were pigeons and squirrels.”

McGillivray started with the Marathon as technical director in 1988 and became race director in 2001. He admitted that it was hard to put away his critical lens while running.

“Any race I’m running, I’m running with the eye of a director and critiquing the event,” he said. “These hydration tables are too close or too far away. We need more crowd control here — whatever it may be. I’m always either trying to see things that we can improve upon, or looking at things that, maybe we did, and to me, they worked.”

A big challenge for McGillivray, and the rest of the field: heat. He’s used to running Boston at night in cool temperatures, and Monday’s warmth and sunshine brought stark contrast.

“The heat got to me, for sure,” he said. “But then we got some cloud cover, and that helped a lot, and we had a tailwind, and when it came through, there was a little bit of chilly air. It wasn’t oppressive, but we haven’t trained in those kinds of conditions all year.”

But McGillivray had plenty of motivation to finish strong. He ran alongside his daughter, Elle, in her first Boston Marathon, while his son, Max, competed for the second time. And even with 52 appearances, McGillivray still chases the self-satisfaction he sees when runners complete the iconic course.

“There’s nothing more powerful in the world than feeling good about yourself. That’s the foundation by which we accomplish everything in our lives, and it’s the same thing with me,” he said.

“The medal is symbolic, but I’m not doing it for the medal. I’m doing it for my own head, saying I can still do, at almost 70 years old, what I could do when I was 18 years old.”

How the heat impacted racers today — 4:50 p.m.

By Daniel Kool, Maddie Khaw and Alexa Coultoff

With temperatures in the high 60s and up to 70 degrees, and sunny skies over much of the Boston Marathon ’s course, runners Monday endured chafing, dehydration, and lots and lots of sweat.

The medical tent in Wellesley, just down the road from the halfway mark, had treated 80 runners as of 2:30 p.m., according to Dr. Jacob Koshy of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The heat took a toll on some runners , Koshy said, with a handful of athletes dropping out halfway due to dehydration and overheating. Anecdotally, Koshy estimated that around 15 to 20 of the runners he triaged stopped the race early.

“Folks have been feeling it really early, even a few miles in,” Koshy said. “A few of the runners felt it immediately. They felt this was different, they could tell this was too hot for them.”

Runners who dropped out were offered a bus back to the finish line, he said, or called family members to pick them up from Wellesley.

Melanie Mead, station leader at the Wellesley medical tent, said at least three more people had dropped out by the time they closed just after 3 p.m.

Up the route, at the medical station just before Mile 23 in Brookline, runners were stopping every minute or two for some sort of assistance in the afternoon — often just an ice pack to press against their chest to cool off, or sometimes a massage for a cramping muscle.

Volunteers stood ready to catch them before they fainted, offering medical attention.

Meanwhile, Boston EMS saw 25 race-related ambulance transports along the Marathon route by 4:20 p.m., but it was not clear how many of those were heat-related, according to a Boston EMS spokesperson. The spokesperson said EMS cared for some patients experiencing hyperthermia, but they could not provide specific numbers.

Several runners threw up shortly after crossing the finish line, before being escorted to the medical tent. Around 2:40 p.m., one runner lay on the sidewalk in the medical tent’s shade, breathing heavily.

It was a stark contrast to last year’s marathon, during which overcast skies and a late-day downpour prompted medical personnel to offer runners heat lamps and protection from the rain.

Jose Lopez, deputy chief of the Framingham Fire Department, said the city’s emergency services got a couple of calls during the Marathon for “minor injuries, but none of them were heat related.”

He said that does not count medical care that may have been provided by Boston Athletic Association personnel and volunteers, who oversee the course’s medical tents.

He noted that runners may not have been especially tired by the time they passed through Framingham, which is less than 8 miles into the course.

“It was early in the day and we’re also toward the beginning of the race,” Lopez said.

Dan Kitti, in town from Chicago, completed his third Boston Marathon in the heat, crossing the finish line a little after 1 p.m., as temperatures in Copley Square approached their peak.

Kitti said the heat made Thursday a “perfect day” for spectators.

“Hot for the runners, but it’s good for the crowd,” Kitti said, sweat dripping from his chin.

A unicorn spotting! — 4:30 p.m.

When Aurelien Avert, Guillaume Lacroix, and Guillaume Perin set out to complete the six marathon majors eight years ago, the three friends had one goal.

”We love unicorns. We said, ‘The day we’re doing Boston, we’ll have to dress as unicorns,’ and so here we are,” Perin said. “That was a dream of ours when we started the world major marathon journey.”

The three friends, who met in high school in France, now live all over the world — Lacroix in New York, Perin in Australia, and Avert in France — but they get together every year or two to work toward the ultimate target of running each of the six world major marathons.

They began in 2017 with New York, then moved on to Chicago in 2019, Berlin in 2021, London in 2023, and this year, Boston.

Tokyo’s up next, and hopefully, they’ll finish their quest next year. But for now, they’re just happy they finally got the chance to run dressed as the race’s famous mascot.

Amby Burfoot, 77, completes his 28th Boston Marathon — 4:15 p.m.

By Sarah Barber

In 1968, Ambrose “Amby” Burfoot crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 17 seconds.

On Monday, the 77-year-old crossed the finish line for the 28th time.

Burfoot, who was joined after the race by his wife Cristina, completed the course in 4 hours, 59 minutes and 58 seconds. He wore bib No. 1968.

”The race was sensational and I’m very tired,” Burfoot said as he leaned against a metal barrier.

At his age, 26.2 miles is no small feat, but the biggest difference for Burfoot between the race in 1968 and the race in 2024 was his training.

”Then, I was running 100 miles a week for training, and now I’m running 15,” Burfoot laughed.

The Mystic, Conn., native’s spirits were high despite spending nearly five hours on the course in the heat. Burfoot said he’s run Boston 28 times — simply because it’s Boston.

”I keep coming back here because it’s a celebration of life,” he said. “It’s just a thrill to hit Boylston Street, to finish another one and feel that life is moving on in the right direction.”

The love for the Boston Marathon is a sentiment echoed among many that take on the course. But for a runner like Burfoot, who has nearly three decades’ worth of races under his belt, the emotion is palpable.

”It’s the tradition of the Boston Marathon, the fact that these communities have been out there for a hundred years, not just a decade or two,” Burfoot said. “They’re fantastic, they know the marathon and they honor the runners. I heard my name a lot, frankly I was looking down at the road a lot and just trying to truck on, but I heard my name a lot.”

How did Sarah Hall celebrate her birthday? She ran the Boston Marathon. — 4:05 p.m.

Sara Hall decided to celebrate her 41st birthday doing what she loves most: running.

“There’s no race like this race, the Boston Marathon. It’s incredible,” Hall said. “There’s nothing I would rather do on my birthday.”

Hall, the fourth-fastest American marathoner in history, finished her third Boston Marathon in 15th place, completing the course in 2:27:58 and improving upon her 17th-place finish in 2023.

Read the full story here.

Watch the winners of the 2024 Boston Marathon sprint to the finish — 3:55 p.m.

Yes, that was zdeno chara you spotted towering over the other runners — 3:45 p.m..

From his days as a Boston Bruins player, Zdeno Chara is more than familiar with the roar of a crowd. The fans who pack the barricades for 26.2 miles along the route of the Boston Marathon, however, are something else entirely.

“You have fans right there with you screaming and cheering you on,” said Chara, who played 24 seasons in the NHL, including 13 with the Bruins. “It’s the best marathon in the world. All the credit goes to the fans because they make this race such a special marathon.”

Chara, who stands at 6 feet, 9 inches, completed his second consecutive Boston Marathon, the seventh marathon he’s run in the last 12 months, in an unofficial time of 3 hours, 30 minutes, and 52 seconds. In a few days, he’ll fly to London to run marathon No. 8 alongside Becca Pizzi, a professional marathoner with whom he trains and races.

High of 70? That’s nothing. Here are the hottest Boston Marathons in history. — 3:35 p.m.

Monday’s high hit the 70-degree mark in the Boston area, a few degrees higher than what forecasters anticipated for the Boston Marathon, but still far from the hottest Patriots Day the city has endured since the race’s inception.

Globe meteorologist Ken Mahan said today’s gradual rise in temperature largely has to do with the lack of cloud cover.

The optimal running temperature for runners ranges between 44 and 59 degrees. That’s a statistic supported by the fact that 70% of the major North American marathon records have been set with temperatures within this range.

Nearly a dozen notable Boston Marathons have pushed the mercury to 80 degrees or higher, including:

• 1905 – The all-time hottest Boston Marathon was a whopping 100 degree.

• 1976 – Temps climbed to 96 degrees during race time.

• 2012 – Runners raced amid 89-degree heat.

Is that ... Spiderman? — 3:30 p.m.

Daniel Farrar completed the Boston Marathon in a Spiderman suit to draw attention.

Not to himself, but to his six-year old daughter, Lucy, who battles cystic fibrosis.

Farrar pledged a $135 donation for every mile run in under nine minutes, which he did 21 of. With the addition of donations, Farrar expects to raise between $4,000 and $5,000. The 36 year-old from Stonington, Connecticut finished in 3:46:38.

”She’s doing great, so I do everything that I can to raise funds and awareness and support,” said Farrar.

Farrar received cheers from the raucous supporters for the entire 26.2 miles, spurring him on. This was his first time completing the Boston Marathon, though he ran in a Spiderman costume for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC.

”I’m a huge Spiderman fan,” said Farrar. “I had it for a Halloween costume and I just decided to wear it. [It’s] A little hot today.”

Lucy had school today, so she was not in attendance. Farrar is hosting a road race next weekend in Stonington called “Laps For Lucy,” a four-mile event that between 50 to 100 people will partake in.

”She loves to see me do this stuff,” said Farrar. “I run with her when I can. She’s little, she’ll get bigger and she’ll keep on doing it.”

Young entrepreneurs make the most of a hot day — 3:25 p.m.

A line of eager spectators waited to buy a $1 lemonade and a bag of goldfish in the 70 degree heat.

To keep the Marathon crowds cool, six-year-old entrepreneur Ali Penaranda ran a lemonade stand in front of her apartment on Commonwealth Avenue.

With help from her friend, Sunny Kim, 6, and her cousin Daniel Valerio, 12, Ali’s stand was a well-oiled machine Monday afternoon.

”We really like lemonade,” Ali said.

This is the third year “Ali’s Lemonade Stand,” as Ali calls it, has opened for the Marathon crowd.

