The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon organized by the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) and hosted by the city of Boston, Massachusetts. The marathon is one of five World Marathon Majors and takes place every year on the third Monday of April.
The course starts on Main Street in the rural New England town of Hopkinton, follows Route 135, Route 16 and Route 30, continues through the Newston Hills and eight Massachusetts cities incl. Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and ends in Boston near the John Hancock Tower in Copley Square. Total distance: 26.22 miles (42.195 km).