The Boston Marathon® is the world’s oldest annual marathon and one of world’s most prestigious road races, which gives the event and its participants, sponsors and partners “top of class” status among sporting events. First run in 1897, the Boston Marathon® is organized by the Boston Athletic Association and has enjoyed the principal sponsorship of John Hancock Financial since 1986. More than $800,000 USD in prize money is at stake for the top finishers in this year’s event, and the professional athlete field assembled – including those from the John Hancock Elite Team – ensures that this year’s race will be one of the most competitive in marathon history.

The event is run each year on the third Monday in April: Patriots’ Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. From a field of 15 entrants and 10 finishers in the inaugural run, the race has grown to an international sporting event with more than 27,000 official entrants. Boston – along with the marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City – is part of the World Marathon Majors, a group of top events which have professional field, large prize purses and worldwide television coverage.

Boston is different than many other marathons in that its participants must qualify for entry by meeting stringent qualifying times before they can register. Boston is run on a point-to-point course through eight cities and towns, and the 26.2-mile course has remained essentially unchanged over the years. In 2013, the race will be held on April 15 with other warm-up events occurring during the week and weekend immediately prior, including Invitational Mile races and the B.A.A. 5K, a 3.1-mile prize money race held on April 14 and including 6,500 entrants.

The Boston Marathon’s starting times are:

For entry lists, results and to find out more about the Boston Marathon, visit the B.A.A.’s official web site for the Boston Marathon: https://www.baa.org or https://www.bostonmarathon.org

For additional information on the Boston Marathon, please visit baa.org.

You may also wish to visit the B.A.A.’s other broadcast partner sites for the Boston Marathon: