Watch Nathan Martin win the 2026 LA Marathon in a last-second sprint
In the closest finish in LA Marathon history, 36-year-old high school coach Nathan Martin sprinted to the line and won by 0.18 seconds.
In dominating fashion, John Korir of Kenya has repeated as men’s champion in the 2026 Boston Marathon.
Following a strategy similar to the one that carried him to last year’s crown, Korir surged into the lead around the 20-mile point and opened up a huge lead on his closest competitors. He finished in a course record 2:01:52.
The women’s division has been much more closely contested with a lead pack of nearly a dozen runners − including defending women’s champion Sharon Lokedi − sticking together through the first two-thirds of the race.
An estimated 30,000 racers have lined the course from Hopkinton to Boston for the 130th edition of the world’s oldest continuously run marathon.
USA TODAY Sports is providing updates throughout the day on the progress of the runners, as well as any other activities happening along the race route.
The 2026 Boston Marathon is being broadcast on WCVB Channel 5 in Boston (and its regional sister stations) until 8 p.m. ET.
For those outside the Northeast, the race is airing live on ESPN2 until 12:30 p.m. ET.
Kenya’s John Korir has prevailed once again in Boston.
Korir followed up his 2025 title with another dominating performance, making his move in Newton and leaving the rest of the pack behind.
He finished with a winning time of 2:01:52, setting a course record in the process. Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania (2:02:47) finished second and Benson Kipruto (2:02:50) of Kenya came in third. All three were faster than the previous course record
Defending men’s champion John Korir is making a strong bid to repeat. Taking over the lead at nearly the same spot he made his winning move a year ago, Korir surged to the front and started to pull away around the 20-mile mark.
The Kenyan has put some serious pressure on the rest of the field as he hit Heartbreak Hill.
Meanwhile, there is a group of nearly a dozen women − including defending women’s champion Sharon Lokedi − still in the lead pack as they hit Mile 17.
The most famous part of the course comes between the 20th and 21st mile — Heartbreak Hill. It is an uphill portion of less than a half mile as the runners pass near the campus of Boston College, but it’s considered a crucial part of the race because it’s where participants’ energy often is depleted as they “hit the wall.”
There, in 1936, defending champion Johnny Kelley caught race leader Tarzan Brown and gave him a pat on the shoulder as he passed. However, Brown rallied to win and according to the Boston Globe’s account of the race, “broke Kelley’s heart” — hence the name Heartbreak Hill.
Dominating pretty much from start to finish, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug trounced the rest of the men’s wheelchair field to win for the ninth time in Boston.
Hug finished with an unofficial time of 1:16:05, just off his course record time of 1:15:35 set in 2024.
American Daniel Romanchuk finished second, several minutes back.
On the women’s side, Eden Rainbow-Cooper of Great Britain crossed the finish line first in an unofficial time of 1:30:51.
Patriots’ Day recognizes the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the aftermath of the “shot heard ’round the world,” which celebrated its 250th anniversary last year.
Originally, the holiday was always held on April 19, the anniversary of the battle. However, that has since been changed to be celebrated on third Monday in April.
It’s an official state holiday in Massachusetts and five other states: Maine (where it is Patriot’s Day), Florida, Wisconsin, Connecticut and North Dakota.
− Bailey Allen, USA TODAY NETWORK – New England
While Kenyans have dominated both the men’s and women’s divisions in Boston recently, there are still several American runners who could make a significant impact in this year’s race.
On the women’s side:
- Jess McClain, 34, is the top American finisher from a year ago, coming in seventh.
- Fiona O’Keefe became the youngest Olympic Trials marathon winner in 2024 at age 25.
- Emily Sisson set the North American record in the marathon (2:18:29) while finishing second in Chicago in 2022. A two-time All-American at Providence, this is the 34-year-old’s first time running the Boston Marathon.
- Sara Hall, 42, holds two medals from World Marathon Majors: finishing second in London in 2020 and third in Chicago in 2021.
- Susanna Sullivan, 35, finished seventh at the 2024 Chicago Marathon and 10th at both the 2023 and 2025 London Marathons.
Among the men:
- CJ Albertson, 32, holds the world record in the 50-kilometer run in 2:38:43, set in 2022. He led the pack in the first 20 miles of the 2021 Boston Marathon.
- Ryan Ford, 28, finished 10th in last year’s Boston Marathon in a personal-best 2:08:00.
- Alex Maier, 26, won the 2025 USA Half Marathon Championship. He placed second at the Houston Half Marathon and fourth at the New York City Half Marathon.