Tiffany Kim, Sunny’s mom, said Ali and her family have chosen a charity for the past three years to donate the funds, and last year they raised $1,200, she said.

Daniel, who was busy pouring the lemonade while Ali ran around the yard, said they bought Huggies diapers for Boston kids and families in need with the money last year.

Host of MTV’s ‘Catfish’ makes an appearance on the course — 3:15 p.m.

Nēv Schulman, 39, TV host and producer of MTV series, “Catfish,” completed the Boston Marathon as a guide runner for Francesco Magisano, a blind athlete. The pair ran for Achilles International.

”I feel very fulfilled; it was hard work but we got through it,” said Schulman. “It’s always been on my bucket list to run Boston.”

Schulman said him and Magisano run consistently throughout the year, so training for Boston was simply a matter of adding more runs. Magisano is an established triathlete; he was the first blind athlete to finish the Ultraman Florida in 2023.

Schulman recalled one of the most memorable parts of the race being passing through Wellesely.”I have to give a real shout out to the Wellesley girls,” said Schulman. “We got some kisses on our cheeks.”

Who’s the guy in the Narragansett costume? — 3:00 p.m.

By Christopher Huffaker

Matt Charlton, of Allston, doesn’t work for Narragansett.

“I just do this,” he said.

Charlton bought his tall boy suit for last year’s marathon, but he’s been handing out beers for four to five years. There are always takers, he said.

At least one Marathon participant runs on Dunkin’ — 2:50 p.m.

By Daniel Kool

Joe Dallimore, a runner from Utah, is a self-proclaimed Dunkin’ Donuts fanatic.

So when he saw his family partway through the course, decked out in costumes from the now-iconic DunKings Superbowl ad, the second-time Marathon runner was thrilled.

“It was a surprise at mile 17, and he burst out laughing,” his sister, Elise Dallimore said.

His family stood, still suited in orange and pink tracksuits, waiting near the finish line around 2:20. Dallimore’s wife, Wendy Dallimore, had the idea, and the family was thrilled to play along.

“I’m a little nutty,” Wendy Dallimore said, when asked how she came up with the outfits.

Elise Dallimore said she used to run marathons more than a decade ago, but had to stop due to an injury before making it to Boston.

“He’s living it for me,” she said from under a leopard print hat. “He’s living my dream, and he didn’t even start running until he was 50.”

Joe Dallimore said there are, tragically, no Dunkin’ Donuts locations back home, so “I load up whenever I come to Boston.”

He went a handful of times Sunday, and planned to hit the coffee shop again before leaving town. He kissed his wife over the barricade.

“I love them,” he said, wiping sweat from his cheek. “And I love Dunkin’ Donuts.”

Runners are battling dehydration — 2:40 p.m.

By Maddie Khaw and Alexa Coultoff

The medical tent in Wellesley, just down the road from the halfway mark, has treated 80 runners as of 2:30 p.m., according to Dr. Jacob Koshy of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The heat has taken a toll on some runners, Koshy said, with a handful of athletes dropping out halfway due to dehydration and overheating. Anecdotally, Koshy estimated that around 15-20 of the runners he triaged stopped the race early.

“There’s quite a few people with dehydration, or just not feeling it today,” Koshy said. “They didn’t get to train all winter in any type of heat like this.”

It’s the “exact opposite” of last year, he said, when instead of ice baths, shade, and cold packs, the medical tent offered heaters and a haven from the cold and rain.

Ten years after his iconic 2014 triumph, Meb Keflezighi is back — 2:30 p.m.

By Ava Berger

Meb Keflezighi returned to Boston to chants of “you’re my hero” and “many fist bumps,” he said after he finished the 128th Marathon in 3 hours, 8 minutes, and 56 seconds.

“To be back in Boston means a lot just because it is an iconic race,” Keflezighi said. “It was a pretty amazing victory lap.”

Ten years after his crowning victory, Keflezighi ran for his own foundation, the MEB Foundation, Maintain Excellence Balance.

“I ran to win in 2014, but I ran to finish to represent my foundation,” Keflezighi said about his race on Monday. “It was on my bucket list for a long time, and I’m not getting any younger.”

A decade later, Keflezighi said he will never forget 2014.

“So many people tell me where they were 10 years ago, so it’s always fresh on my mind,” he said. “It gives me goosebumps.”

A warm Boston Marathon takes its toll on runners — 2:25 p.m.

At the medical station just before mile 23 in Brookline, a runner is stopping every minute or two for some sort of assistance—often just an ice pack to press against their chest to cool off, or sometimes a massage for a cramping muscle.

Many are taking up the Vaseline on offer for chafing. But some runners need more, and volunteers stand ready to catch them before they faint and get them medical attention.

A 68-year-old wheelchair pioneer has seen the Boston Marathon come a long way — 2:20 p.m.

By Esha Walia

Jayne Fortson, 68, was among the first athletes to participate in the Boston Marathon women’s wheelchair division.

She traveled to Boston from Anchorage, Alaska to support her 29-year-old daughter, Leah, who is running the Marathon for the first time.

“It’s very emotional,” she said.

Fortson competed in the Boston Marathon for the first time more than 40 years ago and has completed 25 marathons, she said. The Boston Marathon officially added wheelchairs as a category in 1975.

Fortson is joined by her family, who is also in Boston to support her daughter.

“It’s wonderful to see how welcome wheelchairs are to this event,” Fortson said. “I remember especially when wheelchairs weren’t allowed in the New York City marathon.”

A work-Marathon balancing act — 2:15 p.m.

Adrian Guenard, a masters student in aerospace engineering at MIT, has an interview tomorrow he needs to prepare for. But Guenard, of Paris, also has a friend running the marathon he wants to cheer on — his classmate Maria Barbosa. So Guenard decided to do both. He just found it a bit difficult to focus.

“There’s a lot of noise, and I’m a bit excited to see her,” he said.

Guenard, who ran a marathon himself last November, decided to cheer on his friend around mile 22, post-Heartbreak Hill.

“I know how it feels to have someone cheering for you for in those last kilometers,” he said.

‘Perfect day for the crowd’ — for the runners, maybe not so much — 2:05 p.m.

Linda Ngo, 42, stood at the barricade just a few yards past the finish line, as her children struggled to hold hand-made signs in the wind. They waited to congratulate her husband, Dan Kitti, for his third Boston Marathon.

Her 5-year-old son sat on Ngo’s shoulders, holding a repurposed Glossier sign that read, in a child’s penmanship, “GO DADDY GO!”

They hardly noticed when Kitti crossed the finish line, sweat beading on his forehead. But when Kitti approached, the young boy cheered. They leaned over the barricade, hugging in a brief reunion before Kitti continued down the street.

The third-time runner said the heat made Thursday a “perfect day for the crowd.”

Excitement — and child-like impatience — at the finish line — 2:00 p.m.

With just minutes to go before the men’s elite runners were expected to cross the finish line, 8-year-old Mateo Arboleda found a place right against the barricade, even if waiting for the pack tested the boy’s patience.

Leaning against the barricade around 11:30 a.m., just feet from the course, he fidgeted with his coat and asked, “How much longer?”

His father, Joseph Arboleda, stood close behind, reminding the boy to say “excuse me” as he made his way through the crowd. Abroleda’s older son stood further back.

“We walked all the way here, we stopped at the coffee shop,” Arboleda said, gesturing to the young boy. “He’s pretty excited, he’s never been.”

Arboleda said he has not been to the finish line since sometime before the 2013 Marathon.

“This is how long it took me [to return],” he said.

Arboleda asked his son if he was excited to be there. The boy turned around, smiled and shrugged.

“I guess, yes,” the father said with a laugh.

At Wellesley College, the party starts early and ends late — 1:50 p.m.

By Maddie Khaw

Runners winding the course through Wellesley were met with hoards of shrieking students and clanging bells as they passed the infamous “scream tunnel” at Wellesley College.

Marathon Monday is “the one day that Wellesley becomes a party school,” said Cassidy Novello, 22.

Novello, a senior, said race day has been a “pivotal moment in all four of my years.”

It’s “the one thing we’ll rally for,” added Marin Kriner, 18, another Wellesley student.

And rally they did. Campus festivities start as early as 7 a.m., said Novello, who has a tradition of shotgunning a beer with a friend early on Marathon Monday morning. Others held what’s known as a “borg” — the ubiquitous gallon-sized drinks popular among college kids — as they cheered on runners, waved pink inflatable sticks, and danced to music blasting through speakers.

“It’s a big party,” Novello said. “Everybody comes together on this day.”

Students meandered between the scream tunnel and an inflatable bouncy house set up in the center square among several dorm buildings. Further along the campus, students picked up a bite to eat from grills at a campus barbecue.

For some, it’s not all about the partying.

“As someone who wants to eventually run a marathon … it’s just super inspiring to see how much effort they put in,” said Wellesley student Alex Lenart, 22. “And how much support there is, too, is really, really awesome.”

Emma Bates on her top American finish — 1:45 p.m.

Emma Bates finished as the top American woman in the Boston Marathon for the second year in a row, crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 14 seconds.

Here’s what she had to say about her finish:

On the crowd: “It was crazy. I thought last year was crazy loud, but this year surpassed that completely. I think it was a great day for the spectators, not so much for the runners, unfortunately, it was pretty hot. I think people didn’t want to lead, so I ended up leading. I don’t think that was really in the cards, my coach told my go out and run my own race, treat it like a long run with a little more pizazz. I thought the day would go a little bit quicker, but I think just because of the heat, it slowed a little bit.”

On finishing 12th overall: “I’m proud of finishing, I’m proud of being at the start line, I’m proud of pushing myself and the effort I put into it. 12th isn’t quite what I expected and hoped for, but that’s the name of the game, there were so many women in the group that it’s kind of a crapshoot. I just wasn’t able to have the wheels at the end.”

On fellow American female runners Des Linden and Sara Hall: ”Des came up I think at mile 15 and came out of nowhere, I was leading at the time and she asked what pace I was running, I said ‘I think 5:30s,’ and she said, ‘Alright, let’s do this.’

“She’s a legend in Boston and for her to just try and help me just speaks volumes about the type of person that she is and the type of person we have in this sport. We’re blessed to have her. And Sara, coming back from running the Olympic trials, she proves time and time again that she’s such a consistent runner and such a tenacious runner. To see them come across the line and want to take photos with me, I was kind of starstruck just to be kind of in the same realm as them, so it was a really special moment.”

Who was that man running in the banana suit? — 1:40 p.m.

Matt Seidel described the $20 Etsy purchase as one of the best he’s ever made.

Seidel elicited constant cheers from the crowd by sporting a head-to-toe banana costume, completing his first Boston Marathon in 2:35:38.

Why a banana?

“‘Why not?’ is a better question,” said Seidel. “I just like to have fun and it’s really fun to me how easy it is to make people smile. If wearing a banana suit for a whole marathon gets people to cheer and smile, it’s fun.”

Seidel considers himself a trail ultra-marathon runner, and is training for the Canyons Endurance Run, a 100-kilometer race in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range scheduled for April 26 and 27 near his hometown of Oakland. A 2018 graduate of Seattle University, Seidel ran on the cross country and track teams. Monday marked his fourth road marathon — and first in a banana suit.

Sidel passed three others running in banana suits and upon seeing one another, Seidel jumped up and exchanged high-fives, which he called ‘a blast’.

“Ironically, I don’t even like eating bananas so it’s not even a love of bananas,” said Seidel. “I just think it’s a fun imagery and loosely, I have a running crew whose unofficial mascot is a banana, so I figured the best way to represent was to don a full-body banana suit.”

Seidel tries not to take himself too seriously. He has worn the banana costume to support friends in their own pursuits and has worn shirts covered in bananas before when he runs. The suit, which went from covering his black hat on top of his head and spanned down to the top of his crew length socks, is made of breathable, lightweight fabric.

“Warm, but not incredibly hot,” Seidel explained. “I wish it was a little cooler but it honestly wasn’t too bad.”

Seidel described his experience racing Boston as something he would do again ‘in a heartbeat’. The next time he travels cross country to cross the finish line on Boylston Street, don’t expect to see him in the same attire.

“I’ve unofficially told friends that I’m retiring the banana suit after tonight, but not retiring costumes,” said Seidel.

Marcel Hug and Eden Rainbow-Cooper on their races — 1:35 p.m.

Marcel Hug broke the course record despite tipping over near the firehouse. Eden Rainbow-Cooper, new to marathoning, edged out legend Manuela Schar. Here’s what they had to say about their races.

On the race and conditions: “It was an incredible race. From the beginning I tried to go as fast downhill as possible because the weather conditions were nearly perfect, wind direction, temperature, so I tried to have a fast time. After the first downhills I had a little gap, but my competitor’s still in my neck, so just pushing as hard as possible. It took me a few kilometers to have a good rhythm, but then i felt better and better, stronger and stronger. I had a good rhythm until the crash, but luckily I could get back on the course and move forward. At the end, very happy with today’s race.”

On what impacts his technique the most: “I think there are several things that have an impact on technique. For example, sitting position in the wheelchair position changed, we sit lower in the chair, so that means the push changed. The gloves developed the past few years, the wheels themselves changed ... from the past few years there were a lot of changes.”

On the crash: “It happened I think in the corner from the fire station, I had a high speed in that corner, I tried to steer but, I still have to analyze what really happened, but my guess is I had too much pressure, too much weight with my hand on the steering so it didn’t steer properly at first. A little too late, steering, and I hit the barriers. Luckily I didn’t fall out of the racing chair, and first thought was, hopefully the chair is okay, and then I just tried to push myself up onto both wheels and accelerate as fast as possible because in this moment that I’m on schedule for the course record, so I still believed it was possible to break it.”

On what he was thinking during the crash: “Not much. Just get up, and get back to racing. It was a huge relief that nothing was broken on the chair, my body was okay, maybe there was a lot of adrenaline so I couldn’t feel it.”

Eden Rainbow-Cooper

On her first-place finish: “I just couldn’t believe it, if i’m honest. My first marathon was just over two years ago so to have such a large progression in such a short amount of time, it’s beyond my wildest dreams. I really can’t believe it. It mens everything to me to make my country proud, and hopefully open the door for more British racers.”

On appearing to take a break midway through: “For me, the marathon distance is quite hard because I have full feeling in my legs so it’s really difficult for me to stay in that knelt position for an hour and half, however long it is, so I have to release that pressure, and I know on the slight downhill is where nothing can go wrong, or on the straights I can release that pressure on my legs. You kind of always take the risk because you never know how far your competitors are, but as soon as I saw a flat or a little downhill I knew it was okay to take a little break.”

On her “So I started the sport when I was in senior school, so just after 2012, in a program to try and get kids with disabilities into sport, and I was directed to Jenny Archer and David Weir at the Weir Archer Academy, where I was for about 10 years. It’s in the last six months that I’ve been working with Arno Mul. It’s been, the last six months, there’s been a lot of change and a lot of differences to get used to, but it’s all working out, so it’s been really good.”

Hellen Obiri on the fast pace, and what’s next — 1:30 p.m.

Women’s winner Hellen Obiri elaborated on the race’s finish and the Olympics. The highlights:

Obiri on the fast finish: “For me I cannot really say, I did not know it was so fast. When you look at your watch, you can see it’s fast and mentally say, I’m tired. I didn’t know it was fast toward the end. When Sharon was there I was like, this move is very fast. I was saying it’s fast, but I wasn’t thinking it was so fast like that.”

Lokedi, the second place finisher, added: “I just saw my watch, the kilometer beeped and I was like, oh no. I knew I needed to stick with it because we didn’t have long to go, but I was just saying to myself, ‘stick with her, stick with her.’”

Obiri on becoming a repeat champion: “It’s only been six women [who have defended their title], and I said, can I become one of them? Defending a title, now I’m in the history of books in Boston.”

Obiri on the Olympics: “In Kenya, we don’t know yet because we were 10, and now we are 6. Sharon was there with me, so for me I do hope it will be the team with me and Sharon. The Paris course is tough ... I know with Sharon as my teammate, it will be great, I hope Sharon and I will be on the team for Paris.”

Women’s finishers on running with the pack — 1:25 p.m.

Women’s winner Hellen Obiri, second-place finisher Sharon Lokedi, and third-place finisher Edna Kiplagat spoke to the media about running in the pack during the race.

Obiri: “Sometimes you try to communicate because when there’s a crowd of 15 people, you have to be very careful as you’re getting water. You’re talking to each other because you’re friends, I might say, Sharon, I need to get my water.”

Lokedi: “I think it’s just being aware and looking around and seeing if someone else makes a move. You’re very nervous at that point so you’re just seeing if a move is being made and you’re trying to make sure you’re staying with people and not letting a gap open.”

Kiplagat: “When it was like 30K, I look around and we were still 16 of us, so I knew anyone can make a move. It was so tough because I was so patient because I knew any one of us can make a move.”

What the top three women’s finishers had to say — 1:23 p.m.

Women’s winner Hellen Obiri, second-place finisher Sharon Lokedi, and third-place finisher Edna Kiplagat spoke to the media shortly after the end of the race. Here are the highlights:

Obiri: “First of all, thank you so much for welcoming here, to defend my title. It was not an easy feat because I had Sharon with me, she’s so amazing, she gave me a tough competition. But I said, ‘I’m the best.’ I tried to give everything, I tried to give all my energy. ... It was amazing for me. It was a memorable moment for me.”

Lokedi: “It was tough but I’m glad to have come second. the competition was very tough but it was fun to compete with this field, and Boston is not easy, that’s what I’ll say. I’m glad we started well and got to finish well and got a good push from both Edna and Hellen.”

Kiplagat: “First of all, let me congratulate Hellen for defending her title and Sharon for coming second. It was an amazing race today, coming [in] third was a good performance for me so I’m happy. I knew the field was so competitive and I was happy to race with the best here. Training was good, and I knew I’d done enough to come and do my best here, and I’m happy for being third today.”

What Sisay Lemma said about his win — 1:10 p.m.

What was different this year? ”When I tried the first three times I was not able to finish the race because it was very hard, but I said I’m going to redeem myself, and I came today and I started really fast and I was able to do it.”

What was your race plan? ”When I was running in Valencia it was flat and my time was good, when I came here my plan was to run under 2 hours, 2 minutes. But since the race was very hard, I wasn’t able to do that, but I’m glad that I finished.”

What was it like to tackle the hills? ”It was a little bit challenging because when I ran in Valencia it was fast, but my half marathon here was faster than the Valencia one. But for some reason I got tired, it was up and down, the hills, but especially the downhills were hard, that’s why I slowed.”

Hear what the top three men’s finishers said after the race — 1:02 p.m.

The top three finishers of the men’s race took the podium just after 1 p.m. Here’s what they said.

“I’m very happy that I won today because several times I’ve dropped out of the race before, but today I won and I’ve redeemed myself and I’m very happy,” Sisay Lemma, the winner, said through a translator.

“I’m very happy that I came second, and especially the last five kilometers I pushed very hard to come second and I’m happy with that,” said Mohamed Esa, who finished second, through a translator.

“I’m very happy, I’m very pleased. [Third place] is not easy ... When I come back again, I’ll win. Maybe I’ll run a better time, [finish] a better position,” said Evans Chebet, who finished third.

High of 65? That’s nothing. Here are the hottest Boston Marathons — 12:55 p.m.

By Ken Mahan

Today’s high may top into the mid-60s, but more striking above-average temperatures have impacted runners on marathon day. Nearly a dozen notable races have pushed the mercury to 80 degrees or higher, including:

• 1905 – The all-time hottest Boston Marathon was a whopping 100 degrees.
• 1976 – Temps climbed to 96 degrees during race time.
• 2012 – Runners raced amid 89-degree heat.

Running in intense heat is harsh on the body, which is rapidly warming faster than the ability to sweat, leading to dehydration. Today’s race will reach into the mid-60s with more sun than clouds forecast. That high is still above normal for April 15, which averages a daily high of 56.

Along Boylston, excitement is palpable — 12:50 p.m.

Up and down the swath of Boylston surrounding the finish line earlier this morning, store workers peered out pane-glass windows, vying for a glimpse of the festivities.

Workers in an AT&T store stood on a window ledge, while baristas at the Capital One Café stole glances between brewing shots of espresso.

”The employees are really excited,” said Monica Scott, market community engage lead at the branch, who added that workers are given time to walk the roads handing out swag.

Down the street, at Marathon Sports, employees — some of whom are runners themselves — discussed favorite athletes with coworkers and customers.

Talia Brookstein-Burke said everyone in the store tries to step out and catch a view of the winners crossing the finish line.

”Obviously if there’s customers here, a few of us will stay behind,” she said, with a laugh. “Whoever wants to see the person outside the most. ... If it’s somebody’s best friend, we’re going to let them watch.”

Brookstein-Burke said she qualified for this year’s Marathon, but didn’t make the cut-off. Instead, she’s cheering on coworkers, running teammates, and especially marathon runner Emma Bates, who finished as the fastest American at Mondays’ race.

She’s running in honor of her sick son. Meet Paige Divoll. — 12:35 p.m.

By Chris Serres

Paige Divoll of Andover said she will be thinking about her 6-year-old son Theo “with every single step” of the race.

She is running the marathon in honor of her son Theo who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma — a rare form of cancer — on Marathon Monday a year ago.

Theo had a massive tumor in his abdomen that metastasized to his bones. The tumor was pushing on his kidney and major arteries causing dangerously high blood pressure. Divoll said they woke up the next day at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, with Theo as a cancer patient and she as a cancer mom.

”Running a marathon is nothing compared to what Theo has endured,” said Divoll, a former corporate recruiter who is running her third marathon. “I would run 26 miles in my hands and knees, on hot coals, and it still wouldn’t hurt as much. Theo is just trying to be a kid. He didn’t sign up for this.”

Neuroblastoma is rare — only 800 children are diagnosed with it per year in the US. Less than half of those kids have stage four or “high risk” neuroblastoma like Theo does. It has a 50 percent relapse rate for survivors. He’s undergone surgery, chemotherapy proton radiation and is in the middle of a series of immunotherapy treatments. Theo’s reaction to the chemotherapy has been so intense that he got black eyes from vomiting so frequently and this skin peeled off.

Divall said she has turned to running to keep herself sane during her son’s agonizing treatment and to find a way to help the doctors saving her son. On days that that Theo was undergoing treatment at Mass General, Divall would sometimes slide on her running shoes and go on a “rage run” along the Charles River.

In the run up to the marathon, Divoll raised $31,000 for the pediatric oncology research team at Massachusetts General Hospital. It is three times the amount she planned to raise.

”Running gives me a place to feel angry,” she said. “But when you breathe deeply and see the blue sky and hear the birds chirping … running also reminds me that life is beautiful and fragile. There is no greater sense of the beauty and awe of life than when you have your health and legs under you.”

Des Linden is no stranger to Boston — 12:25 p.m.

Des Linden finished the 128th Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 28 minutes, and 27 seconds, unofficially.

Linden, 40, was the 16th woman and 3rd American woman to cross the finish line for her 11th time on the course. The Californian made a push to lead the pack early in the course but had longer splits around the 18-mile mark, compared to those at the start of the race, which were solidly in the range of five minutes and thirty seconds. Linden finished with an average split of 5:40 per mile and crossed the finish line after American leaders Emma Bates (2:27:14) and Sara Hall (2:27:58).

CJ Albertson comes in 7th as the top American men’s elite finisher — 12:22 p.m.

In his fourth Boston Marathon, CJ Albertson ran his best time to date, finishing seventh (2:09:53) as the top American in the men’s elite race.

Albertson, 30, has been in the mix before, with prior finishes of 10th, 13th, and 12th from 2021-23. He led the first 20 miles of the 2021 Marathon before fading late, as thousands of runners have done, around Heartbreak Hill.

Monday’s story, three years later, was quite the opposite. Alberston didn’t appear in the top ten until the 23-mile mark, but stayed consistent through the final miles to pick off competitors. Though he said in an Instragram post that he was hoping for a top-five finish, Albertson wasn’t far off. He finished 3 minutes and 53 seconds behind winner Sisay Lemma.

Albertson set the world record for the indoor marathon in 2019, when he ran in 2:17:59 at The Armory in New York. He still holds the world record in the 50K (2:38:43), which he set in 2022 in San Francisco. More recently, Albertson finished fifth in the marathon at the US Olympic Trials in February. He has run four marathons in the last five months.

From Fresno, Calif., Albertson ran in college at Arizona State and now coaches at Clovis Community College in Fresno. He’s drawn interest for his unique approaches to training, once sitting in his car under direct sunlight to create the effect of a sauna.

To prepare for the Olympic Trials in Florida, Albertson wanted to simulate hot conditions, so he used heat lamps typically reserved for chicken coops as he ran on his treadmill.

”The bulbs produce a lot of heat and I wanted to be ready for the Team Trials in Florida, in case it was hot and humid on the day,” he told Strava . “I’ve kept doing that since then because it helps with overall fitness.”

Though Monday wasn’t quite the same heat, Albertson was certainly prepared.

The first American woman has crossed the finish line — 12:17 p.m.

Emma Bates finishes as the top American woman in Boston for the second year in a row, crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 14 seconds. She couldn’t quite stick in the lead pack as long as he did last year, when Bates was still in the mix coming out of Kenmore Square, but she finishes 44 seconds ahead of Sara Hall for another top American honor.

Bates, Hall, and third American Des Linden all embraced at the finish line.

Hellen Obiri breaks away late to win back-to-back Boston Marathons — 12:09 p.m.

Hellen Obiri wasn’t interested in another Boylston Street kick, as the defending champion makes her decisive move coming out of Kenmore Square with almost two miles to run to put Sharon Lokedi away early and win her second consecutive title in 2 hours, 22 minutes, 37 seconds unofficially. Obiri is the sixth woman to win back-to-back titles and the first since Catherine Ndereba in 2005.

The closest women’s elite finish in the history of the Boston Marathon was in 2009, when Salina Kosgei beat Dire Tune by 1 second.

There were three years in which the margin of victory was 2 seconds – 2012 (Sharon Cherop over Jemima Jelagat Sumgong), 2011 (Caroline Kilel over Des Linden), and 2008 (Tune over Alevtina Biktimirova).

Hellen Obiri, Boston Marathon women’s champion, crosses the finish line. It’s her second consecutive win. pic.twitter.com/cJ3WIE4MOb — Esha Walia (@EshaWalia07) April 15, 2024

It’s going to be a sprint to the finish — 12:05 p.m.

Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi cover the 25th mile in 4:54, and it’s looking like a sprint finish in the women’s race. Either Obiri will make it back-to-back, or Lokedi — who bested Obiri in the defending champion’s 2022 marathon debut in New York — will claim her first Boston title.

Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi are all alone at the front — 12:00 p.m.

Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi run a blazing 4:41 split for mile 24, and it’s just the two of them with two miles to run. Obiri’s got the track speed that makes her the favorite when this hits Boylston Street, unless Lokedi can run the kick out of her early, but there’s not a lot of time left to do so. The women are now running at a significantly faster pace than Sisay Lemma ran these miles in the men’s race as they torch the final stages of this race.

Happy Birthday, Sara Hall. Now go run the Marathon. — 11:58 a.m.

Sara Hall spearheaded the lead pack of the women’s race as they crossed 25 kilometers. What a way to spend your 41st birthday.

Hall has a decorated running history highlighted by her win in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2011 Pan-American Games. She has the third-fastest marathon time in US history, set when she ran 2:20:32 at The Marathon Project in 2020. Her 1:07:16 half marathon, run in 2022, is the second-fastest in US history.Born in Santa Rosa, Calif., Hall was a seven-time All-American at Stanford. She won the 2012 USA Cross Country Championships and was on the US team for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in 2006 and 2015.

Hall ran Boston last year and finished 17th. She has a second-place finish at London, a third at Chicago, and top-10 finishes in New York, Berlin, and Tokyo.

”I’m obsessed with this race. From the minute I crossed the finish line last year I’ve been telling my agent I was 110 percent on coming back here to see what I could do with more preparation,” Hall wrote in a post on X Sunday afternoon.

Her husband is Ryan Hall, who has the unofficial American record in the half marathon.

Two former champions are leading the pack — 11:55 a.m.

The pace picks up again, and the women with the first names on their bibs aren’t waiting around any longer. Defending champion Hellen Obiri and two-time winner Edna Kiplagat have surged to the front and broken this race open with a 4:57 23rd mile, dropping everybody but Sharon Lokedi heading into Brookline. That pack of 18 is down to three.

The pack is starting to thin in the women’s elite field — 11:50 a.m.

After two hours of high-speed chess, the women’s race is finally starting to heat up. The lead pack has broken up into a group of 11 at mile 22 with the pace increasing from the 5:40-5:45 range to a 5:17 clip for the 22nd mile. The Americans have fallen off the pace, with Emma Bates trailing the leaders by about 20 seconds and Sara Hall about a minute adrift. Hellen Obiri is there, and so is Edna Kiplagat, but some of the fastest women in the field — Ethiopians Tadu Teshome and Hiwot Gebremaryam — are nowhere to be seen.

Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma wins 2024 Boston Marathon — 11:41 a.m.

Sisay Lemma makes the right onto Hereford and the left onto Boylston, and after three very disappointing runs over the last few years, the 33-year-old has finally conquered Boston with a final time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 17 seconds unofficially. He chose to break the race open very early and took a huge gamble in pushing the pace hard, but the gamble paid off big time for a dominant victory, the first for an Ethiopian man since 2016.

Make it a 1-2 finish for the Ethiopians, with Mohamed Esa following Lemma home for a runner-up finish. Evans Chebet has to settle for third place instead of a third-straight victory, as he simply could not close the gap after Lemma set an astonishing pace in the first half.

Sisay Lemma is closing in — 11:38 a.m.

Sisay Lemma has slowed again, with a 5:19 split for his 25th mile, but there’s just not enough time for Evans Chebet and John Korir, more than a minute behind, to make up the gap. Barring disaster over the final mile, Lemma is on for a sensational wire-to-wire win here in Boston.

Lemma is cruising — 11:34 a.m.

Another surge from Sisay Lemma, who covers mile 24 in 5 minutes on the dot. That pace should be enough; Evans Chebet and John Korir close the gap again to 1 minute, 30 seconds, but cutting the lead by 14 seconds a mile isn’t enough. They’ll need him to collapse in the final two miles to have a chance.

It’s getting to be a tighter race in the men’s elite field — 11:30 a.m.

Evans Chebet and John Korir are closing hard. Sisay Lemma runs mile 23 in 5:09, while Chebet and Korir cover it in 4:46 to cut the gap to 1 minutes, 44 seconds. The Ethiopian is fading, and the Kenyans are closing. This could still come down to the wire.

Sisay Lemma still leads despite slowdown on the hills — 11:25 a.m.

