Editing Boston Marathon (section)

==History==
{{See also|List of winners of the Boston Marathon}}
[[Image:Boston1910.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Boston Marathon Finish Line, 1910.]]

Men have competed in the event since its inaugural edition in 1897. Women were officially allowed to enter the event starting in 1972, although organizers now recognize 1966 as the first edition officially completed by a woman. Wheelchair divisions were added in 1975 for men and in 1977 for women. [[Handcycle]] divisions were added in 2017 for both men and women.

The Boston Marathon was first run in April 1897, having been inspired by the [[Marathon#Modern Olympics marathon|revival of the marathon]] for the [[1896 Summer Olympics]] in Athens, Greece. Until 2020 it was the oldest continuously running marathon,<ref>In the United States or the world?</ref> and the second longest continuously running footrace in North America, having debuted five months after the [[Buffalo Turkey Trot]].<ref name=bn112411>{{cite web|url=http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article646869.ece|title=Pollow takes third consecutive Turkey Trot amid the goofballs|publisher=The Buffalo News|last=Graham|first=Tim|date=November 24, 2011|access-date=November 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126095414/http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article646869.ece|archive-date=November 26, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

On April 19, 1897, ten years after the establishment of the B.A.A., the association held the {{convert|24.5|mi|km}} marathon to conclude its athletic competition, the B.A.A. Games.<ref name=aboutbaa/> The winner of [[1897 Boston Marathon|the inaugural edition]] was [[John McDermott (runner)|John J. "JJ" McDermott]],<ref name=facts/> who ran the 24.5 mile course in 2:55:10, leading a field of 15. The event was scheduled for the recently established holiday of [[Patriots' Day]], with the race linking the Athenian and American struggles for liberty.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/the-history-of-the-boston-marathon-a-perfect-way-to-celebrate-patriots-day/275023/|title=The History of the Boston Marathon: A Perfect Way to Celebrate Patriot's Day|date=April 17, 2013|publisher=The Atlantic|access-date=April 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130422191253/http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/the-history-of-the-boston-marathon-a-perfect-way-to-celebrate-patriots-day/275023/|archive-date=April 22, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The race, which became known as the Boston Marathon, has been held in some form every year since then, even during the [[World War]] years and the [[Great Depression]], making it the world's oldest annual marathon. In 1924, the starting line was moved from Metcalf's Mill in [[Ashland, Massachusetts|Ashland]] to the neighboring town of [[Hopkinton, Massachusetts|Hopkinton]]. The course was lengthened to {{convert|26|mi|385|yd|km}} to conform to the standard set by the [[1908 Summer Olympics]] and codified by the [[International Association of Athletics Federations|IAAF]] in 1921.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://216.235.243.43/races/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-history/boston-marathon-milestones.aspx|title=Timeline of Events|publisher=Boston Athletic Association|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509173221/http://216.235.243.43/races/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-history/boston-marathon-milestones.aspx|archive-date=May 9, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The first {{convert|1.9|mile|km}} are run in Hopkinton before the runners enter Ashland.<ref>{{cite web |title='There's a big buzz' as Hopkinton sets up for upcoming Boston Marathon |url=https://www.wcvb.com/article/hopkinton-preparation-127th-boston-marathon-starting-line/43568679 |website=WCVB |access-date=16 April 2023 |language=en |date=12 April 2023 |archive-date=April 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416212222/https://www.wcvb.com/article/hopkinton-preparation-127th-boston-marathon-starting-line/43568679 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Boston Marathon was originally a local event, but its fame and status have attracted runners from all over the world. For most of its history, the Boston Marathon was a free event, and the only prize awarded for winning the race was a wreath woven from olive branches.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myfitnesstunes.com/qa-the-boston-marathon/|title=Q&A: The Boston Marathon|date=April 20, 2010|publisher=Wasabi Media Group|access-date=April 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027024749/http://www.myfitnesstunes.com/qa-the-boston-marathon|archive-date=October 27, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> However, [[corporation|corporate]]-sponsored cash prizes began to be awarded in the 1980s, when professional athletes refused to run the race unless a cash award was available. The first cash prize for winning the marathon was awarded in 1986.