FAQ

Official Boston Marathon Merchandise will be on sale at the John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo, several Boston sporting goods stores, in Copley Square Park and at the Family Meeting Area after the race. For more information, go to www.baa.org. Before or after race weekend, merchandise may be ordered online or via mail-order directly from our licensees. Some of them may also have limited amounts of previous years’ merchandise available. To see a list of official Boston Marathon licensees and their products go to our Shop page.

The 13.1-mile, rolling course combines both a looped and out-and-back route, beginning and ending near White Stadium (also known as Schoolboy Stadium) in Boston's Franklin Park. Past participants in the B.A.A. Half Marathon should note this important change. Essentially, the course has been flipped from past years. From Franklin Park, the race heads North to the Forest Hills Overpass and the Arborway, running adjacent to the Arnold Arboretum. The course turns right at Pond Street and continues North-bound onto the Jamaicaway (which becomes the Riverway), along Jamaica Pond and the other ponds and waterways that comprise Boston's Emerald Necklace. As the Riverway intersects with the Fenway, the race reverses direction with two left turns that sends runners South-bound on the Riverway.

After crossing over Huntington Avenue via overpass, there's a sharp right turn onto River Road in Brookline, followed by a sharp left turn onto Pond Ave. As the course hugs the western border of the Emerald Necklace, it turns left on Francis Parkman Drive, and then turns right on the Arborway and heads back adjacent to the Arboretum, over the Forest Hills Overpass, and into Franklin Park on Franklin Park Drive. In Franklin Park, the race turns right on Circuit Drive/N Jewish War Veterans Drive, and continues in a southward direction into the park for about a mile, before a hairpin turn reverses the course back on the same road.

The course passes the entrance/exit to the park on the left, and continues northward on Circuit Drive/N Jewish War Veterans Drive towards the Franklin Park Zoo. After a right turn on Pierpont Road, the race enters the Zoo for a quick counter-clockwise loop, and exits with a right turn onto Pierpont. Just before Pierpont intersects with Seaver Street, the course cuts across the park in a Western direction and turns right onto Playstead Road, before a finish near White Stadium. Please note that the course will remain open for two hours, 30 minutes after the start. Participants unable to complete the race within that time period will be asked to finish the race on the sidewalk. Timing will conclude 2:30:00 after the start. Go to map of the course.

The overall 2012 Boston Marathon field is approximately 2 and 1/2 minutes faster than in any previous year. Therefore,  all wave breaks have been adjusted for this year. We cannot change anyone's seed or wave assignment.

Here are the comparisons from last year to this year: 

2011 Break between Wave 1 and 2 – 3:22:41      
2011 Break between Wave 2 and 3 – 3:45:57  

2012 Break between Wave 1 and 2 – 3:19:10
2012 Break between Wave 2 and 3 – 3:43:48

 

For the 2014 Boston Marathon, registration will begin in September, 2013 and continue until the field size limit is reached.

• Registration will occur on a “rolling admission” schedule until the maximum field size is reached, beginning with the fastest qualifiers.
• For the first two days of registration for the 2014 Boston Marathon, those who are eligible for entry by having met the qualifying standards for their age and gender group by 20 minutes or more will be able to enter.
• On the third day, registration will open for those who have met their qualifying standards by 10 minutes or more.
• On the fifth day, registration will open for those who have met their qualifying standards by five minutes or more.
• During this first week of registration, applicants will be notified as they are accepted and their qualifying performance verified.

Official Entrants receive:

• Admission to the John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo
• Long sleeved t-shirt
• Bib number
• An official result from an electronically recorded official timing system
• Runner’s baggage / goodie bag
• Boston Marathon Official Program
• Complimentary ticket for the Pre-Race Pasta Dinner
• Complimentary transportation to the start
• Access to the Athletes’ Village in Hopkinton, providing entertainment, light refreshments, water, Gatorade, tenting and portable toilets
• Water and Gatorade Endurance Formula (lemon/lime flavor) along the course
• First aid / medical facilities along the course and at the finish area
• Athlete tracking
• A finisher’s medal upon finishing the marathon before 4:45 p.m.
• A mylar blanket
• Baggage and dressing area (no showers)
• Massage
• Family meeting area
• Admission to the Awards Ceremony
• Complimentary ticket for the Post-Race Party
• Results postcard providing all 5Km split information, official and net times
• Finisher’s certificate (mailed during the summer)
• Results book (mailed over the summer)

Results will be posted by net time.

Numbers and entry fees are non-refundable, non-deferrable and non-transferable. You may NOT give your number to someone else.

Registration for the fifth annual B.A.A. 5K will open in January/February of 2013.

All finishers will receive a specially designed medal before exiting the finish chutes. No finisher’s certificates will be issued on site, but will be mailed to all finishers once all of the results are made official. This process usually takes a few weeks.

Timing will conclude at 11:00 a.m. The course will close at various intervals prior to 11:00 a.m., and participants are then asked to move to the side of the road or continue on the sidewalks where available.