RacesIndependent race preparation guide

Boston and Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA · 42.195 km road marathon

Boston Marathon 2027

Monday 19 April 2027

A point-to-point road marathon from Hopkinton to Boylston Street that sheds most of its height early and saves the Newton hills, ending at Heartbreak Hill, for the last third.

Boston Marathon at a glance

Start: 10:00 to 11:21 in six waves (2026 times), Main Street, Hopkinton
Finish: Boylston Street by the Boston Public Library, Copley Square
Course: Point to point and net downhill, with the Newton hills between km 27.5 and 33.5
Elevation: From about sea level to 137 m
Time limit: Six hours net; official timing ends at 17:30
Cut-offs: None published; roads reopen behind about 8:32 per km (2026)
Entry: Closed: qualifier applications ran 14 to 18 September 2026; 270 US dollars if accepted
Bib pickup: In person at the Hynes Convention Center expo with government photo ID; 2027 hours not yet published
Getting to the start: Official buses from Charles Street by Boston Common, 06:45 to 09:30 (2026); one small clear bag only
Aid stations: Water and Gatorade every mile from mile 2; gels at miles 11.8, 17 and 21.5 (2026)

Checked against the organizer's pages on 24 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.

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Boston Marathon course map and elevation

Point to point and net downhill, with the Newton hills between km 27.5 and 33.5. Map, elevation profile and 3D flyover.

Loading topographic map…

running direction two lines: out and back on the same road race kilometresCourse: OpenStreetMap contributors

Flat (<5%)

Community-mapped route from OpenStreetMap; the next edition's route may differ. For illustration, not navigation.

What to expect on the course

About 85 m of descent in the first 7 km out of Hopkinton
The Wellesley College crowd just before halfway
Four Newton hills from the fire station at km 27.5, ending at the crest of Heartbreak Hill at km 33.5
Nearly three miles of Beacon Street through Brookline, then the CITGO sign at Kenmore Square with a mile to go
Right onto Hereford Street and left onto Boylston Street for the finish

This is a community-mapped OSM course reference checked in September 2026, not an official B.A.A. GPX or confirmation of the 2027 course. Approximate heights come from terrain data.

Read the full course description

A point-to-point road course that leaves Main Street in Hopkinton and follows Route 135 through Ashland from about km 3, Framingham from km 8, passing its old train depot near km 10.5, and Natick from km 12 to Wellesley at km 19, where the Wellesley College crowd comes just before halfway. The official profile loses about 85 m in the first 7 km and roughly 140 m overall, but not evenly. Route 16 drops to cross the Charles River into Newton near km 25.6, where the first of the four Newton hills begins, and the route turns right at the fire station onto Commonwealth Avenue at mile 17.1, km 27.5, at the foot of the second; together they climb roughly 80 m, about 60 m of it after the fire station, and the last, Heartbreak Hill, rises about 30 m to its crest at mile 20.8, km 33.5. Past Boston College the course bears right at the reservoir onto Chestnut Hill Avenue to Cleveland Circle, runs nearly three miles down Beacon Street through Brookline, passes the CITGO sign at Kenmore Square with a mile to go at km 40.6, dips under Massachusetts Avenue, then turns right onto Hereford Street and left onto Boylston Street. In 2026 water and Gatorade stood on both sides of the road at every mile from mile 2, with gels at miles 11.8, 17 and 21.5; no pacers are mentioned.

Source, licence and file

Community course reference, checked 2026. Course: OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.4 km in the file). Approximate ground heights from USGS 3D Elevation Program lidar, added by TrailSplits at roughly 100 m intervals. Bridges and small road gradients are not surveyed road elevations.Heights from the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program (public domain).

Three decisions to make before race day

Treat the first 7 km as a brake, not a bank

Do not bank time on the 85 m drop in the first 7 km: the Newton hills climb about 80 m from km 25.6, ending at Heartbreak Hill.

More detail
The official profile drops about 85 m in the first 7 km out of Hopkinton, and the real climbing comes late: roughly 80 m over the four Newton hills from the Charles River at km 25.6 (about 60 m after the fire station at km 27.5), ending with Heartbreak Hill's 30 m to the crest at km 33.5. Time banked on the early descent costs more than it saves if your legs are gone for the hills and the long run down Beacon Street.
Build race morning around the bus and one small bag

In 2026 the last bus left Boston Common at 09:30; only a small clear bag goes to Hopkinton, so check a finish bag on Boylston or Berkeley Street by 09:15.

More detail
In 2026 official buses loaded on Charles Street beside Boston Common from 06:45 for Wave 1 to 09:00 for Wave 6, the last leaving at 09:30, and the start was a 0.7-mile walk from the Athletes' Village. Only the small clear Start Area Bag goes to Hopkinton and nothing comes back, so check a finish bag on Boylston or Berkeley Street before 09:15.
Collect your own bib at the expo before race day

Bibs are collected only in person at the Hynes expo with government photo ID; in 2026 it closed on the Sunday before the Monday race.

More detail
Bibs are released only at the expo in the Hynes Convention Center during its posted hours, and each runner must collect in person with a physical or official digital government photo ID and the pickup pass emailed in early April. The 2027 hours are not yet published; in 2026 the expo ran Friday to Sunday before the Monday race, so plan to be in Boston by the Sunday.

Your race-day sheet

Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Boston and Hopkinton.

Target finish time, including stops

HoursMinutes

Total stopped minutes Your start time (local)

These are the 2026 wave times, Wave 1 at 10:00 to Wave 6 at 11:21; the B.A.A. has not yet published the 2027 schedule. Your wave follows from your bib number, so enter your own start once it is assigned. America/New_York.

Time limit: Six hours net; official timing ends at 17:30

How this sheet applies the limit

The 2027 rules and waiver ask every entrant to be able to finish in under six hours net, and official timing stops at 17:30, which the B.A.A. puts at about six hours after the last starter crosses the line. Later finishers still get a medal but are listed as post-race participants, not official finishers. On the 2026 course page roads reopen behind a pace of about 13:44 per mile, roughly 8:32 per km, after which aid, clocks and timing shut down. No intermediate cut-offs are published.

A timing comparison, not a fitness assessment. Intermediate cutoffs, queues, weather and terrain are not modelled. Stops are spread evenly in the illustration; actual checkpoint times will differ.

ESTIMATED FINISH

14:00:00

MOVING PACE BUDGET

5:34/ km

ELAPSED PACE

5:41/ km

120 min below the modelled finish limit

Distance markers, not aid stations or guaranteed arrival times.
Distance	Elapsed	Local clock
5 km	00:28:26	10:28:26
10 km	00:56:53	10:56:53
15 km	01:25:19	11:25:19
20 km	01:53:45	11:53:45
Halfway	02:00:00	12:00:00
25 km	02:22:12	12:22:12
30 km	02:50:38	12:50:38
35 km	03:19:05	13:19:05
40 km	03:47:31	13:47:31
Finish	04:00:00	14:00:00

Training plan for Boston Marathon 2027

A free week-by-week plan dated to this race. It starts from a stated default (weekly distance, longest recent run, days a week) that you can change; nothing is read from your watch or training history. It does not use the finish-time target above.

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Entry, bib pickup and rules

Entry:: Closed: qualifier applications ran 14 to 18 September 2026; 270 US dollars if accepted
Bib pickup:: In person at the Hynes Convention Center expo with government photo ID; 2027 hours not yet published

Read the full entry and pickup rules

Entry is closed. Qualifier applications ran from 10:00 ET on 14 September to 17:00 ET on 18 September 2026 for runners with a valid qualifying time for their age and gender, in no first-come order. The fastest by margin under their standard are accepted, then about 1,000 qualifiers who missed the cut-off are drawn at random, with notices by early October. Accepted qualifiers pay 270 US dollars; entries cannot be transferred or deferred except under the pregnancy and postpartum policy, and refunds come only through the optional Registration Protection bought at registration. Runners must be 18 on race day. Bibs are handed out only in person at the expo in the Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston Street, against government photo identification and the digital pickup pass emailed in early April.

Sources

Checked 24 September 2026; next review due 2026-11-03. Event facts come from the organizer; the pacing sheet, decisions and plan are TrailSplits' own. Independently prepared by TrailSplits, not endorsed by the organizer.

What each source confirms

Info for Athletes: The 2026 registration window and entry terms, bib pickup at the Hynes expo, and the 2026 wave times, bus loading, gear check, aid stations and 17:30 finish closure, not yet updated for 2027.
2027 Boston Marathon Rules and Policies: The six-hour net requirement, official timing ending at 17:30 about six hours after the last starter, in-person bib pickup with government photo ID, and entry fees that are not refunded, transferred or deferred.
Qualifying standards: The 2027 standards by age and gender on net time, the minimum age of 18 on race day, and the random Boston Qualifier Selection of about 1,000 extra qualifiers.
Qualifier registration announcement, 14 September 2026: Applications from 10:00 ET on 14 September to 17:00 ET on 18 September 2026, acceptance by margin under the standard, and the 270 dollar fee charged only on acceptance.
2026 course page and course map: The linked 2026 map with the official route description, landmark miles and elevation profile, plus gel depots, 26 medical stations, sweep buses and roads reopening behind about 13:44 per mile.
Info for Spectators: Mile ranges for each town, the Newton hills between miles 17.5 and 21, Wellesley College before halfway, the Beacon Street stretch and the 2026 start timeline.