Sisay Lemma’s pace has dropped significantly with a 5:28 21st mile, by far his slowest of the race, but he’s through the hills with a lead of 2 minutes, 13 seconds over the chasers, who may simply run out of real estate. He’s picked it back up, running his 22nd mile in 5:02 — the chasers will have to close the final four miles a little over 30 seconds per mile faster than Lemma, so if the Ethiopian can maintain a pace around 5:00 per mile, Evans Chebet and John Korir might not have enough time to catch him.

An update on the women’s elite race — 11:18 a.m.

It’s still a fairly cagey affair in the women’s open race as they approach the Newton hills, with 18 women hitting 25K (15.5 miles) in 1:26:05, which is 5:35 per mile pace. Americans Sara Hall and Emma Bates, as well as defending champion Hellen Obiri, are still in the mix, but 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden has dropped well back.

Sisay Lemma is cruising through Newton — 11:11 a.m.

Sisay Lemma hits 19 miles, and he’s still absolutely flying. He’s averaging 4:41 per mile, but has slowed over the last couple of miles as he works through the Newton hills — his last three mile splits have been 5:02, 4:58, and 4:54. But his lead has only grown, with Evans Chebet and the chase pack now trailing by nearly three minutes, which means Lemma is more than a half mile clear of his competitors with seven miles to run. The history of frontrunners hanging on in these circumstances isn’t good; even Meb Keflezighi only led just over a minute in his brilliant wire-to-wire win in 2014.

Why a world record in Boston wouldn’t count — 11:10 a.m.

The late Kelvin Kiptum sent a men’s marathon world record in Chicago last October with a time of 2:00:35.

Even if Sisay Lemma were to meet that mark, it wouldn’t count. Because it’s Boston.

According to World Athletics rules, world records in certified road race marathons can only happen on specific types of courses. Boston, unlike several other World Marathon Majors, does not go in a loop (or have its finish line within relatively close proximity to the starting point).

”Performances achieved on courses where the start and finish points, measured along a theoretical straight line between them, are further apart than 50% of the race distance are … not valid for world records,” reads the World Athletics website .

The reason for this is due to the consistency a looped course creates, especially regarding wind. A “point-to-point” marathon (such as Boston) could potentially force runners to deal with a headwind (or tailwind) for a majority of the race.

The other reason a record in Boston can’t officially count is due to elevation. Specifically, World Athletics deems that “Performances achieved on courses with a drop in elevation between the start and the finish which exceeds 1:1000, i.e. one meter per kilometer” are also not valid for world records.

Elevation changes beyond the 1:1000 scale can — like wind on a non-loop course — serve to create unnatural conditions for runners, potentially helping (on downhill) or hurting (on uphill).

Over the entirety of the course, the Boston Marathon descends approximately 137 meters, putting its scale of elevation change close to 3.24 meters per kilometer.

Who is Eden Rainbow-Cooper? Meet the women’s wheelchair winner. — 11:05 a.m.

Eden Rainbow-Cooper, a 22-year-old from Great Britain, won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:35:11 — a personal best. She is the first British woman to win the Boston Marathon.

Rainbow-Cooper was born with sacral agenesis, a rare birth defect in which the fetal development of the lower spine is abnormal. She was first introduced to wheelchair racing as a high schooler and trained under British six-time Paralympic champion David Weir at The Weir Archer Academy.

Last year, Rainbow-Cooper finished fourth in the New York Marathon (1:49:34), seventh in the London Marathon (1:47:43), and seventh in the Boston Marathon (2:06:45). Her victory on Monday is her first career win at a major marathon.

At the BAA 5K race on Saturday, Rainbow-Cooper won the women’s wheelchair division with a time of 12:04.

An update from the elite women at the halfway mark — 11:01 a.m.

The two elite open races could not be more different. While Sisay Lemma continues to absolutely fly out front in the men’s race — he’s more than two minutes clear of Evans Chebet and company — the women remain in a big pack with 21 women still in the mix at mile 12. Americans Emma Bates and Sara Hall are at the front of that pack, with defending champion Hellen Obiri and all the expected favorites still hanging around.

At the half, the women come through in 1:12:33, a very measured pace for the best in the world.

Bates, last year’s top American, is soaking in all the atmosphere, doling out dozens of high-fives as the women pass through the Wellesley scream tunnel.

Des Linden is back — 11:00 a.m.

Des Linden knows Boston, and Boston knows Des Linden.

The 2018 Boston Marathon champion and five-time top-five finisher returns this year for her 11th time on the course.

Linden, 40, is widely known in the running community for her perseverance against the weather during the 2018 race, the first time the course was won by a woman in 33 years. She’s fresh off of an 11th place finish in February’s US Olympic Trials (2:28:04), and finished 18th overall in Boston in 2023 with a time of 2:27:18.

Though Linden isn’t as competitive as she used to be, she’s excited as ever to run down Boylston.

“I can’t wait to take on the iconic course for an 11th time and have the opportunity to mix it up with some of the best runners in the world,” Linden told the BAA back in February.

Here to cheer on one of their own — 10:55 a.m.

Rose Chitlah, 48, skipped down Boylston, just past to the finish line, just before 9.a.m., walking with about a half-dozen friends and family members, all wearing shirts in the colors of the Tanzanian flag.

She recorded a video of children jumping up and down, holding out their shirts and smiling widely.

Chitlah said they were out to cheer on Gabriel Geay, the Tanzanian runner who took second place in last year’s Marathon.

Chitlah was near the finish line when Geay took silver last year and said she “was almost crying, I was very happy.”

“I think he’s going to be the winner this time,” she said.

The family drove to Boston from Maine Monday morning — but getting a spot at the finish line was worth the early trip, Chitlah said.

Sisay Lemma is way out front. Who is this guy? — 10:50 a.m.

After setting the course record at the Valencia Marathon in December (2:01.48), becoming the fourth-ever man to run under 2:02, 33-year-old Ethiopian Sisay Lemma is looking to carry his momentum into an improved effort at the Boston Marathon.

While Lemma shattered his personal best by nearly two minutes at Valencia, a notoriously fast and flat course, he has struggled previously with the hillier Boston terrain — his three prior attempts were a DNF in 2017, a 30th place finish in 2019, and a DNF in 2022.

Lemma started running at age 17 and competed barefoot early in his career due to his lack of running shoes.

In 2021, he won the London Marathon in a time of 2:04.01. He also finished third in the event in 2020.

Lemma said he considered returning to the London Marathon, which will be held next week. But despite his past struggles, he opted for Boston to avoid competing head-to-head in London with fellow Ethiopian Tamirat Tola, the reigning New York Marathon winner, with both runners aiming to be selected by Ethiopia for the upcoming Olympics.

Catching up with Gronk, the race grand marshal — 10:45 a.m.

Rob Gronkowski can’t avoid the question everyone is asking.

Would the former Patriots star and four-time Super Bowl champion ever run the Boston Marathon?Gronkowski, who toured the course by car Monday morning as the 2024 grand marshal, was noncommittal but firm in his answer.

”It’s not a no,” he said after crossing the finish line.”I can possibly do this in the future — run the Marathon in the future. I’m gonna have to start practicing now — maybe start with a 5K again, and do a double-5K, and just keep ramping it up from there. So that’s a possibility; I’d be one of the biggest people to do it.”

Gronkowski, at 6 feet, 6 inches, can look to Zdeno Chara as a blueprint. The former Bruins great is running Boston for the second time.

”He’s a beast,” Gronkowski said. “He’s 6-9, he’s a little bit taller than me, and he’s got some endurance.”

Gronkowski has experienced plenty of Boston celebrations, from his three parades with the Patriots, to throwing out the first pitch at Fenway Park Monday morning immediately following his grand marshal duties.

”It was just so cool to experience everyone alongside the road, just there to support all the runners coming by, cheering all the runners, [and] all the people that are volunteering as well,” he said.

Eden Rainbow-Cooper wins women’s wheelchair race — 10:40 a.m.

An incredible win for Eden Rainbow-Cooper, who crosses the line for her first Marathon Major win in 1 hour, 35 minutes, 11 seconds. The 22-year-old entered with only the 10th-fastest personal best in the field, but she has vanquished four-time champion Manuela Schär in dominant fashion to become the first British woman to win Boston in either the open or wheelchair divisions, and the first Briton to win a title since Geoff Smith won the men’s open race in 1985.

“It really took everything, it was such a mentally tough challenge,” Rainbow-Cooper said. “… I only started two years ago and it took absolutely everything and I can’t believe it.”

There’s a clear leader in the men’s elite race — 10:38 a.m.

Sisay Lemma is absolutely flying, but he’s got a long way to go. The fastest man in the field hits the half-marathon in an incredible 1 hour, 19 seconds, which is right on world record pace. The world record can’t be set at Boston, which isn’t an eligible course for that mark, and there’s a long way to go, but this is a very brave run from the Ethiopian.

Maybe Evans Chebet is sensing danger; the two-time defending champion has now strung out the chase pack, which has thinned to single file as they start to try to reel in Lemma; they’ve got a lot of work to do.

Hug’s wheelchair designers cheer his seventh win — 10:35 a.m.

As Marcel Hug shot down Boylston, taking his seventh crown in the men’s wheelchair division, a crew of engineers and representatives of the Swiss Consulate, who helped design his wheelchair, watched with little surprise.

Adrian Schwarz, senior project manager for high-end product development at Sauber Technologies, stood on the barricade a few hundred yards from the finish line, filming as Hug whizzed by.

”He won seven times now,” Schwarz said, “it’s not a surprise.”

The second-place finisher was around a mile back by the time Hug crossed he finish line to set a new course record of 1:15:33. Schwarz said that sort of margin is, at this point, typical for Hug.

”With Marcel it’s kind of usual, yes, he’s really strong,” he said.

Benjamin Bollmam, CEO of Swissnex, laughed and said Hug crashed “because he was too fast.”

Minutes earlier, Bollmam watched Hug pass Coolidge Corner on a livestream. Around him, others waved plastic Swiss flags. A young boy held a sign that read “HOPP SWISS” — meaning Go Switzerland — in white lettering.

Rainbow-Cooper is dominating the women’s wheelchair field — 10:30 a.m.

Eden Rainbow-Cooper is pulling away in the women’s wheelchair race. Four-time champion Manuela Schär had closed to within 30 seconds going past Boston College, but the 22-year-old Rainbow-Cooper extended her lead to 56 seconds at mile 23, and looks like she’s on for her first Marathon Major win, barring a blazing final three miles from the Swiss athlete.

Weather update: Healthy tailwind aids runners’ performance — 10:23 a.m.

Runners are getting an added boost today with an expected tailwind from the west/northeast of between 8 and 13 miles per hour throughout the day. The course runs mostly to the northeast from Hopkinton, so today’s wind will float between a partial and full tailwind and give runners a pep in their step.

Tailwinds of 10 miles per hour can give runners a 5-second advantage per mile. In fact, the 2011 Boston Marathon course record of 2:03:02 (held by Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai) can be partly attributed to a healthy tailwind of nearly 20 miles per hour. And that tailwind was from the west/southwest, making for a full tailwind much of the day for runners.

When faced with the opposite – a headwind – the friction causes runners to burn more energy to push through the elements. Fortunately, that won’t be the case today.

Marcel Hug breaks course record, wins men’s wheelchair division — 10:18 a.m.

Marcel Hug has smashed his own course record, wheeling down Boylston Street and finishing in a stunning 1 hour, 15 minutes, 33 seconds, a 90-second improvement over his own mark from last year. The Swiss athlete claims his seventh Boston Marathon wheelchair title in spectacular fashion, despite near-disaster with a big spill at the Newton firehouse.

Eden Rainbow-Cooper still leads the women, but Manuela Schär is starting to close, cutting the gap to 48 seconds at 30K as the hills start piling on.

Kelvin Kiptum, the world record-holder in the marathon, died in his prime. His fellow Kenyans are running in his honor. — 10:15 a.m.

By John Powers

Sunday was to be the day he would go after the ultimate barrier in Rotterdam. Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum had streaked across the marathoning world like a comet, winning his first three outings in less than 11 months and shattering the global record last autumn in Chicago.

”We were really looking forward to what he was going to do,” said countryman Geoffrey Kamworor, who was Kiptum’s fellow villager and boyhood idol. “Because his ambition was to run it under two hours.”

Only Eliud Kipchoge had broken the marathon equivalent of the four-minute mile, running 1:59:40 in Vienna in 2019 . But since Kipchoge ran by himself behind a pace car with a rotating group of rabbits, his time was ineligible for a world mark.

But after Kiptum went 2:00:35, shattering Kipchoge’s standard by an astonishing 34 seconds, going sub-2:00 on a pancake course in the Netherlands seemed feasible.

”The way he ran in Chicago, it was probably possible given his amazing potential,” reckoned Evans Chebet, who’ll be going after his third consecutive Boston Marathon title on Patriots Day.

That potential was cruelly erased in February when the 24-year-old Kiptum died in an automobile accident in western Kenya, leaving behind a wife and two children.

”[He was] an athlete who had a whole life ahead of him to achieve incredible greatness,” said Kipchoge, the two-time Olympic champion whose duel with Kiptum in Paris loomed as one of the highlights of this summer’s Games.

The para-athletic divisions are off — 10:12 a.m.

Boston is the only one of the six majors to hand out money to winners of its para-athletics divisions. There are seven this year — which include athletes with upper limb, lower limb, and visual impairments. Male and female winners of each receive $2,500.

Only the top three para-athletic finishers earn prize money, and along with a $500 course record bonus available for each division, the total para-athletics purse is $77,000.

Sisay Lemma is cooking — 10:10 a.m.

Sisay Lemma has broken the men’s race wide open, as the fastest man in the field crosses 10K in a blazing 28 minutes, 28 seconds, which is 4:35 mile pace. Evans Chebet and Gabriel Geay lead the chase pack, which looks to be about eight men deep with a 25 second gap behind the Ethiopian leader.

Turning tragedy to triumph — 10:08 a.m.

The Reny family had the worst day of their lives 11 years ago. But according to 29-year-old Gillian Reny, they’ve turned it into the “best.”

Audrey Epstein Reny, her husband, Steven Reny, and their daughter, Gillian, were standing at the finish line in 2013 waiting for their eldest daughter, Danielle, to finish her 26.2 miles.

When the bombs went off, the three family members sustained injuries and Gillian’s injuries were “critical,” Audrey, 59, said around 9 a.m, while watching runners board the buses at Boston Common.

The next year, the family started the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Fund in honor of the medical team that helped Gillian overcome her severe injuries, Audrey said.

Monday’s race is “special,” Audrey said, because the family is now celebrating a decade of the fund, which has raised $30 million for trauma innovation research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

”It’s a day we would undo in a heartbeat, but we created something out of that tragedy that now provides hope and inspiration,” Audrey said.

Wearing bright pink “Stepping Strong” shirts, a group of 151 runners gathered at 9 a.m. outside the Starbucks at the Boston Common to take a final picture before the race.

”We didn’t know when we started if the mission would resonate with anybody, but it’s really provided a purpose for people when they’re running the marathon,” Audrey said. “It unites them and brings them together.”

Gillian, who held a large Stepping Strong sign, said it “means so much” to have such a large team running for the fund.

”It’s so nice to see such a big team show up for us and support our cause,” Gillian said.

Forecast update: Temps looking a tad warmer along marathon route — 10:07 a.m.

By Marianne Mizera

The forecast is now calling for temperatures to be a couple of degrees warmer than expected for the race.

Globe meteorologist Ken Mahan said temps along the race route from Hopkinton to Boston should reach into the mid-60s Monday afternoon, with Greater Boston hitting the 60-degree mark between noon and 2 p.m.

”More clouds cleared out last night than expected, so we can expect more sunshine out of the gate to bump up temperatures a degree or two more,” Mahan said.

The optimal running temperature ranges between 44 and 59 degrees. And that is supported with 70% of the major North American marathon records having been set with temperatures within this range.

Who is Emma Bates? — 10:05 a.m.

Emma Bates is hungry.

Last April, she ran a personal best of 2:22:10, placing fifth in the women’s race at Boston, and was the only American woman to finish in the top 10.

Her time was just shy of Shalane Flanagan’s American women’s record (2:22:02), but Bates, 31, seems to just be gaining momentum. In 2022, she placed seventh at the world championships (2:23:18) and finished eighth in New York (2:26:53).

The competition in the pro women’s field is steep, with defending champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya looking for a repeat, but Bates isn’t someone to count out. The Minnesota native did not compete in the 2024 US Olympic trials due to a foot injury she sustained during the 2023 Chicago Marathon (2:25:04), but she’s in Boston ready to take on the course this Monday.

American runners are in the mix — 10:00 a.m.

The Americans are well in the mix in the women’s race, with Emma Bates — last year’s top American — out front. Sara Hall and Caroline Rotich are also in the lead pack, and defending champion Hellen Obiri is hot on Bates’s heels.

In the men’s race, Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma has broken things open early, stretching his lead at the front of the race to about 15 seconds with Gabriel Geay and Evans Chebet content to sit back in the chase pack.

The first wave of non-elites has taken the course — 10:00 a.m.

Runners with bib numbers 201-7,999 started their races at 10 a.m.

Wave 2 (Bib Nos. 8,000-15,999) will start at 10:25, Wave 3 (16,000-23,999) at 10:50, and Wave 4 (Bib Nos. 24,000-32,399) at 11:15 a.m.

Marcel Hug takes a spill, but he’s still on course record pace — 9:57 a.m.

Near-disaster for Marcel Hug, who took a big tumble as he hung the right turn at the Newton firehouse. The Swiss carried a little too much speed into the right-hander and lost control, crashing into the barriers on the far side; he seems okay, quickly righting his chair and getting back on pace without any further trouble.

He remains on track to break his own course record.

Rainbow-Cooper is holding court at the front of the women’s wheelchair race — 9:53 a.m.

An update on the wheelchair races: 22-year-old Eden Rainbow-Cooper continues to lead the women as she hits the half in 44 minutes, 23 seconds, with Manuela Schär and Madison de Rozario just over a minute behind.

Marcel Hug, meanwhile, looks set for another dominant win as he leads by more than four minutes through the Newton hills.

An update from the elite runners — 9:51 a.m.

Joan Benoit Samuelson gets the women’s open race started, and all four of our professional races are underway. Can anyone stop Hellen Obiri’s stunning start to her marathon career? The deepest women’s field ever will try.

On the men’s side, Yuma Morii has already come back to the back, and it’s Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma — the fastest man in the field by personal best — who has opened a bit of a gap on the pack. He came through two miles in 9 minutes, 19 seconds, with Evans Chebet just a few steps back.

Keeping a legacy alive — 9:50 a.m.

Robert Orell started running when he learned last year that a coworker at the Worcester middle school where he teaches was dying of breast cancer. And he hasn’t stopped running since.

On Monday, Orell is donning the initials of his coworker — Melissa Hathaway — on his jersey as he raced through the streets of Boston. Orell’s parents showed up at the starting line with a large sign saying, “You got this!” As of Monday, Orell had raised $9,300 to be donated to Boston Medical Center cancer research in Hathaway’s honor.

Hathaway died last April after a long bout with breast cancer. Before she died, she cheered for Orell at two smaller races.

”She made such a difference in his life,” said Cathy Orell, his mother. “This is Rob’s way of giving back and keeping her spirit alive.”

The women’s elite race has begun — 9:47 a.m.

Hellen Obiri, Hiwot Gebremaryam, Tadu Teshome, and Des Linden are among the names to watch as the elite runners take the course.

Here are the remaining start times:

9:50 a.m.: Para athletics divisions

10 a.m.: Wave 1

10:25 a.m.: Wave 2

10:50 a.m.: Wave 3

11:15 a.m.: Wave 4

Japan’s Yuma Morii is leading early in the men’s elite race — 9:42 a.m.

The men’s open field is off, and Evans Chebet’s second consecutive title defense begins. The stakes are high for him today, and not just historically — he’s on the outside looking in for a spot on the Kenyan Olympic team for the Paris Games, and a strong performance today could help his chances.

Japan’s Yuma Morii, however, is way out front already. With a personal best more than 10 minutes slower than the favorites, a shock wire-to-wire win seems unlikely and this approach usually goes south — just ask C.J. Albertson .

The men’s elite race is underway — 9:37 a.m.

The runners have hit the course, as Evans Chebet is looking to become the first runner since 2008 to win three straight Boston Marathons.

The women’s elite field will head to the start line in just a few minutes.

What to know about the men’s and women’s elite runners — 9:35 a.m.

