For Information on the Pre-Race Dinner, click here.

For Information on the John Hancock Sports and Fitness Expo, click here.

TRANSPORTATION TO THE START

The only guaranteed way to get to the start in Hopkinton on race morning is by using the official B.A.A. buses between 6:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Bus loading will take place at the Tremont Street side of Boston Common in Boston’s Back Bay area. In order to load all the buses efficiently, avoid delays and get to the start on time, we strongly recommend the following bus loading schedule:

We strongly recommend the following bus loading schedule:
BIB NUMBERS	BIB COLOR	WAVE	BUS LOADING
100 - 8,999		1	6:00 - 6:30 a.m.
9,000 - 17,999		2	6:30 - 7:00 a.m.
18,000+		3	7:00 - 7:30 a.m.

NOTE: Transportation to the start is for official runners only. Each runner must show his/her bib number upon boarding. We are not able to provide transportation to the start from Boston for family or friends. Limited transportation from Boston to Hopkinton to both parking areas (see below) will be available after the race at no charge. Buses leave from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. from the corner of Stuart and Berkeley streets. You must show your race number upon boarding.

PARKING IN HOPKINTON

Parking in Hopkinton is extremely limited. We STRONGLY recommend that all entrants take the official B.A.A. buses from Boston to Hopkinton on race morning, as it is the only way we can ensure that you will get into Hopkinton. Please note that roads within the town of Hopkinton close at 7:30 a.m. and no street parking will be available. Limited parking is available at the South Street lot and at the Hopkinton State Park on Route 85.

Once these lots are full, we will only allow runner drop-off at the entrance of the Hopkinton State Park and will be prohibiting drop-off near the entrance of the South Street lot at the base of the Exit 21A ramp off of Route 495 South. Expect delays! Please do not park illegally, as it will jeopardize the transportation system and will result in the vehicle being towed at the owner’s expense. There will be no on-street parking allowed in the town of Hopkinton. Shuttle buses will run from both the State Park and the South Street lot starting at 6:00 a.m. Official runners shuttled from the South Street lot will be brought to the Athletes’ Village. Everyone else will be dropped off in the center of Hopkinton.

Directions from Boston to Hopkinton State Park - Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) to Route 9 (exit 12). Follow Route 9 West to Route 85 South.
Or from Boston and all other directions to the South Street parking lot - Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) to Route 495 South to exit 21B. Also take exit 21B if coming from Rt. 495 North.

ATHLETES’ VILLAGE

Buses from Boston drop off at Hopkinton High School, where you will enter the Athletes’ Village, a large staging area where you will have time to relax and stretch. Runners may go from one section to another. Entertainment, light refreshments, Poland Spring water, Gatorade Endurance Formula, PowerBar, bagels, tenting, and portable toilets will all be available. Only official runners and credentialed volunteers will be allowed to enter the Village. You must show your bib number upon entering. In order to exit the Village and enter the corrals in an efficient and orderly fashion, runners will leave the Athletes’ Village according to their assigned wave, bib number, and corral assignment, and will be directed down Grove Street to Main Street. NOTE: Your starting corral is printed beneath your runner's number on your bib. It can also be found on your Number Pick-up Card and Baggage Label. Please do not stop along the way.

NOTE: The above times are approximate and may vary slightly. Please listen for the announcements.

BAGGAGE CHECK-IN

Before the race, warm-up clothing may be checked onto buses located just outside the Village (follow signs and instructions). These buses will bring your baggage to the finish in Boston. Affix the baggage label provided to you in your race packet to the plastic bag you received at packet pick-up and give it to the attendant at the appropriate baggage bus on your way to the Start Area. Buses will be clearly marked according to your bib number.
We will only accept and handle the bag provided to you at Number Pick-up. No other bags or baggage can be accepted.
Do not check any valuables. Although we will do our best to see that your bag is waiting for you at the end of the race, we are not responsible for lost baggage.

