Today at 8:30 a.m. the 2014 edition of the Boston Marathon will kick in, one year after a terrible bombing near the finish line killed three and left hundreds injured. Despite the terror threat now in the back of many minds, a record 36,000 runners are expected to run in today's race. Live stream the event for free by clicking this link.
While running a marathon is a Herculean achievement for anyone, professional runner or not, the focus today will sadly be on how the thousands of participating runners will be kept safe. The Boston Athletic Association has taken several measures to increase security, and will be enforcing other rules as well.
For starters, backpacks or rucksacks will not be allowed this year after two men dropped backpacks filled with explosives that detonated and wreaked havoc. Flags or signs larger than 11 inches by 17 inches are banned. In addition, containers of liquid larger than one liter are no good, there will be no costumes allowed that cover the face, and bulky clothes with pockets are not permitted. Finally, unregistered runners and cyclists are absolutely not welcome.
"We are aware that many people want to participate in some way in this year's Boston Marathon as a display of support," the BAA said in a statement. "But we ask that those who are not official participants to refrain from entering the course for the safety of the runners and themselves."
Those rules are a good place to start, but organizers are expecting up to 9,000 more spectators than usual owing to the significance of this year's race. To deal with that, there will be double the amount of officers in the crowd as there were in 2013, as well as 100 bomb-sniffing dogs.
As far as the race itself, watching out for the speedy Kenyan runners is always advised. On the men's side Dennis Kimetto is the favorite after breaking the Chicago marathon record by a full minute. However, Scott Douglas of Runner's World notes that Kimetto's greatest successes have come on flat ground as opposed to the hilly Boston terrain. That could open the door for Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa to sneak in.
For the women, Kenya's Rita Jeptoo is an overwhelming favorite, having clocked a 2:19:57 Chicago marathon. American Shalane Flanagan could loom as a dark horse challenger, having come in fourth place last year and set the American 15K record this March with a 47:03 run.
2014 Boston Marathon Official Start Times
| Division | Start Time | Approx No. of Entrants |
|---|---|---|
| Mobility Impaired | 8:50 a.m. | 20 (plus guides) |
| Push Rim Wheelchair | 9:17 a.m. | 64 (plus 9 duos) |
| Handcycles | 9:22 a.m. | 21 |
| Elite Women | 9:32 a.m. | 50 |
| Elite Men and Wave One: | 10:00 a.m. | 9,000 |
| Wave Two | 10:25 a.m. | 9,000 |
| Wave Three | 11:00 a.m. | 9,000 |
| Wave Four | 11:25 a.m. | 9,000 |
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