No surprises here: the man to beat in the men’s open race is two-time defending champion Evans Chebet, who can become the first runner since Robert Kipkoech Cheiryout in 2008 to make it three in a row. He’ll likely have Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay, Chebet’s biggest challenger last April, for company at the front, as well as Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma, whose 2:01:48 run in Valencia makes him the fastest man in the race by personal best. Kenya’s Cybrian Kotut and Ethiopia’s Haftu Teklu and Shura Kitata are the other sub-2:05 men in the field that could make a run at the front.

Defending champion Hellen Obiri is back, and she’s the favorite in the women’s race coming off back-to-back wins in Boston and New York in 2023. The Olympic silver medalist over 5,000 meters has proven her elite speed translates to a marathon kick, but the deepest women’s field in the Marathon’s history will give her plenty of company; nine women in this race have run under 2:20 — Obiri is yet to crack 2:21 for 26.2 — led by Ethiopians Tadu Teshome (2:17:36) and Hiwot Gebremaryam (2:17:59). But fast runs on a flat course in Valencia, Spain, are a long way from the hills of Boston, and former champions Edna Kiplagat and Caroline Rotich can’t be counted out, either.

The men’s and women’s elite runners are about to get underway — 9:30 a.m.

The men will begin at 9:37, and the women wills tart at 9:47.

Hug has widened the gap, but the women’s field has a new leader — 9:26 a.m.

Marcel Hug is taking control right away in the men’s race, leading by more than a minute as he’s already into Natick after coming through 10K in 15 minutes, 30 seconds. On the women’s side, it’s not Manuela Schär in front; England’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper rolled through 10K in 18 minutes, 43 seconds, with four-time champion Schär more than a minute back along with four other racers in the chase pack.

Hug and Schär are the early leaders in the wheelchair races — 9:15 a.m.

The wheelchair race is off, and there are no surprises at the front. Switzerland’s Marcel Hug is way out front in the men’s race already, blazing through the first three miles (mostly downhill) in 6 minutes, 48 seconds. Fellow Swiss Manuela Schär already has a gap on the women’s side, hitting two miles in 5 minutes, 22 seconds. Both might be after their own course records today.

Runners are gearing up for a ‘26-mile party’ — 9:12 a.m.

Travis Laqua, 41, is 6′4″ but with his leprechaun hat on, he almost hits seven feet.

The Houston native is used to running in the heat, so he knew his velvet green shorts, long green trench coat, and scraggly beard would not deter him during his race in Boston.

”I know I can take the heat,” Laqua said. “Nobody really knows you as a regular runner, but when you’re running in costume, everyone cheers.”

Laqua has run four of his 14 total marathons in costume, decked out as Spider-Man, Superman, the Green Lantern, and the Flash.

”The kids love it,” Laqua said. “I hope I get some support because I came to support Boston.”Laqua plans to enjoy every second of the marathon, and of course, have a drink when he finishes.

”For me, it’s a 26-mile party,” Laqua said. “I hope there’s some beer. I know Bostonians love to drink.”

The women’s elite wheelchair race has begun — 9:05 a.m.

Three minutes after the first starting gun went off, the women’s elite wheelchair field also got the go-ahead.

Now, the folks at the starting line in Hopkinton have about half an hour to prepare for the elite runners.

The 128th Boston Marathon is underway — 9:02 a.m.

And they’re off!

The race kicked off with the men’s elite wheelchair field at 9:02. The women’s elite wheelchair field starts at 9:05, followed by the elite men at 9:37 and the elite women at 9:47.

Ayla Brown sings the anthem, and the flyover takes off — 8:56 a.m.

Today’s anthem singer is Ayla Brown, daughter of former US senator Scott Brown.

Brown is a former basketball player, having played for Boston College from 2006 to 2010. She was also on the fifth season of American Idol.

Two F-35s from the 158th Fighter Wing out of the Vermont Air National Guard are flying from Hopkinton to Boston — it takes approximately 4 minutes.

What to know about the women’s wheelchair field — 8:50 a.m.

By Amin Touri

With defending champion Susannah Scaroni withdrawing ahead of Monday, four-time winner Manuela Schär looks like a favorite to make it a Swiss sweep in the wheelchair races, without either Scaroni or five-time winner Tatyana McFadden for company. Australia’s Madison de Rozario, last year’s runner-up, looks like the biggest threat to Schär, though De Rozario finished 11 minutes off the lead in Schär’s last win in 2022.

What to know about the men’s wheelchair field — 8:45 a.m.

Monday’s first starting gun is reserved for the men’s wheelchair race, and as it’s been for nearly a decade, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug is the man to beat. Hug has broken the tape on Boylston Street six times in the last eight editions of the Boston Marathon, setting multiple course records — including a 1:17:06 finish last year — in dominant fashion.

Among his primary challengers are former winners in American Daniel Romanchuk (2019, 2022) and Canadian Joshua Cassidy (2012), but Hüg remains the favorite.

📸 Photos from across the course — 8:40 a.m.

What to know about the elite fields — 8:35 a.m.

Boston is a tricky puzzle to solve for even the world’s best marathoners — just ask Eliud Kipchoge — but Evans Chebet seems to have cracked the code.

Chebet can win his third consecutive Boston Marathon on Monday, but he’s not short on challengers. Tanzanian Gabriel Geay, who was hot on Chebet’s heels in the closing stages last year, is back for another crack at the crown. The fastest personal best in the field belongs to Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma, who ran a brilliant 2:01:48 in Valencia in December, but who also has a difficult history with Boston; he didn’t finish the race in 2022 and struggled to a 2:22:08 disappointment in 2019.

Hellen Obiri is back to defend her title in the women’s race, looking to extend her incredible start to her road career having won both Boston and New York in 2023 in just her second and third marathons. But there are an incredible 15 women with personal bests faster than Obiri’s 2:21:38, led by Ethiopians Tadu Teshome and Hiwot Gebremariam, who have both dipped under 2:18.

In the wheelchair division, defending champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland will chase his seventh men’s title on Monday. American Susannah Scaroni was set to defend her women’s crown but has withdrawn from the race, opening the door for Manuela Schär as a favorite to win her fifth title.

MIT students bring the energy — 8:25 a.m.

A quiet nervousness settled in the crowd among the throngs of runners rushing to board a yellow school bus at 8 a.m.

But when runners reached bus 16, six volunteers — four on the ground and two hanging out the window — from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Alpha Chi Omega sorority blasted “Dancing Queen,” and cheered.

“We wanted to bring up the energy because everyone seems sleepy,” said Himani Kamineni, 18.

Runners smiled, danced along, and even stopped to take videos as they filtered past.

“This is exactly the music I needed,” one racer shouted as she ran by the table to her bus.

Scenes from the buses at 8 a.m. #BostonMarathon pic.twitter.com/Lg4km6YLXb — Ava Berger (@Ava_Berger_) April 15, 2024

City honors victims of 2013 Marathon bombing — 8:15 a.m.

By Emma Healy

Mayor Michelle Wu and Governor Maura Healey joined survivors and family members of the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing to lay wreaths at the site of the attacks. Monday’s Marathon marks 11 years to the day since two bombs went off near the finish line on Boylston Street, killing Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, and Lingzi Lu, while injuring countless others. Police officer Sean Collier was killed days later in a shootout with one of the men responsible for the attack; Dennis Simmonds also died after being wounded.

A bagpiper played “Amazing Grace” as the procession walked to and from the site of the attack, and a moment of silence was held to honor the victims.

Where it all starts: Hopkinton is celebrating its 100th anniversary as host of the Boston Marathon — 8:00 a.m.

By John Hilliard

Jacques “Jack” LeDuc has seemingly done it all for the Boston Marathon. He painted the starting line each year for 36 years. He’s also a longtime race announcer, calling out the start of each wave of the race, which includes 30,000 runners. He even ran in the race for more than a decade.

“This is the Holy Grail for long-distance running; it’s the granddaddy,” said LeDuc, 73. “I wanted to put the best foot forward for the town and the race itself.”

The transformation from a small town in Boston’s western suburbs into the seeming center of the running universe is a labor of love for locals, who spend months each year preparing for the signature event that has long been central to their community’s identity.

“It just brings the spirit; it’s the ability of a small town to do something for the world,” said Mary Jo LaFreniere, 75, a member of the town’s Select Board and a longtime race volunteer.

For residents of this town of 19,000 west of Boston, where Interstate 495 crosses the Mass Pike, the marathon more than doubles each year on the third Monday of April. Thousands of spectators crowd the starting line near the corner of East Main and Ash streets.

Read more about Hopkinton’s 100th year as the town at the start.

📸 At the Athletes’ Village — 7:50 a.m.

A pep talk for the police escorts — 7:45 a.m.

Lieutenant Colonel John E. Mawn, Jr. as Massachusetts State Police Colonel gives a rousing pep talk to dozens of state police officers gathered near the start line in Hopkinton. They will be escorting the wheelchair athletes and elite runners in a convoy of SUVs. “We all know what happened here before - and we want to make sure it doesn’t ever happen again,” Mawn told the officers, referring to the 2013 bombing.

Here’s your latest Marathon forecast — 7:35 a.m.

It’s shaping up to be a fantastic spring day from sunrise to sunset.

You can plan on mostly to partly sunny skies wherever you are along the race route , with temperatures starting the day in the low 50s pre-race (the men’s wheelchair division kicks off the race at 9:02 a.m.) and quickly rising to the low to mid-60s by noon in Greater Boston — a bit on the warm side for runners.

But there will be a slight breeze from the west/northwest throughout the day — a barely noticeable 5 to 12 miles per hour to spectators but a helpful tailwind for runners. Also, the passing of showers across New England Sunday night has welcomed dry air into the area, knocking humidity values down to 30% to 60%, which should keep runners comfortable.

Other than a few leftover small puddles, all signs point to a wonderful day, starting with the men’s wheelchair race at 9:02 a.m.

If you’re heading to a particular point along the marathon route, here’s a town-by-town course forecast to see how Monday’s weather plays out during prime viewing and racing event times.

How much money do you get if you win the Boston Marathon? — 7:25 a.m.

By Sam Robb O’Hagan

Beyond the prestige of winning an iconic race, the Boston Marathon pays pretty well, too — $150,000, to be exact.

That’s how much the first man and woman in the open division to cross the finish line on Boylston Street will take home on Monday. Second place gets $75,000.

Money is awarded to the 10 highest finishers, with 10th taking home $5,500.

The winners of the wheelchair division will win $40,000 apiece. Second earns $25,000 down to 10th, which awards $1,500.

A behind-the-scenes tradition — 7:10 a.m.