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/zope_homepage/sports/marathon_archive/history/1986.shtml|title=De Castella and Kristiansen Win First Cash Prize|publisher=NY Times Co.|access-date=April 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103084526/http://www.boston.com/zope_homepage/sports/marathon_archive/history/1986.shtml|archive-date=November 3, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Walter A. Brown]] was the President of the Boston Athletic Association from 1941 to 1964.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/sports/specials/marathon/articles/2008/04/17/legacy_on_the_line/ | work=[[The Boston Globe]] | title=Legacy on the line | last=Pave | first=Marvin | date=April 17, 2008 | access-date=April 16, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205359/http://www.boston.com/sports/specials/marathon/articles/2008/04/17/legacy_on_the_line/ | archive-date=March 3, 2016 | url-status=live }}</ref> During the height of the [[Korean War]] in 1951, Brown denied Koreans entry into the Boston Marathon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Koreans and the Boston Marathon {{!}} Center for Global Christianity & Mission |url=https://www.bu.edu/cgcm/research/korean-diaspora-project/issues/boston-marathon/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=www.bu.edu |archive-date=January 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131071201/https://www.bu.edu/cgcm/research/korean-diaspora-project/issues/boston-marathon/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He stated: "While American soldiers are fighting and dying in Korea, every Korean should be fighting to protect his country instead of training for marathons. As long as the war continues there, we positively will not accept Korean entries for our race on April 19."<ref name="Time2">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,820682,00.html|title=Sport: Banned in Boston|magazine=Time|date=February 12, 1951|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721121050/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,820682,00.html|archive-date=July 21, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Bobbi Gibb, Kathrine Switzer, and Nina Kuscik===
[[File:Kathrine Switzer, Boston Marathon.jpg|thumb|Runner [[Kathrine Switzer]] attacked by race official [[Jock Semple]] in effort to protect the race from "Contamination Rules" which prevented women from officially entering the marathon]]
The Boston Marathon rule book made no mention of gender until after the 1967 race.<ref name="KS Life">
{{cite book
 |last=Switzer
 |first=Kathrine
 |date=2017-04-04
 |access-date=2020-04-24
 |edition=4th
 |title=Marathon Woman
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420232514/https://kathrineswitzer.com/1967-boston-marathon-the-real-story/
 |archive-date=2020-04-20
 |url=https://kathrineswitzer.com/1967-boston-marathon-the-real-story/
 |url-status=live
 |publisher=Da Capo Press Inc
 |isbn=978-0306825651
|quote=We checked the rule book and entry form; there was nothing about gender in the marathon. I filled in my AAU number, plunked down $3 cash as entry fee, signed as I always sign my name, 'K.V. Switzer,' and went to the university infirmary to get a fitness certificate.
}}</ref> Nor did the [[Amateur Athletic Union]] (AAU) exclude women from races that included men until after the 1967 Boston Marathon.<ref name=romanelli/> [[Bobbi Gibb|Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb's]] attempt to register for the 1966 race was refused by race director [[Will Cloney]] in a letter in which he claimed women were physiologically incapable of running 26 miles.<ref name="runningpast.com">{{cite web
 |last=Gibbs
 |first=Roberta "Bobbi"
 |url=http://runningpast.com/gibb_story.htm
 |title=Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb - A Run of One's Own
 |publisher=Women's Sports Foundation
 |access-date=April 25, 2020
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204153307/http://www.runningpast.com/gibb_story.htm
 |archive-date=December 4, 2019
 |url-status=live
 }}</ref>
Gibb nevertheless ran unregistered and finished the 1966 race in three hours, twenty-one minutes and forty seconds,<ref name="Derderian">Derderian, Tom (1996). ''Boston Marathon: The History of the World's Premier Running Event''. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics Publishers.</ref> ahead of two-thirds of the runners. Much later, she would be recognized by the race organizers as the first woman to run the entire Boston Marathon.