• Baggage not claimed by 6:00 p.m. on race day may be picked up at the B.A.A. office (40 Trinity Place, 4th floor, Boston) after noon on April 17, or any day Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. until April 30.
• Items not claimed before May 1, 2012 will be given to charity.

RULES & REGULATIONS

• Runners will be lined up on Main Street only. Follow signs to your particular corral, which is located about .7-mile from the Athletes’ Village.
• All runners are numbered according to their qualifying times, facilitating a start and pace comparable to others with similar qualifying times. You may not move up to a lower number corral, but you may move back into a higher number corral within your wave, although we encourage all runners to line up in the corral they have been assigned.
• Bib numbers are color-coded. Red bibs (numbers 100–8,999) are assigned to Wave 1. White bibs (numbers 9,000-17,999) are assigned to Wave 2. Blue bibs (numbers 18,000+) are assigned to wave 3. Please start in the corral and the wave to which you have been assigned. Your starting corral is printed beneath your runner's number on your bib.
• If you are assigned to Wave 1, you may move back to Wave 2 or Wave 3 in any corral EXCEPT the first corral in either wave. However, if you are assigned to Wave 2 you may NOT start in Wave 1, and if you are assigned to Wave 3 you may NOT start in Wave 2 or Wave 1. Violators are subject to penalties and/or disqualification.
• Remain in your assigned area for the benefit of both yourself and other competitors. Please cooperate and play fair.
• Measures will be taken to disallow unofficial runners from starting within the official seeded sections. Official runners are asked to assist the marshals by reporting unofficialrunners who may have entered a corral.
• Cooperate with the marshals at the start and finish.
• Runners will not be allowed to warm up in front of the starting line at any time.
• Clothing left at the start and finish after the race begins will be donated to charity.
• For safety reasons, animals, strollers, in-line skates, skateboards and like vehicles of any kind are not permitted.
• Although the B.A.A. discourages the use of iPods and headphones, they are allowed except for those athletes who declare themselves eligible for prize money.
• Violators are subject to disqualification.
• For 2012, we have increased the number of port-o-johns in Hopkinton at the Athletes’ Village and in Colella’s Supermarket parking lot. Please use these units and NOT private property. Trespassing is illegal, and the law will be strictly enforced. Violators are subject to immediate disqualification and possible action by local law enforcement officials.
• NOTE: Persons with disabilities will receive additional, special instructions when they pick up their bib numbers.
  

BIB NUMBER

Your official race bib number has important information printed on it and, therefore, it is critical for it to be clearly displayed during the entire race.

• Do not alter the bib number in any way.
• Bib numbers are not transferable.
• Folding or covering any part of your bib number may result in disqualification.
• No one else may wear your bib number.
• Entire number must be visible and pinned to the front of your shirt.
• Fill in necessary medical and emergency contact information on the reverse side of your bib number.
• A baggage label printed with a number corresponding to your bib number is included in your race packet. Affix the label to the bag provided to you at packet pick-up.

TIMING & SCORING PROCEDURES

The B.A.A. will use a timing tag attached to the back of your bib number to score the race. This bib number with timing tag must be worn on the front of your running jersey from Start to Finish in order for you to be recognized as completing the race and receiving an official finish time. No times are recorded after approximately 4:50 p.m. (or six hours after the last official runner crosses the starting line). It’s important that your bib not be forcefully bent, creased, or heavily wrinkled, as damaged timing tags may not work on race day. The timing tag identifies your bib number
and should not be worn by any other entrant. All you must do is wear the bib; computers do the rest. The B.A.A. uses “net” time as your official time. Your time which will appear in the official results will begin when you cross the start line. This will enable us to provide you with and score you by the net time that it took you to run the 26.2 miles of the race. It is this net time which can be used as your qualifying time for the 2013 Boston Marathon, and it is the time printed on your finisher’s certificate. Prize money is awarded based on “gun” time.

Please Remember...