hopkinton-independent-logo2x
Hopkinton, MA
loader-image
Hopkinton, US
5:32 pm, Thursday, November 14, 2024
temperature icon 35°F
Humidity 37 %
Wind Gust: 3 mph

SIGN UP TODAY!
BREAKING NEWS & DAILY NEWSLETTER





Hopkinton to recognize Ashland’s role as original starting location for Boston Marathon

by | Apr 4, 2023 | Featured

Town leaders from Hopkinton have invited their counterparts from Ashland to a reception at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts on Thursday night to “acknowledge, honor and celebrate” Ashland’s role in the race’s history.

The event will feature presentations by Massachusetts Senate President Karen E. Spilka, Consul General of Greece in Boston Symeon Tegos and Boston Athletic Association President and CEO Jack Fleming.

The 2023 Boston Marathon marks the 100th anniversary of the last time the race started in Ashland. The first Boston Marathon in 1897 measured 24.5 miles and began at Metcalf’s Mill in Ashland, finishing at the Irvington Oval in Boston.

The distance was chosen so it would be similar to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. That race was 24.8 miles, chosen to remember the distance Pheidippides ran from the plains of Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C. to report the Athenians’ victory over the Persians.

At the 1908 Olympics in London, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria desired for the race to begin at Windsor Castle so the royal family could watch. So the distance was stretched out to 26 miles — from the castle to the Olympic Stadium, with an extra 385 yards so the race could finish around the track.

In 1924, that longer distance was adopted for all marathons, and the Boston Marathon start line was moved to Hopkinton to accommodate the change.

0 Comments

Related Articles

Photos: 128th Boston Marathon

The 128th Boston Marathon, which marks the 100th anniversary of the race's start in Hopkinton, got off to a successful start Monday, as about 30,000 athletes began the annual trek to Boston in near-perfect weather. The men's winner was Sisay Lemma, who cruised home...

Professional women runners

List of Hopkinton runners in Monday’s Boston Marathon

There are 53 individuals registered to run this year’s Boston Marathon who listed Hopkinton as their hometown. NAME, NUMBER Santosh Avvari 28862 Rohit Bahal 27687 Louis (Ed) Beauvais 28092 Aamir Benincaso 26110 Annelise Brookes 29008 Nicholas Brown 28224 Nancy...

Marathon start line

Photos: Marathon weekend at Town Common

Leading up to Monday's 128th Boston Marathon, Hopkinton welcomed residents and visitors to the Town Common over the weekend. The Hopkinton Marathon Committee sponsored a 100-yard dash for children at the Boston Marathon start line.

Marathon Dash

Curry tunes in on Boston for Hopkinton Music Association

Hopkinton resident Kathryn Curry has run so many marathons that she has lost count. She knows that it is at least 20. She was introduced to the sport at a young age, due to her father’s interest. “My father was a marathon runner, and as kids we would root for him...

Kathryn Curry

‘Emotional drive’ propels Agostinelli to Boston

Mark Agostinelli is quick to point out that while he certainly is an athlete, he is not a runner. “I played college lacrosse years ago, and I think since then I had not run longer than three miles,” Agostinelli said. “I am not a runner, not a runner at all.” The...

Mark Agostinelli
Key Storage 4.14.22