Editing Boston Marathon (section)

==Notable features==

===Spectators===
With approximately 500,000 spectators, the Boston Marathon is [[New England]]'s most widely viewed sporting event.<ref name=facts/>  About 1,000 media members from more than 100 outlets received media credentials in 2011.<ref name=driven/>

For the entire distance of the race, thousands line the sides of the course to cheer the runners on, encourage them, and provide free water and snacks to the runners.

=== Scream Tunnel ===
[[File:Wellesley College.jpg|thumb|Along the course at Wellesley College]]
At [[Wellesley College]], a historically women's college, it is traditional for the students to cheer on the runners in what is referred to as the Scream Tunnel.<ref name=Pave/><ref name=slideshow/> For about a quarter of a mile (400{{nbsp}}m), the students line the course, scream, and offer kisses. 
The Scream Tunnel is so loud runners claim it can be heard from a mile away. The tunnel is roughly half a mile (0.8{{nbsp}}km) prior to the halfway mark of the course.<ref name=scream/><ref name=kisses/>

===Boston Red Sox===
Every year, the [[Boston Red Sox]] play a home game at [[Fenway Park]], starting at 11:05{{nbsp}}a.m. When the game ends, the crowd empties into [[Kenmore Square]] to cheer as the runners enter the final mile. This tradition started in 1903.<ref name=sox/> In the 1940s, the [[Boston Red Sox|Red Sox]] from the [[American League]] and the [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]] from the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (who moved to [[Milwaukee]] after the 1953 season) alternated yearly as to which would play the morning game. In 2007, the game between the Red Sox and the [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim]] was delayed until 12:18{{nbsp}}p.m. due to heavy rain. The marathon, which had previously been run in a wide variety of weather conditions, was not delayed.<ref name=weather/> The 2018 game hosting the [[Baltimore Orioles]] was postponed into May due to rain,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2018/04/15/red-sox-announce-postponement-monday-game/RPJj0eJqzTb4axAYr6gHGI/story.html|title=Red Sox announce postponement of Monday's game|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=2018-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417023828/https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2018/04/15/red-sox-announce-postponement-monday-game/RPJj0eJqzTb4axAYr6gHGI/story.html|archive-date=April 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> while 2020 saw the game not played resulting from the pandemic.

===Dick and Rick Hoyt===
[[File:Team Hoyt April 16, 2012.JPG|thumb|left|Team Hoyt at ~12.8 miles on the Marathon course on April 16, 2012]][[Team Hoyt|Dick and Rick Hoyt]] entered the Boston Marathon 32 times.<ref name=Bousquet/> Dick was the father of Rick, who had [[cerebral palsy]]. While doctors said that Rick would never have a normal life and thought that institutionalizing him was the best option, Dick and his wife disagreed and raised him at home. Eventually, a computer device was developed that helped Rick communicate with his family, and they learned that one of his biggest passions was sports.  "Team Hoyt" (Dick and Rick) started competing in charity runs, with Dick pushing Rick in a wheelchair. Through August 2008, Dick and Rick had competed in 66 marathons and 229 triathlons. Their fastest marathon finish was 2:40:47.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} The team completed their 30th Boston Marathon in 2012, when Dick was 72 and Rick was 50.<ref name=hoyt/> They had intended the 2013 marathon to be their final one, but due to the [[Boston Marathon bombing]], they were stopped a mile short of completing their run, and decided to run one more marathon the following year. They completed the 2014 marathon on April 21, 2014, having previously announced that it would be their last.<ref name="boston2014">{{cite web|url=http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2014/04/team_hoyt_-_father_and_son_dic.html|title=Team Hoyt &ndash; father and son Dick and Rick Hoyt &ndash; finish final Boston Marathon|date=April 21, 2014|website=MassLive.com|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|access-date=April 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426223103/http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2014/04/team_hoyt_-_father_and_son_dic.html|archive-date=April 26, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In tribute to his connection with the race, Dick was named the Grand Marshal of the 2015 marathon. He died in 2021, aged 80.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Butler|first=Sarah Lorge|date=March 17, 2021|title=Dick Hoyt, Part of Legendary Boston Marathon Duo, Dies at 80|url=https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a35866273/dick-hoyt-legendary-boston-runner-dies-80/|access-date=March 18, 2021|website=Runner's World|language=en-US|archive-date=July 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726144939/https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a35866273/dick-hoyt-legendary-boston-runner-dies-80/|url-status=live}}</ref> Rick died in May 2023.<ref>{{Cite news
 |last         = Andersen
 |first        = Travis
 |url          = https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/22/metro/rick-hoyt-obituary/
 |title        = Boston Marathon Legend Rick Hoyt Dies at 61
 |date         = May 22, 2023
 |website      = [[The Boston Globe]]
 |url-access   = limited
 |language     = en
 |access-date  = June 5, 2023
 |archive-date = June 4, 2023
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20230604215420/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/22/metro/rick-hoyt-obituary/
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

===Bandits===
Unlike many other races, the Boston Marathon tolerated "bandits" (runners who do not register and obtain a bib number).<ref name=wsj/>  They used to be held back until after all the registered runners had left the starting line, and then were released in an unofficial fourth wave. They were generally not pulled off the course and mostly allowed to cross the finish line.<ref name=wsj/> For decades, these unofficial runners were treated like local folk heroes, celebrated for their endurance and spunk for entering a contest with the world's most accomplished athletes.<ref>[https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/columns/2014/04/19/missing-from-this-years-marathon-those-lovable-bandits/XHb0yyIHECNtUBdxCCwqgO/story.html "Marathon bandits will be missed this year"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513231733/https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/columns/2014/04/19/missing-from-this-years-marathon-those-lovable-bandits/XHb0yyIHECNtUBdxCCwqgO/story.html |date=May 13, 2016 }}, ''The Boston Globe''.</ref> Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray was once a teenage bandit.<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/17/boston_marathon_race_director_puts_in_a_long_long_race_day/ "Running Last, But Not Least"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225012036/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/17/boston_marathon_race_director_puts_in_a_long_long_race_day/ |date=December 25, 2014 }},''The Boston Globe''.</ref>

