Boston Marathon 2015: Route, Course Map, Times, Road Closures and Event Details
One of the world's favorite marathons is back for another installment on Monday, April 20, as the Boston Marathon is set to get underway for the 119th time in the heart of one of the most historic cities in the United States.
The Greater Boston Area will be graced by thousands of runners on Patriots' Day, as is the case every year. Beginning in 1897, this race is the world's oldest annual marathon. It's fitting that it takes place in a historic city.
A very difficult race because of the dreaded Newton Hills near Boston College, this event is not for inexperienced runners. It's a challenging course that will push competitors to the limit.
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There's a lot to take in for a marathon of this magnitude, so be sure to continue on to get an idea of everything you need to know for the event.
Start Time
Not all runners are released from the starting line at the same time. A full list of start times is below:
| 8:50 a.m. | Mobility Impaired Start |
| 9:17 a.m. | Push-Rim Wheelchair Start |
| 9:22 a.m. | Handcycle Start |
| 9:32 a.m. | Elite Women’s Start |
| 10 a.m. | Elite Men's and Wave One Start |
| 10:25 a.m. | Wave Two Start |
| 10:50 a.m. | Wave Three Start |
| 11:15 a.m. | Wave Four Start |
| 6:30 p.m. | Boston Marathon Official Post Race Party |
Weather Forecast
The likelihood of sunny skies and high temperatures isn't great for Monday, as AccuWeather.com's Kevin Byrne writes:
"Monday will be a brisk, cloudy day with temperatures mainly in the 40s at the start of the race, AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Dave Dombek said. Daytime highs will have a hard time getting above 50 F, but there will also be a chance for a steady rain during the race, he added."
Despite a lack of sun, running in the rain should serve as a refreshing change of pace for those used to running in the heat.
TV Coverage
CBS Boston's WBZ-TV will broadcast the event locally beginning at 7 a.m. ET on the day of the race. You can check out Universal Sports at 8:30 a.m. ET on the day of the race if you aren't able to pick up the local station. You can also go to UniversalSports.com to watch digitally.
Route and Course Map
The Boston Marathon's route doesn't change much from year to year (if at all), so take a look at the below course map to get the gist of what historical sites around Boston runners will see along the way:
Among the notable places include rural New England, Beacon Street, the John Hancock Tower in Copley Square, etc.
Road Closures
Naturally, an event as large as the Boston Marathon requires much of the city to shut down for a good amount of time. Luckily, Boston.com has all the expected road closings for the day of the event.
Mens' Favorite
Meb Keflezighi made history last year as the first American man to win the Boston Marathon since 1983. Now 39, he'll look to fight off Father Time and repeat as champion.
When he won the race at 38, he was the oldest elite runner in the field by roughly three years. He won in 2:08:37, defeating Kenyan Wilson Chebet by 11 seconds.
A repeat performance is certainly in the cards. But will he be able to overcome his age? He'll be 40 on May 5, and few marathoners can compete successfully at that age. He told NESN.com that he plans on retiring in 2016 or 2017, as well as why runners seeking improvement keep him motivated:
"I get inspired to get the best out of myself, so when people are struggling to break four and a half hours or five hours, I feel very fortunate they have my back. So I can still push the envelope for as long as I can with my age to get the best out of myself.
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There are several international runners in the field capable of running around 2:05:00, but the extra competition should help Keflezighi run better than he did in 2014.
Women's Favorite
The women's field is wide open. If you have to pick one runner, though, go with Amy Hastings Cragg.
The Boston Globe's Shira Springer writes that Cragg has been practicing on the route since early March, which should give her an advantage when race day rolls around. Cragg told Springer why it's so helpful:
"I feel like I know the area, which is weird because I’ve never known the area where I’m running a marathon. I feel like I know what I need to have left in my legs at every point in the race. That’s hugely helpful. I’m racing against mostly women who have done this before and I haven’t. So, I needed to get out there on the course to even the playing field.
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It's not your traditional home-court advantage, so to speak, as Cragg actually commutes about an hour each weekend from her home in East Providence to train. But it's still an advantage that many runners can't say they have.
She scratched herself from last year's race because of a lack of training, so it's obvious that she has gone the extra mile (no pun intended) to prepare for this race. That should result in a victory.
Note: All information, unless otherwise noted, via BAA.org.
Kenny DeJohn is a Breaking News Team Featured Columnist. Follow him on Twitter.
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