In 1967, [[Kathrine Switzer]], who registered for the race using her official AAU registration number, paying the entry fee, providing a properly acquired fitness certificate, and signing her entry form with her usual signature 'K. V. Switzer', was the first woman to run and finish with a valid official race registration.<ref name="KS Life" /> As a result of Switzer's completion of the race as the first officially registered woman runner, the AAU changed its rules to ban women from competing in races against men.<ref name=romanelli>
{{cite book
 |title = The Women's Book of World Records and Achievements
 |url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_0385127332
 |url-access = registration
 |last = Romanelli
 |first = Elaine
 |editor-last = O'Neill
 |editor-first = Lois Decker
 |publisher = Anchor Press
 |year = 1979
 |page = [https://archive.org/details/isbn_0385127332/page/576 576]
 |chapter = Women in Sports and Games
 |isbn = 0-385-12733-2 
 |quote = [Switzer's] run created such a stir that the AAU [...] barred women from all competition with men in these events on pain of losing all rights to compete.}}
</ref> Switzer finished the race despite race official [[Jock Semple]] repeatedly assaulting her in an attempt to rip off her race numbers and eject her from the race.<ref name="KS Life"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1141740|title=NPR: Marathon Women|publisher=NPR|date=April 15, 2002|access-date=April 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308233651/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1141740|archive-date=March 8, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Afterwards, Semple and Switzer became friends.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-04-10 |title=Who Was That Guy Who Attacked Kathrine Switzer 50 Years Ago? |url=https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a20852681/who-was-that-guy-who-attacked-kathrine-switzer-50-years-ago/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Runner's World |language=en-US}}</ref> 

[[Nina Kuscsik]] was instrumental in influencing the [[Amateur Athletic Union]], in late 1971, to increase its maximum distance for sanctioned women's races, leading to official participation by women in marathons, beginning at Boston in 1972.<ref name="Butler">{{cite web|url=http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/40-years-ago-six-women-changed-racing-forever|title=40 Years Ago, Six Women Changed Racing Forever|last=Butler|first=Charles|date=October 19, 2012|publisher=Runner's World|access-date=2 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112071421/http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/40-years-ago-six-women-changed-racing-forever|archive-date=12 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kuscsik was the first woman to officially win the Boston Marathon, which occurred in 1972.<ref name="National Distance Running Hall of Fame">{{cite web|title=Nina Kuscsik|url=http://www.distancerunning.com/inductees/1999/kuscsik.html|website=Distance Running|access-date=24 April 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508010414/http://www.distancerunning.com/inductees/1999/kuscsik.html|archive-date=8 May 2015}}</ref>

In 1996, the B.A.A. retroactively recognized as champions the unofficial women's leaders of 1966 through 1971. In 2022, about 43 percent of the entrants were women.<ref>{{cite news |work=New York Times |last=Tumin |first=Remy |title=In 1972, only 8 women ran the race. Today, 12,100 are running. |date=18 April 2022 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/18/sports/women-running-boston-marathon.html |accessdate=31 December 2024}}</ref>

===Rosie Ruiz, the impostor===
In 1980, [[Rosie Ruiz]] crossed the finish line first in the women's race. However, marathon officials became suspicious, and it was discovered that she did not appear in race videotapes until near the end of the race, with a subsequent investigation concluding that she had skipped most of the race and blended into the crowd about a half-mile (800{{nbsp}}m) from the finish line, where she then ran to her false victory. She was disqualified eight days later, and Canadian [[Jacqueline Gareau]] was proclaimed the winner.<ref name="BAA 1901–1905"/><ref name=bocaratonRuiz/>

===Participant deaths===
In 1905, James Edward Brooks of [[North Adams, Massachusetts]], died of pneumonia shortly after running the marathon.<ref>Johanne Grewell. "Eleanor Brooks Fairs." ''American Communal Societies Quarterly'', October 2009.</ref> In 1996, a 61-year-old Swedish man, Humphrey Siesage, died of a heart attack during the 100th running.<ref name=death/> In 2002, Cynthia Lucero, 28, died of [[hyponatremia]].<ref name="marathon_death"/>

