Boston Marathon 2015: Date, Latest Weather Forecast, TV Schedule and Route Info

Bring an umbrella for the 119th running of the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20 as defending champion Meb Keflezighi seeks to defend his crown in potential slick conditions.

A difficult, winding course will take runners past notable landmarks such as the John Hancock Tower and Newton Hills while most of the city and its closed streets cheer on the contestants in an event dating back to 1897.

While potential rain casts a shadow over things, it's an obstacle the participants will meet head-on in one of the nation's most anticipated events.

Below, let's take a look at how to catch the action and the latest forecast.

Viewing Information for Monday, April 20 

Local

When: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. ET

TV: WBZ-TV

National

When: 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ET

TV: Universal Sports Network

UniversalSports.com will also offer a live stream of the event for those on the go.

Weather Forecast and Preview

Steven Senne/Associated Press

About the weather:

Over at Weather.com, there is a 100 percent chance of rain Monday. Now for the good news—things don't figure to pick up until later on in the day.

WBZ-TV meteorologist Barry Burbank breaks down the latest updates at Boston.CBSLocal.com:

"

I think that some mist or sprinkles could be developing at the start line in Hopkinton between 9 and 10 o’clock. The temperature will rise just a few degrees to the middle 40s as the east-southeasterly wind freshens to 10-20 MPH.

Current projections show a few hundredths to one tenth of an inch of rain across most of the race route up to 2 p.m. After that, the rain will become steadier and heavier with 0.3 to 0.4 of an inch falling between 2 and 8 p.m.

"

Barring dramatic changes in the speed of storm systems, rain seems to be a given for the participants. As Burbank noted, changes already altered the forecast from dry to wet in recent days.

About the marathon itself:

BAA.org provides an image of the route. The extensive course begins on Main Street in Hopkinton and makes its way down Route 16 through Commonwealth and the infamous Newton Hills before the big finish in Copley Square.

BostonTweet shares an interesting bit of perspective on the event:

Among those participants is Keflezighi, who has his eyes set on being the first repeat champion since 1978-80. The winner of an Olympic silver medal in 2004, Keflezighi is quick to point out nobody gave him much of a shot last year, either.

“Last year, nobody had good chances for me to win,” Keflezighi said, per NBCSports.com's Nick Zaccardi. “I think the chances are higher, at least according to others, this year than it was last year.”

On the women's side of things, American Shalane Flanagan is the name to watch after a strong finish last year. As she told FloTrack, though, parity seems rampant at the top this year:

It's a fair assessment of a tradition continuing to draw the elite from around the globe, thanks to its status and degree of difficulty.

Sprinkle in a bit of rain, if not more, given weather's ability to change without warning, and Monday's event figures to be one for the ages.

Info courtesy of BAA.org unless otherwise specified.