125th Boston Marathon kicks off – Boston 25 News

HOPKINTON, Mass .– After a year and a half of hiatus, the Boston Marathon will begin in just a few hours. The 125th run of the 26.2 mile race has a lot of changes.

First of all, there will be 10,000 fewer runners this year. No village of athletes, no vendors and no spectators. But the runners are eager to cross this starting line, including two brothers whose last marathon they would like to forget.

“In 2018 we raced Boston together on this cold day,” said Scott Mumford. “I had hypothermia and Brett helped me finish, and it was terrible.”

“And I said just stay on my right hip,” said Brett Mumford. “Concentrate. I’ll keep you there with me. And let’s keep stepping one foot in front of the other. Keep moving and we’ll get there.”

Other changes with today’s marathon is the increase in earlier start times. The men’s wheelchair starts at 8:02 a.m., with the women starting three minutes later. Then the professional men’s race starts at 8.37am, the women at 8.45am. The rest of the peloton will have a slippery start at 9am.

These changes must continue to ensure the safety of all. All runners had to provide their vaccination record or a negative test 72 hours before the race. Due to the small terrain, around 30,000 runners participate in a virtual marathon.

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