===2011: Geoffrey Mutai and the IAAF===
{{main|2011 Boston Marathon}}
On April 18, 2011, [[Geoffrey Mutai]] of [[Kenya]] won the [[2011 Boston Marathon]] in a time of 2:03:02:00.<ref name="Connolly">{{cite news |title=BAA on record: Geoffrey Mutai's No. 1 |first=John |last=Connolly |url=http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/other_sports/marathon/view.bg?articleid=1332017&srvc=sports&position=recent |newspaper=Boston Herald |date=April 20, 2011 |access-date=April 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005102928/http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/other_sports/marathon/view.bg?articleid=1332017&srvc=sports&position=recent |archive-date=October 5, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Although this was the fastest marathon ever run at the time, the [[International Association of Athletics Federations]] noted that the performance was not eligible for world record status given that the course did not satisfy rules that regarded elevation drop and start/finish separation (the latter requirement being intended to prevent advantages gained from a strong [[tailwind]], as was the case in 2011).<ref name="Monti">{{cite web |url=http://www.iaaf.org/LRR11/news/newsid=59806.html |title=Strong winds and ideal conditions propel Mutai to fastest Marathon ever - Boston Marathon report |last=Monti |first=David |date=April 18, 2011 |work=iaaf.org |publisher=International Association of Athletics Federations |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118182119/http://www.iaaf.org/LRR11/news/newsid%3D59806.html |archive-date=January 18, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The [[Associated Press]] (AP) reported that Mutai had the support of other runners who describe the IAAF's rules as "flawed".<ref name="Golen2011"/> According to the ''[[Boston Herald]]'', race director [[Dave McGillivray]] said he was sending paperwork to the IAAF in an attempt to have Mutai's mark ratified as a world record.<ref name="Connolly"/> Although this was not successful, the AP indicated that the attempt to have the mark certified as a world record "would force the governing bodies to reject an unprecedented performance on the world's most prestigious marathon course".<ref name="Golen2011"/>

===2013: Bombing===
{{main|Boston Marathon bombing}}
On April 15, 2013, the [[2013 Boston Marathon|Boston Marathon]] was still in progress at 2:49{{nbsp}}p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]] (nearly three hours after the winner crossed the finish line), when two homemade bombs were set off about {{convert|200|yd|m}} apart on Boylston Street, in approximately the last {{convert|225|yd|m|sigfig=1}} of the course. The race was halted, preventing many from finishing.<ref name=cnn/><ref name=explosions/> Three spectators were killed and an estimated 264 were injured.<ref name="globe-number-injured"/> Entrants who completed at least half the course and did not finish due to the bombing were given automatic entry in 2014.<ref name=Stableford/> In 2015, [[Dzhokhar Tsarnaev]], one of the perpetrators of the bombing, was found guilty of 30 federal offenses in connection with the attack and was sentenced to [[Capital punishment in the United States|death]]. His older brother [[Tamerlan Tsarnaev|Tamerlan]] died after a gunfight with police and after Dzhokhar ran him over with a stolen vehicle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/16/turn-makes-martyr/xWp8hj4Wx01mrKUglRF93J/story.html?outputType=amp|title=In Watertown, one brother's decision led to death of another |website=[[The Boston Globe]]|access-date=December 18, 2021|archive-date=December 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218105312/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/03/16/turn-makes-martyr/xWp8hj4Wx01mrKUglRF93J/story.html?outputType=amp|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/what-happened-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-update-boston-marathon-bomber-sentenced-death-2526052|title=What Happened To Dzhokhar Tsarnaev? Update On Boston Marathon Bomber Sentenced To Death|date=2017-04-16|work=International Business Times|access-date=2018-04-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418001838/http://www.ibtimes.com/what-happened-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-update-boston-marathon-bomber-sentenced-death-2526052|archive-date=April 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2014: Women's race disqualification===
[[Bizunesh Deba]] of Ethiopia was eventually named women's winner of the [[2014 Boston Marathon]], following the disqualification of Kenyan [[Rita Jeptoo]] from the event due to confirmed doping. Deba finished in a time of 2:19:59, and became the course record holder. Her performance bested that of [[Margaret Okayo]], who ran a time of 2:20:43 in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baa.org/news-and-press/news-listing/2016/december/buzunesh-deba-named-2014-boston-marathon-champion.aspx|title=Buzunesh Deba Named 2014 Boston Marathon Champion|author=Boston Athletic Association|work=B.A.A.|access-date=December 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109081338/http://www.baa.org/news-and-press/news-listing/2016/december/buzunesh-deba-named-2014-boston-marathon-champion.aspx|archive-date=November 9, 2017|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===2016: Bobbi Gibb as grand marshal===
In the [[2016 Boston Marathon]], Jami Marseilles, an American, became the first female double amputee to finish the Boston Marathon.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbur.org/2016/04/19/jami-marseilles-runs-boston-marathon-history|title=Bilateral Amputee Jami Marseilles Makes Boston Marathon History|author=Bruce Gellerman|date=April 19, 2016|work=wbur|access-date=April 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422020401/http://www.wbur.org/2016/04/19/jami-marseilles-runs-boston-marathon-history|archive-date=April 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.runnersworld.com/chicago-marathon/bilateral-amputee-jami-marseilles-completes-the-chicago-marathon|title=Bilateral Amputee Jami Marseilles Completes the Chicago Marathon|work=Runner's World|date=October 14, 2015|access-date=April 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505185853/http://www.runnersworld.com/chicago-marathon/bilateral-amputee-jami-marseilles-completes-the-chicago-marathon|archive-date=May 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Bobbi Gibb]], the first woman to have run the entire Boston Marathon (1966), was the grand marshal of the race.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.rockport.wickedlocal.com/article/20160418/NEWS/160416234|title=Bobbi Gibb serves as grand marshal of 2016 Boston Marathon|agency=Associated Press|work=Wicked Local Rockport}}</ref> The Women's Open division winner, [[Atsede Baysa]], gave Gibb her trophy; Gibb said that she would go to Baysa's native Ethiopia in 2017 and return it to her.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/specials/boston-marathon/2016/04/19/atsede-baysa-gives-her-marathon-trophy-bobbi-gibb/e2iqVunwWH74JGfkrwwwWP/story.html|title=Atsede Baysa gives her Boston Marathon trophy to Bobbi Gibb|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|access-date=April 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420084807/https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/specials/boston-marathon/2016/04/19/atsede-baysa-gives-her-marathon-trophy-bobbi-gibb/e2iqVunwWH74JGfkrwwwWP/story.html|archive-date=April 20, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2020: Cancellation===
{{anchor|2020 Boston Marathon}}
Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Boston|COVID-19 pandemic]], the 2020 Boston Marathon was initially rescheduled from April 20 to September 14.<ref>{{cite news |last=Logan |first=Tim |title=Boston Marathon postponed to September due to coronavirus |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/13/nation/boston-marathon-2020-coronavirus/ |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |url-access=limited |date=March 13, 2020 |access-date=March 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313152832/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/13/nation/boston-marathon-2020-coronavirus/ |archive-date=March 13, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was the first postponement in the more than 100 year uninterrupted history of the event.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2020/03/13/2020-boston-marathon-postponed |title=2020 Boston Marathon postponed to Monday, Sept. 14 |first=Nicole |last=Yang |website=[[Boston.com]] |date=March 13, 2020 |access-date=March 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314164858/https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2020/03/13/2020-boston-marathon-postponed |archive-date=March 14, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On May 28, 2020, it was announced that the rescheduled marathon set for September 14 was canceled.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Waller |first1=John |title=The 2020 Boston Marathon has been canceled |url=https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon-2/2020/05/28/2020-boston-marathon-canceled |website=Boston.com |access-date=28 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608124821/https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon-2/2020/05/28/2020-boston-marathon-canceled |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> Boston Mayor [[Marty Walsh]] said of the decision to cancel the race, "There's no way to hold this usual race format without bringing large numbers of people into close proximity. While our goal and our hope was to make progress in containing the virus and recovering our economy, this kind of event would not be responsible or realistic on September 14 or any time this year."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Boston Marathon canceled for 1st time in 124-year history|url=https://apnews.com/c79eb6364911d9bb2b3b05835dcc7af3|last=Golen|first=Jimmy|date=May 28, 2020|website=[[The Associated Press]]|access-date=May 28, 2020|archive-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530005953/https://apnews.com/c79eb6364911d9bb2b3b05835dcc7af3|url-status=live}}</ref>

