Good morning, Hopkinton! Welcome to the daily update we call Hopkinton Today — a quick recap of yesterday’s news, highlights of what’s on tap, and a photo of the day.

130th Boston Marathon start to feature new layout, local honorees

Workers assemble the grandstand at the Boston Marathon start line earlier this week. PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO

The 130th Boston Marathon will kick off early in Hopkinton on Monday.

Road closures in town will take place by 7 a.m., with the first race — the men’s wheelchair division — getting underway at 9:06 a.m. The professional men and women’s races will begin at 9:37 a.m. and 9:47 a.m. respectively. The para athletics division will start at 9:50 a.m., and the first wave of non-professional athletes will go off at 10 a.m.

This year’s race will draw 30,000 runners from across the globe. In total, 48 individuals registered to run listed Hopkinton as their hometown, and numerous local charities have runners raising funds for them via a charity bib.

To accommodate the number of participants crossing the start line this year, the Boston Athletic Association has worked with the town to restructure the marathon slightly. Instead of the traditional four waves of runners, there will be six, in an effort to ease congestion and overcrowding.

A new route for the runners to go from Hopkinton High School to the start line also was implemented. Runners will make their way to Main Street this year via Maple Street and Church Street rather than continuing straight down Grove Street.

The marathon’s grand marshal is Jack Fultz, who won the men’s division in the infamous “Run for the Hoses” in 1976. Temperatures rose to nearly 100 degrees that year.

Six honorees chosen by the Hopkinton Marathon Committee will start the later waves Monday. These include Hopkinton Fire Chief Gary Daugherty, former Water-Sewer Manager Eric Carty, former Hopkinton Public Schools Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh and the family of Henry Arthur “Artie” Pyne, who served the town for 45 years as a volunteer firefighter and special police officer. Also being recognized this year are local veterans Bill Muench and Bob Letendre.

One new feature spectators can check out near the start line this year is the Bobbi Gibb statue on the corner of Hayden Rowe Street and Main Street. It was unveiled at a ribbon cutting last month and commemorates Gibb’s historic run of the Boston Marathon in 1966.

For race day, Deputy Police Chief Scott van Raalten recommended residents and visitors check out the Hopkinton Police Department Facebook page for information and notices related to the marathon. He also directed spectators to download the BAA’s app and to check the town website for information about road closures and other public access information.

In an email to the Independent, Town Manager Elaine Lazarus commended all the volunteers and town employees for their coordination with the BAA and its partners to plan and prepare for the marathon this year. “The level of participation by Hopkinton, and the excitement I see each year, is extraordinary,” she stated.

— NICK SCHOFIELD

Latest News

The Commission on Disability on Monday addressed some confusion over the responsibilities of the town’s ADA coordinator after its chair received an accessibility complaint from a resident.

Andrea Marguerite honors the memories of loved ones who lost battles with addiction as she runs the Boston Marathon this year for the Herren Project.

Matt Prior has clearance to chase his long-term goal of running a marathon after facing a difficult heart failure diagnosis last year.

Proud to be running to benefit Project Just Because, Heather Santucci hopes her marathon journey shows her daughters what it means to work hard to achieve a goal.

In the latest Tales from a Townie, Bill Hamilton recalls the history of 1 Ash Street — the building the Boston Athletic Association now calls home.

This week’s Baypath Adoptable Animal is Pebbles, a 6-year-old dog with great manners who is happy to be near his people without demanding constant attention.

The Knights of Columbus Bishop Rice Council 4822 is hosting a fundraising event for adults called A Nite at the Races on May 2.

Photo of the Day

Quilts hang from the ceiling during the Marathon Quilters Guild show that took place at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts last weekend. Click here for more photos.

PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO