Boston Marathon
The annual Boston Marathon is hosted by the city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day - now often referred to as “Marathon Monday" - the third Monday of April.
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| image courtesy http://philip.greenspun.com |
Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon has since become the world’s oldest annually contested marathon.
In fact, from the start in the rural town of Hopkinton, to the finish in front of the Boston Public Library, the Boston Marathon is seen as the most prestigious road race in the world.
The total prize money distributed among the winners of the 112th
Boston Marathon in 2008 was more $575,000.
As principal sponsor, John Hancock Financial Services provided the first ever prize money in 1986 and has continued that tradition. They have provided more than $11 million in prize and bonus awards over the past 22 years and continue to sponsor many of the world’s best marathoners to the race each year.
Most of the participants however run the race for the prestige of simply being a part of the event. It is the only marathon for which runners have to meet qualifying requirements.
Today, the Boston Marathon ranks behind only the Super Bowl as the largest single day sporting event in the world. More than 500,000 spectators line the 26.2-mile course annually, making the Boston Marathon New England’s most widely viewed sporting event, according to estimates by police and public safety officials from the eight cities and towns along the route.
For more information visit: www.bostonmarathon.org