One of the cool Marathon traditions you only get to see if you’re at the media center early: The BAA and Fairmont Copley Plaza staff gather to celebrate the elite runners as the head to the buses.

Huge cheers for Meb, the 2014 winner, who is running for charity today.

One of the cool @bostonmarathon traditions you get to see if you get here super early: BAA and Copley Fairmont staff gather to celebrate the elite runners as they head to the buses. Huge cheers for @runmeb , the 2014 winner, who is running for charity today. pic.twitter.com/qLNn7ZhZG3 — Katie McInerney (@k8tmac) April 15, 2024

This year’s field is incredibly fast. Find out how many qualifiers were turned away. — 7:00 a.m.

By Molly Farrar

The Boston Athletic Association turned away a record number of applications for the 2024 Boston Marathon, and runners who got one of the coveted spots at the starting line were more than five minutes faster than the qualifying time for their age and gender group.

The BAA said more than 33,000 qualified participants applied for the race, and they ended up turning away 11,039 qualifying runners. The 22,019 who will be running on Marathon Monday were faster than their age and gender group’s qualifying time by at least 5 minutes and 29 seconds.

See the qualifying times broken down by age and gender here.

At times, marathoning and motherhood have been at odds. At this year’s Marathon, it’ll be anything but. — 6:45 a.m.

By Tara Sullivan

Sitting under a New Hampshire sky, Fiona English was joyous. Taking in the recent eclipse, celebrating the first birthday of her son Alder, anticipating her first Boston Marathon, it felt, she said, “like the end of my story.

“I can run my victory lap around Boston.”

A little over a year ago, from her home in London, English was feeling anything but joy. She’d posted a public letter to the Boston Marathon that quickly went viral, in which she shared details of her failed attempt to get a deferral due to pregnancy. She’d been denied by a Boston Athletic Association still constrained by an outdated policy, one that made no exception for pregnancy, despite, in this case, English’s due date falling just two days before the race, leaving it both unwise and unsafe for her to travel and run.

In credit to the BAA, change came quickly. A policy shift, the organization said, was mere dotted I’s and crossed T’s away from being done, soon granting pregnant entrants who would prefer to defer two additional years to use their qualifying time, with an additional opportunity to extend by another year if they get pregnant a second time in that span.

One year later, English is back, a 17-time marathoner and ultra-distance runner determined, she said, “to be on the start line where history is made.”

Read more about marathoners who are mothers here.

They call 26.TRUE the ‘real’ Boston marathon. Here’s why. — 6:35 a.m.

By Tiana Woodard and Laura Crimaldi

When Jeremy Guevara ran the Boston Marathon in 2022, one thought got stuck in his head as he jogged through suburban towns: “I wasn’t even supposed to be there.”

Everything about Guevara, a first-generation Latino weighing 250 pounds, stood out amid the sea of mostly white, lanky athletes trekking through Hopkinton, Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline.

“You don’t want to feel that way, especially when you’re already doing something really hard,” Guevara said.

The unmissable fact that the Boston Marathon is overwhelmingly white helped fuel the creation of the race Guevara ran this weekend over the more historic one: 26.TRUE, a marathon course entirely within the city of Boston that organizers and advocates say is crucial to ensuring that people of color see long distance running as a viable and welcoming sport.

Boston Marathon wave start times and schedule — 6:25 a.m.

By Eli Cloutier

What time does the 2024 Boston Marathon start? The nearly 30,000-person field will begin the race in staggered waves.

First come the fastest participants: The professional wheelchair racers and elite men and women. Then, it’s on to the athletes who qualified or are raising money for charity.

Here is a look at the start and projected finish times for Monday’s race.

• 9:02 a.m.: Men’s wheelchair
• 9:05 a.m.: Women’s wheelchair
• 9:30 a.m.: Handcycle and duo teams
• 9:37 a.m.: Professional men
• 9:47 a.m.: Professional women
• 9:50 a.m.: Para athletics division
• 10:00 a.m.: Wave 1 (Bib Nos. 201-7,999)
• 10:25 a.m.: Wave 2 (Bib Nos. 8,000-15,999)
• 10:50 a.m.: Wave 3 (Bib Nos. 16,000-23,999)
• 11:15 a.m.: Wave 4 (Bib Nos. 24,000-32,999)

Got blisters and hideous toenails? Welcome to Marathon training. — 6:15 a.m.

By Beth Teitell

There’s the marathon swag that everyone recognizes — medals, bibs, T-shirts. Then there are the other trophies, earned during the long slog of training and admired by only insiders.

Toenails so black they’d unsettle an equine podiatrist. Chafing intense enough to inspire a new shade of lipstick. Blisters as angry as Trump.

Charity runner Indu Manikkam wears her self-described “badge of honor” on her feet, in the form of hard, dead skin. With sandal season coming up, non-runner friends are urging a pedicure, but they don’t understand.

“I like calluses,” said Manikkam, who is raising money for Special Olympics Massachusetts.

Running can be so beautiful, so inspirational, so “Chariots of Fire” — graceful young men running along the water’s edge as a stirring theme song rises. In Hollywood, in poem, and often in real life, to run is to overcome adversity, to strive for your best in a harsh world, to help raise money that makes a difference in people’s lives.

But civilians be warned: the sport also has a less glamorous side. Come Boston Marathon weekend, if you find yourself chatting with a runner, no matter how desperate for small talk you are, do not ask about the toll training takes on the body.

The convoys to Hopkinton take off — 6:10 a.m.

By Matt Pepin

They’re on the way.

Drivers on the Massachusetts Turnpike early Monday morning likely passed convoys of school buses heading toward Boston. Cities and towns around Eastern Massachusetts send fleets of buses to Boston Common to pick up runners and transport them to Hopkinton for the start of the Boston Marathon.

With many schools on spring vacation this week, buses are freed up to assist with getting runners out to the starting line.

According to the Boston Athletic Association, there are 29,451 athletes headed for Hopkinton Monday. The waves of starters in the 2024 Boston Marathon begins at 9:02 a.m. with the men’s wheelchair division, followed at 9:05 a.m. by the women’s wheelchair division.

The men’s professional runners field starts at 9:37, followed by the women at 9:47 a.m., then para athletes at 9:50. The first full wave of runners goes at 10 a.m.

What to know about the Marathon television broadcast — 6:00 a.m.

By Sofia Garrett

Ch. 5 in Boston (WCVB) is covering the race for the second year, alongside ESPN.

Ch. 5 coverage began at 4 a.m. and continues through a 7:30 p.m. special edition of Chronicle.

Until 8:30 a.m., the EyeOpener newscast will offer pre-race information from Hopkinton, the finish line, the Athletes’ Village, and Copley Square.

ESPN’s coverage begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs through 12:30 p.m. SportsCenter anchor John Anderson will call the professional race alongside analyst Carrie Tollefson, a 2004 Olympian, and Paralympic medalist Amanda McGrory, who has also raced in Boston.

WCVB anchors Ed Harding and Maria Stephanos and ESPN SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm will supply commentary from the finish line.

Starting at 12:30 p.m., when the broadcast ends on ESPN, Ch. 5 personalities will provide post-race coverage, including runner interviews from Boylston Street.

WCVB’s coverage of the race will also air on WMUR (Manchester, N.H.), WMTW (Portland, Me.), and WPTZ (Burlington, Vt., and Plattsburgh, N.Y.).

Learn more about the broadcast and how to livestream here.

Why does the Boston Marathon start in Hopkinton? — 5:45 a.m.

By Khari Thompson

A short walk away from the Ashland commuter rail stop lies Marathon Park, where a blue sign with gold letters and the image of runners captured mid-stride stands to greet visitors.

“Ashland,” the sign reads. “It all started here.”

The Boston Marathon began in 1897, but the starting line didn’t move from Ashland to neighboring Hopkinton until 1924.

“One hundred years ago this April was the last time the race started in Ashland,” said Tim Kilduff, president of the 26.2 Foundation.

The starting line’s current location is a short distance west of where it was when runners took off from Ashland’s Metcalf’s Mill during Boston’s first marathon.

So, why is the line in Hopkinton now? The answer, like the inspiration for the race itself, has Olympic roots.

Today’s weather forecast — 5:30 a.m.

By Dave Epstein

It’s looking like the weather is going to fully cooperate — sunny and warmer, in the low 60s — on Monday for the tens of thousands of runners set to hit the pavement and the spectators cheering them on.

If there was one issue with the forecast? It’s going to be a little bit warm for runners but nearly perfect for spectators. Runners tend to like temperatures in the 40s to around 50 degrees, preferably with some clouds and some wind. That would be an ideal sort of day.

Driving rain or unusual heat would obviously be unfavorable. We will have neither of those this year.

On average, it’s in the lower 50s at sunrise when many of the athletes are arriving in Hopkinton and ends up in the low to mid-60s by afternoon. This year will be pretty close to that. I expect temperatures to be right around that 50-degree mark when the sun comes up at 6 a.m. and around 61 or 62 by noontime.

See Epstein’s full Marathon Monday forecast here.

Celeb sighting: Your notable race participants — 5:15 a.m.

By Shannon Larson

From world-famous elite runners to those supporting a worthy cause, tens of thousands of athletes from across the globe will be participating in the Boston Marathon this year, winding their way through the 26.2-mile course that runs from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.

Among those likely to stand out in the packed field — and possibly catch the eyes of attendees — are a handful of notable names. The high-profile participants include previous champions, beloved sports stars, and recognizable faces from television. Meanwhile, former Patriots tight end and fan-favorite Rob Gronkowski will serve as this year’s grand marshal.

Here are some of the well-known participants in the 2024 Boston Marathon.

Happy Marathon Monday! Welcome to the Globe’s live updates. — 5:00 a.m.

By Katie McInerney, Globe Staff

There’s nothing like Marathon Monday. By the time the finish line at Boylston Street is dismantled tonight, more than 30,000 people will have conquered the 26.2-mile course.

The Globe has been there every step of the way, from the inaugural race in 1987 to the tragic ending of 2013. Today, we’ll offer you live coverage with reporters spread out from Hopkinton to the finish line. Follow along with us for instant race updates and results from the wheelchair and elite participants, and stick around for those stories we all know and love: The runners who push past the blisters, busted toenails, and cramps to achieve the ultimate victory — finishing the race.

Amin Touri can be reached at [email protected] . Emma can be reached at [email protected] or on X @_EmmaHealy_ . Katie McInerney can be reached at [email protected] . Follow her @k8tmac . Ethan Fuller can be reached at [email protected] .