Given the increased field that was expected for the 2014 Marathon, however, organizers planned "more than ever" to discourage bandits from running.<ref name=McGoldrick/>  As of September 2015 the B.A.A. website states:
<blockquote>Q: Can I run in the Boston Marathon as an unofficial or "bandit" runner?
A: No, please do NOT run if you have not been officially entered in the race. Race amenities along the course and at the finish, such as fluids, medical care, and traffic safety, are provided based on the number of expected official entrants. Any addition to this by way of unofficial participants, adversely affects our ability to ensure a safe race for everyone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baa.org/faq.aspx?keyword=Can%20I%20run%C2%A0in%20the%20Boston%20Marathon%20as%20an%20unofficial%20or%20%22bandit%22%20runner|title=Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=Boston Athletic Association|access-date=September 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923181303/http://www.baa.org/faq.aspx?keyword=Can%20I%20run%C2%A0in%20the%20Boston%20Marathon%20as%20an%20unofficial%20or%20%22bandit%22%20runner|archive-date=September 23, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref></blockquote>

===Costumes===
A number of people choose to run the course in a variety of costumes each year.<ref name=costume2011/><ref name=costume2013/>  During the 100th running in 1996, one runner wore a scale model of the [[Old North Church]] steeple on his back. Old North Church is where the signal was lit that set [[Paul Revere]] off on his midnight ride, which is [[Patriots' Day|commemorated each year]] on the same day as the Marathon.  During the 2014 marathon, runners and spectators were discouraged from wearing "costumes covering the face or any non-form fitting, bulky outfits extending beyond the perimeter of the body," for security reasons following the 2013 bombing. However, state authorities and the Boston Athletic Association did not outright ban such costumes.<ref>[http://www.runnersworld.com/boston-marathon/fans-can-expect-some-changes-at-boston-marathon?page=single "Fans Can Expect Some Changes at Boston Marathon"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225012307/http://www.runnersworld.com/boston-marathon/fans-can-expect-some-changes-at-boston-marathon?page=single|date=December 25, 2014}}, ''Runner's World''.</ref>

=== Ondekoza ''taiko'' drummers ===
[[File:Ondekoza member Marco Lienhard playing Taiko at finish line of the Boston Marathon upon completing the run.jpg|alt=A marathon runner with a red shirt playing taiko drums after finishing the marathon|thumb|right|Ondekoza member Marco Lienhard playing ''[[taiko]]'' after finishing the marathon]]
Starting in 1975, members of [[Ondekoza]], a group from Japan, would run the marathon and right after finishing the race would start playing their ''[[taiko]]'' drums at the finish line.<ref>{{cite news |work=New York Times |last=Hughes |first=Alan |title=The Fierce Dedication of The ‘Demon’ Drummers |date=30 April 1978 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/30/archives/the-fierce-dedication-of-the-demon-drummers-demon-drummers.html |accessdate=31 December 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Boston Globe |last=Fitzgerald |first=Ray |title=These Japanese run with rhythm |date=19 April 1975}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Boston Globe |last=Wald |first=Elijah |title=Ondekoza, Not Your Humdrum Drummers |date=12 December 1994}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gilbert |first=Andrew |date=2011-03-13 |title=Drumming up drama |work=Boston.com |url=http://archive.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2011/03/13/the_taiko_group_kodo_drums_up_drama/ |access-date=2023-03-10 |archive-date=March 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310174930/http://archive.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2011/03/13/the_taiko_group_kodo_drums_up_drama/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They repeated the tradition several times in the 1970s and 1990s.<ref>{{cite news |work=Boston Globe |last=Taylor |first=Robert |title=Drum-beating, flute-playing marathoners in lively show |date=11 May 1976}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Boston Globe |last=Concannon |first=Joe |title=Just a little warm-up:360-mile relay race |date=17 April 1977}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Boston Globe |author=<!--none--> |title=Calendar |date=10 April 1980}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Boston Globe |author=<!--none--> |title=Calendar Choice |date=23 April 1987}}</ref> The {{convert|700|lb|kg|adj=on}} drum would be set up at the finish line to encourage runners finishing the marathon. [[Bill Rodgers (runner)|Bill Rodgers]], who inspired member's running, was a guest on [[Sado Island]] and ran marathons in Japan with Ondekoza members.<ref>{{cite news |work=Boston Globe |last=Wald |first=Elijah |title=Ondekoza: Japan's Demon Drummers |date=10 January 1993}}</ref> The group also ran the [[New York City Marathon]] and [[Los Angeles Marathon]], and ran {{convert|10000|mi|km}} of the perimeter of the United States from 1990 to 1993.<ref>{{cite news |work=New York Times |last=Longman |first=Jere |title=NEW YORK CITY MARATHON; After 9,319-Mile Run, 26.2 Should Be a Mere Stroll |date=10 November 1993 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/10/sports/new-york-city-marathon-after-9319-mile-run-26.2-should-be-a-mere-stroll.html |accessdate=31 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=Modesto Bee |last=Gaffney |first=Jim |title=New York Marathon Sets a First |date=4 November 1990}}</ref>