Heartbreak Hill, the infamous steep section of the marathon course along mile 20 in Newton, is infamous for pushing runners to their absolute limits of exhaustion and bodily suffering. Halfway up the hill, operating out of a truck and a tent, was a group of volunteers helping give them the energy to keep moving.

Major Keith Jakey, a volunteer with the Salvation Army from Portland, Maine, along with other Salvation workers, manned an aid tent for athletes cresting the marathon’s most famous slope.

The Salvation Army helps service race volunteers between miles 14 and 19 who provide runners with assistance throughout the race, and is part of a years-long partnership between the BAA and The Salvation Army, Jakey said.

“It’s just our privilege to come up and help with the first responders and also serve the people along the route .. [and the] people watching,” Jakey said, explaining that the organization helps distribute food and beverages to tired runners as well as hotdogs and other snacks for spectators who came out to enjoy the warm raceday.

“Our goal is just to help those people in need, whatever it means,” Jakey said.

He said his favorite part of race day is watching the first racers in the wheelchair division tackle the hill.

“Just seeing the energy that they have to get up the hill … it’s nice to see the people just cheering on people,” Jakey said. “You don’t see this often.”

-Bryan Hecht and Sam Shipman

Matt James, star of The Bachelor Season 25 and the show’s first black male lead, showed up in Hopkinton to race the marathon equipped with a special gadget. James, running as an ABC correspondent, the network that hosts The Bachelor, was fitted with Ray Band Meta AI smart glasses, which he will use to record his run. 

“I’ll be giving people at home a POV from runners on the actual race course,” James said in an interview with The Beacon. 

This is James’ first Boston marathon, and follows his participation in other high-profile athletic events like the 2022 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

“This is one of the most historical races there is in the world … everyone has their own journey and story of how they got here,” James said, “We put our differences aside for a day and everyone cheers for everybody, and it’s just it’s a beautiful day,” James said.

He finished the race in a time of 3:36:54, coming across the Boylston finish line to cheers from the crowd.

-Bryan Hecht and Sam Shipman

Of the 30,000-plus competitors who ran, pushed, or wheeled their way across 26.2 miles, four emerged victorious.

Marcel Hug won a historic eighth championship in the men’s wheelchair division, finishing in 1:21:34. He capped off his second three-peat, having come out on top in 2023 and 2024, and continued a dominant stretch that began in 2015.

Susannah Scaroni claimed her second Boston Marathon win in the women’s wheelchair division, finishing with a time of 1:35:20. She last won the race in 2023 with a time of 1:41:45.

Kenya’s John Korir claimed the men’s elite division title with a time of 2:04:45. He joins his brother, Wesley (2012), as a Boston Marathon champion, making the duo the first brothers to win the race.

Kenyan Sharon Lokedi won the women’s elite division and broke the course record for the Boston race by over two and a half minutes with a time of 2:17:22. This record-breaking feat will earn her a $50,000 bonus in addition to the standard $150,000 prize.

–Jordan Pagkalinawan and Bryan Hecht

Kenyan long-distance runner John Korir won the men’s elite division of the 129th Boston Marathon in a time of 2:04:45. This is his first Boston marathon win following previous finishes in fourth and ninth place in this race. He also will now join his brother, Wesley Korir, who won in 2012, as a Boston Marathon champion, making them the first siblings to do so.

-Bryan Hecht

Curtis Anderson got ready near the start line in Hopkinton with wheelchair athlete Chris Kemp from Corpus Christi, Texas. The pair is at the marathon representing Team Hoyt, a running group that supports the Hoyt Foundation non-profit for young people with disabilities, one of the Boston Marathon’s most recognizable fundraising organizations. They said they are running today to promote inclusivity for adaptive athletes. 

“Chris has been all over the place, and he travels the country … but this is just spectacular,” Anderson said. “Boston really brings it out for this race … the camaraderie of people, the caliber of athletes, I think the town really promotes it, gets involved, and makes it exciting for us to come.”

Kemp travels across the country, custom-fitted to display the many races he’s competed in. Racing in a range of 5ks to Ironmans- today Kemp will take on the Boston Marathon. 

Beth Ann James is also a Team Hoyt athlete from Crested View, Colorado. 

She said she ran the marathon in 2000, but it will be special to run this year alongside wheelchair athlete Liza James.

“But this year, thanks to Team Hoyt, I’m honored to be participating with Liza,” Beth James said.

-Sam Shipman and Bryan Hecht

Susannah Scaroni, who won the 2023 Boston Marathon women’s wheelchair division, has won this year’s race with a time of 1:35:20.

–Jordan Pagkalinawan

“The Silver Bullet” has done it again. Marcel Hug has won his eighth Boston Marathon wheelchair division race—and third consecutive—with a time of 1:21:34. Hug won last year’s Boston Marathon with a world record of 1:15:33.

–Jordan Pagkalinawan

Thousands of runners descended on the Boston Marathon at 10 a.m. as the first of four waves hit the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.

One if by land, two if by the Boston Marathon.