- Former Olympian Galen Rupp, 39, won a bronze medal in the marathon at the 2016 Rio Games and a silver medal in the 10,000 meters in London in 2012.
- Clayton Young, 32, was the No. 2 American at last year’s Boston Marathon, finishing in 2:07:04.
The 2026 Boston Marathon champions are now on the course. We just don’t know who they are quite yet.
The elite men’s and women’s racers have begun their 26.2-mile treks to glory, with the men getting underway at 9:37 a.m. ET and the women at 9:47.
Both mass starts took place without incident.
Is there someone you want to track as they race today? There’s an app for that.
The BAA Racing App is available in both the Apple and Android store, which will allow you to track runners.
If apps aren’t your thing, the BAA website has live tracking. If you have a runner’s bib number or name you can follow their race and see the results at the finish line.
− Katie Landeck, WickedLocal.com
Under sunny skies, the professional men’s and women’s wheelchair participants are off and rolling. They’re the first groups to hit the course under the Boston Marathon’s staggered starts.
The men’s professional runners are set to begin at 9:37 a.m. ET, with the professional women 10 minutes after that.
It’s a little chilly in Beantown as marathon competitors begin making their way to the starting line in Hopkinton. According to AccuWeather, the mercury sat at a nippy 39 degrees at 8 a.m. ET on the way to a high around 50 this afternoon.
A slight breeze will be coming out of the west throughout the day at up to 10 mph, providing a nice tailwind for the runners for most of the course.
The professional racers all congregate at a hotel across from the finish line in downtown Boston before boarding buses that will take them to the start. The anticipation is palpable, as evidenced by this on-the-scene report from WCVB-TV.
What time is 2026 Boston Marathon?
The Boston Marathon staggers its start times for racers with the wheelchair participants starting first. The professional racers, both men and women, get a jump on the rest of the field – which is broken up into six different waves.
- 9:06 A.M. ET – Wheelchair Division – Men
- 9:09 A.M. ET – Wheelchair Division – Women
- 9:30 A.M. ET – Handcycles & Duo Participants
- 9:37 A.M. ET – Professional Men
- 9:47 A.M. ET – Professional Women
- 9:50 A.M. ET – Para Athletics Division
- 10:00 A.M. ET – Wave 1
- 10:15 A.M. ET – Wave 2
- 10:28 A.M. ET – Wave 3
- 10:41 A.M. ET – Wave 4
- 11:01 A.M. ET – Wave 5
- 11:21 A.M. ET – Wave 6
Notable 2026 Boston Marathon entrants
The Boston Athletic Association’s website lists several celebrities, sports stars and other notable names who are running in the 2026 marathon. Among them:
- Bryan Arenales, 2025 Love Island Season 7 winner
- Amby Burfoot, 1968 Boston Marathon Champion
- Zdeno Chara, former Boston Bruins captain
- Chelsea Clinton, author and advocate
- Jeff DaRosa, musician, Dropkick Murphys
- Laura Green, running comedian
- Chris Herren, former Boston Celtics player
- Kristine Lilly, former Team USA soccer player
- Des Linden, 2018 Boston Marathon Champion
- Suni Williams, astronaut and trailblazer
2026 Boston Marathon course
The 26.2-mile marathon course begins in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and heads through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline before going into Boston and finishing on Boylston Street, next to the Boston Public Library.
The full course map with mile markers, elevation and more information can be found on the Boston Marathon’s website.
Boston Marathon map
The race starts in staggered waves at Hopkinton, Massachusetts, on Main Street. Runners proceed along Route 135 through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, and Wellesley before merging onto Route 16 into Newton. From there, the course turns onto Commonwealth Avenue and ascends the challenging Newton Hills, including the famous Heartbreak Hill between miles 20 and 21.
Afterward, it passes the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and continues onto Beacon Street through Brookline and Kenmore Square. The final stretch includes the well-known right turn onto Hereford Street and a left onto Boylston Street, culminating at Copley Square beside the Boston Public Library. — Elizabeth Flores
Who won 2025 Boston Marathon?
Last year, Sharon Lokedi of Kenya obliterated the course record by more than two minutes, using a blistering kick down the stretch to win the women’s division in 2 hours, 17 minutes and 22 seconds.
In the men’s race, Kenyan John Korir used a strong move around Mile 20 to separate himself from the rest of the leaders and win in 2:04:45. The victory allowed Korir to join his older brother, Wesley, as the only siblings to win the Boston Marathon.
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