It’s Patriots’ Day in Boston, which means it’s time for another edition of the world’s oldest annual marathon.
More than 30,000 runners are making their way from Hopkinton, Massachusetts to Boyleston Street in downtown Boston today for the 129th running of the Boston Marathon. For many amateur marathoners, it’s a momentous occasion – a chance to cross an iconic race off their running bucket lists. And for many pros, it’s an opportunity to win one of the most prestigious events in the sport.
The professional field features both of last year’s champions − Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma and Hellen Obiri of Kenya, who is the two-time defending champion − as well as several elite marathoners hoping to win it for the first time.
An American woman has not won the Boston Marathon since Des Linden in 2018, and the U.S. men’s drought goes back even further to 2014.
Here’s everything you need to know as the 2025 Boston Marathon unfolds:
Defending men’s champ Sisay Lemma drops out
ESPN reported that defending Boston Marathon champion Sisay Lemma pulled over to the side of the course before the 30-kilometer mark and has dropped out of the men’s race.
The Ethiopian had the fastest personal best in the men’s field, having run a 2:01:48 in Valencia, Spain in 2023.
Boston Marathon leaders, live updates and results
Here are the latest leaderboards from the Boston Marathon this morning:
Men’s professional (through 21 miles)
1. John Korir, Kenya: 1:39:40
T-2. Cybrian Kotut, Kenya: 1:39:58
T-2. Conner Mantz, USA: 1:39:58
T-2. Muktar Edris, Ethiopia: 1:39:58
T-2. Alphonce Felix Simbu, Tanzania: 1:39:58
Women’s professional (at 25k)
Lead pack: 5 runners at 1:21:22 at 25k, including Hellen Obiri (Kenya), Amane Beriso (Ethiopia), Irine Cheptai (Kenya), Sharon Lokedi (Kenya) and Yalemzerf Yehualaw (Ethiopia)
Chase pack: 9 runners, including Annie Frisbie (USA), are 1:32 behind the leaders
Men’s wheelchair (final)
1. Marcel Hug, Switzerland: 1:21:34
2. Daniel Romanchuk, United States: 1:25:58
3. Jetze Plat, Netherlands: 1:30:16
Women’s wheelchair (final)
1. Susannah Scaroni, United States: 1:35:20
2. Catherine Debrunner, Switzerland: 1:37:26
3. Manuela Schar, Switzerland: 1:39:18
Track Boston Marathon runners online
If you’re trying to keep tabs on a specific runner, visit BAA.org and search for them by name, bib number or group.
You can also download the Boston Athletic Association’s mobile app and track runners that way.
Where to watch the Boston Marathon: TV channel, streaming
ESPN2 has live television coverage of the 2025 Boston Marathon from 9 a.m. ET to 12:30 p.m. ET, with simultaneous coverage on the network’s streaming platform, ESPN+.
Stream the Boston Marathon on ESPN+
Marcel Hug wins eighth men’s wheelchair title at Boston Marathon
Was there ever really any doubt?
For the eighth time in 10 years, the men’s wheelchair race at the Boston Marathon has the same champion: Marcel Hug of Switzerland. Hug jumped out to a lead of more than a minute by the halfway point of the race and cruised to another win, crossing the finish line with a time of 1 hour, 21 minutes and 34 seconds.
Daniel Romanchuk of the United States, who is the only man to have beaten Hug in Boston over the past decade, finished a distant second, more than four minutes behind.
Susannah Scaroni claims second women’s wheelchair title in three years
The women’s wheelchair race at the Boston Marathon also proved to be fairly anticlimactic, with Team USA’s Suannah Scaroni pulling away in the back half and winning by a healthy margin. Her time of 1:35:20 was two minutes better than runner-up Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland.
Scaroni, who earned four medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, has now won two of the past three editions of the Boston Marathon.
Des Linden announces retirement after today’s Boston Marathon
American marathoner Des Linden, who was the most recent U.S. runner to win the Boston Marathon in 2018, announced that she will be retiring from the distance after today’s race.
“People say you should go out on top, and that’s what I’m doing − because getting to race my final professional marathon in Boston is indeed going out on top,” Linden wrote on Instagram. “I’m ready to leave it all out on the course one last time. See you on Boylston. Thanks for all the years and all the cheers.”
Brooks, the running company that sponsors Linden, told industry news outlet Runner’s World that the 41-year-old is retiring from pro marathoning but not running altogether. She will instead shift to ultramarathons and trail races.
Linden has long been one of the United States’ top marathon runners, with three world marathon medals to her name. She also competed twice at the Summer Olympics, competing in the marathon in both 2012 and 2016.
How do you qualify for the Boston Marathon?
The short answer is that you have to first run a different marathon and hit the qualifying standard determined by the Boston Athletic Association. The qualifying times vary based on gender and age group, but for those under 50, it means running a marathon in 3 hours, 25 minutes or better (for men) or 3:55 (for women and non-binary runners).
Given the incredible amount of interest in the Boston Marathon, however, it’s not just about clearing the qualifying benchmark for your age/gender. The BAA said 12,324 qualified applicants for the 2025 race were turned away, with only the fastest in each division being accepted.
The 2026 Boston Marathon qualifying times have already been posted. They’re 5 minutes faster than this year’s times.
Boston Marathon route, map
The race begins at the starting line in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. It takes runners on a scenic journey through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline before ending in downtown Boston, at the iconic finish line on Boylston Street.
Tribute to Al Trautwig
A brief tribute to Al Trautwig, a longtime Boston Marathon commentator, was played during the broadcast of the race.
Trautwig, who was a mainstay for Olympics coverage, the MSG Network and several other sports, died in February at age 68.
When did the 2025 Boston Marathon start?
It depends on the race. The starting gun went off for the professional men at 9:37 a.m., followed by the women at 9:47 a.m. But there were other starts before, and there will be others after, as well.
The first athletes to hit the course were the men’s and women’s wheelchair racers, who started at 9:06 a.m. and 9:09 a.m., respectively. The start for handcycles and duos was at 9:30 a.m. ET. And after the pros got going, para athletes (9:50 a.m. ET start) and four waves of amateurs followed.
Who are the favorites to win the Boston Marathon?
There is no shortage of contenders in both the men’s and women’s fields.
On the women’s side, the favorite is probably Hellen Obiri. The 35-year-old is still relatively new to marathoning but has quickly established herself as a force. She’s won each of the previous two editions of the Boston Marathon and could become the first woman to three-peat since Fatuma Roba, who won in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
On the men’s side, Sisay Lemma is the defending champion, but Evans Chebet of Kenya won back-to-back Boston Marathons before that. And don’t sleep on American Conner Mantz, who placed eighth in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics and is probably the United States’ best shot at a podium spot.
How to wrap your head around the miles, pacing of a marathon
The Boston Marathon, like all other marathons, is 26.2 miles. Visualizing that distance can be as simple as thinking of a local landmark a mile from your home and imagining what it would be like to run there and back 13 times.
Calculating marathon finish times and pace requires a bit more math. But to give you an idea of how fast the pros are going: The men’s winners over the past five years have all crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 10 minutes or less. That works out to an average pace below 5 minutes per mile.
Contributing: Stephen Beard, Elizabeth Flores and Steve Gardner