Runners were issued full refunds of entry fees.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.baa.org/124th-boston-marathon-be-held-virtually |title=124th Boston Marathon to be Held Virtually |publisher=[[Boston Athletic Association]] |website=BAA.org |date=May 28, 2020 |access-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009160031/https://www.baa.org/124th-boston-marathon-be-held-virtually |url-status=live }}</ref> Organizers later staged a "virtual alternative" in September 2020 as the 124th running of the marathon.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.baa.org/124th-boston-marathon-virtual-experience-features-more-15900-finishers |title=124th Boston Marathon Virtual Experience Features More Than 15,900 Finishers |publisher=[[Boston Athletic Association]] |website=BAA.org |date=September 25, 2020 |access-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009160032/https://www.baa.org/124th-boston-marathon-virtual-experience-features-more-15900-finishers |url-status=live }}</ref> This was the second time that the format of the marathon was modified, the first having been in 1918, when the race was changed from a marathon to a military relay race ([[ekiden]]) because of {{nowrap|World War I}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.concordmonitor.com/Boston-Marathon-relay-to-commemorate-World-War-I-race-16236373 |title=Boston Marathon relay to commemorate World War I race |first=Jimmy |last=Golen |website=[[Concord Monitor]] |location=[[Concord, New Hampshire]] |url-access=limited |date=March 15, 2018 |access-date=October 10, 2021 |archive-date=October 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011022215/https://www.concordmonitor.com/Boston-Marathon-relay-to-commemorate-World-War-I-race-16236373 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===2021: Rescheduled to October===
{{main|2021 Boston Marathon}}
On October 28, 2020, the B.A.A. announced that the 2021 edition of the marathon would not be held in April; organizers stated that they hoped to stage the event later in the year, possibly in the autumn.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2020/10/28/2021-boston-marathon-postponed-date |title=Boston Marathon will not be held in April 2021, BAA announces |first=Katie |last=McInerney |website=[[Boston.com]] |date=October 28, 2020 |access-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-date=October 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029134649/https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2020/10/28/2021-boston-marathon-postponed-date |url-status=live }}</ref> In late January 2021, organizers announced October 11 as the date for the marathon, contingent upon road races being allowed in Massachusetts at that time.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/01/26/boston-marathon-set-for-oct-11-if-road-races-are-allowed-in-massachusetts-coronavirus-reopening-plan/ |title=Boston Marathon set for Oct. 11 — if road races are allowed in Massachusetts coronavirus reopening plan |first=Rick |last=Sobey |website=[[Boston Herald]] |date=January 26, 2021 |access-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506103105/https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/01/26/boston-marathon-set-for-oct-11-if-road-races-are-allowed-in-massachusetts-coronavirus-reopening-plan/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In March, organizers announced that the field would be limited to 20,000 runners.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2021/03/15/boston-marathon-field-shrunk-coronavirus-distancing |title=This Year's Boston Marathon, Rescheduled For October, Will Be Capped At 20,000 Runners |first=Jonathan |last=Cain |website=[[WBUR-FM]] |date=March 15, 2021 |access-date=April 9, 2021 |archive-date=March 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316130727/https://www.wbur.org/news/2021/03/15/boston-marathon-field-shrunk-coronavirus-distancing |url-status=live }}</ref> The race was the fourth of the five [[World Marathon Majors]] held in 2021; all the events in the series were run in the space of six weeks between late September and early November.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/a-look-at-the-tightly-packed-fall-marathon-schedule/| title=A look at the tightly packed fall marathon schedule| magazine=Running Magazine| date=31 January 2021| access-date=12 August 2021| archive-date=12 August 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812154447/https://runningmagazine.ca/the-scene/a-look-at-the-tightly-packed-fall-marathon-schedule/| url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, the B.A.A. also offered a virtual alternative to the in-person race to be completed anytime between 8–10 October.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Virtual 125th Boston Marathon Fact Sheet {{!}} Boston Athletic Association|url=https://www.baa.org/virtual-125th-boston-marathon-fact-sheet|access-date=2022-01-05|website=www.baa.org|language=en|archive-date=January 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105044334/https://www.baa.org/virtual-125th-boston-marathon-fact-sheet|url-status=live}}</ref>