After his midnight ride Saturday evening, Paul Revere rode through the 129th Boston Marathon.

The women’s elite race at the 129th Boston Marathon has begun. Follow along as elite athletes hit the pavement in Hopkinton.

The men’s elite race is underway at the 129th Boston Marathon. The race is projected to end just before noon.

The men’s and women’s elite wheelchair races led the 129th Boston Marathon just after 9 a.m. Monday morning.

The famous Blue Man group arrived at the starting line in Hopkinton early Monday morning. The Group did some marathon-themed performances for WCVB’s morning broadcast. Through their silly and playful act, the Group was a pleasant surprise for the viewers tuning in early for the race.

– Sam Shipman

Melisa Mcweeny, from Connecticut, came to Boston for the weekend to be a volunteer. Bus loading has begun in the Boston Common. Hundreds of runners go through security/ gear check before being loaded onto hundreds of school buses.

–Arthur Mansavage

In the early hours of Marathon Monday, workers hammered out the finishing touches before the marathon, placing dozens of fences along the race route. 

From Natick to Hopkinton, different crews started to block off roads, working quickly to facilitate the safety of the path and blocking off areas that would send cars onto the route. 

Bikers participating in the tradition of riding the route the night before continued up and down the route just hours before the actual race kicked off. 

–-Sam Shipman

On Monday, nearly 32,000 runners and an estimated half million spectators will descend on Massachusetts for the 129th Boston Marathon. 

The race begins in rural Hopkinton and ends on Boylston Street in front of the Boston Public Library in historic Back Bay. There are runners from 127 countries and all 50 states. 

2025 Boston Marathon Start Times

• • Military March: 6:00 a.m
  • Men’s Wheelchair: 9:06 a.m.
  • Women’s Wheelchair: 9:09 a.m.
  • Handcycles & Duos: 9:30 a.m.
  • Professional Men: 9:37 a.m.
  • Professional Women: 9:47 a.m.
  • Para Athletics Division: 9:50 a.m.
  • Wave 1: 10:00 a.m.
  • Wave 2: 10:25 a.m.
  • Wave 3: 10:50 a.m.
  • Wave 4: 11:15 a.m.
    
    

Read the full story here to learn about road and MBTA closures, and how to watch online and in person.

The Boston Marathon’s wheelchair division will mark a historic 50th anniversary Monday. On April 21, 1975, Watertown native Bob Hall became the first wheelchair user to compete in the race, crossing the finish line in two hours and 58 minutes.

Eden Rainbow-Cooper, an English paralympic athlete who won last year’s women’s wheelchair division race in 1:35:11, said competing in the 50th anniversary means “everything” to her.

“50 years of wheelchair racing [in] Boston, that’s over twice my lifetime—which seems crazy to think about,” she said in an interview with The Beacon. “To be here 50 years on and to see the legacy that has come down with that … it’s truly just a testament to how incredible wheelchair racing is and how incredible these athletes have been.”

Read the full story here.

On one of the hottest days so far this year, Boston Marathon Fan Fest is the place to be for anyone in town for the race, runners and non runners alike. 

“Fan Fest really has more of a community feel to it,” Katie Hawkes, director of brand and experiential marketing at the Boston Athletic Association, said to the Boston Globe. “Even if you’re not running the Boston Marathon, there’s something for everyone.” 

Located at City Hall Plaza, Fan Fest is set up until 8 p.m. tonight, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow, Sunday, April 20. Along with live music, food, and marathon-themed merchandise, Citgo Road to Fun Zone includes crafts, games, mini-fitness stations and cheer-card decorating for kids. The Fest is free and open to the public.

Pro athlete appearances include Emma Bates, an American marathon runner from Minnesota. Bates’ personal best time was 2:22:10 at the 2023 Boston Marathon, finishing fifth overall and first of the American women, notching her the second fastest time by an American woman in history at Boston. After suffering a foot injury in late 2023, Bates had to miss the 2024 Olympic trials and fell to twelfth in last year’s Boston race, with 2:27:14. However, this year, Bates is back and ready to podium, feeling on top of the world fitness-wise.

“I feel like I’m really myself right now and I’m going to unleash it on Monday,” Bates told Citius Mag on Friday, April 18.

The Emerson College Police Department are advising students of road closures along Boylston Street and potential travel delays related to the 129th Boston Marathon this weekend.

Chief Robert Casagrande said in an emailed statement sent Friday afternoon that racers will be loaded onto buses along Charles Street “between 6:45 and 9:30 a.m.” Monday.

“Community members may experience delays when traveling in the city, both on foot and by public transportation,” he added.  “The race organizer and Boston Police have developed several guidelines to ensure the health and safety of spectators and runners.”

The announcement also reminded community members that there are no classes due to Patriots Day. As a result, exterior doors to campus buildings will be secured all day.

“Every community member will have tap access to enter all campus buildings and campus security will be on post. Dining Hall access will be through the 25 Boylston Place Entrance,” the announcement added.

Questions and concerns should be directed to ECPD at (617) 824-8555.