Boston Marathon 2023: How to watch live from anywhere in the world

a photo of the Boston Marathon winner 2022
(Image credit: Getty/Omar Rawlings / Stringer)

Looking for a way to watch the Boston Marathon 2023 online? While you might not be able to head to the race in person, approximately 30,000 runners are about to take on the 127th edition of the Boston Marathon this Patriot’s Day, and we've found all the ways you can tune in and cheer, from wherever you are in the world.

Boston Marathon live stream, date, time, channels

The Boston Marathon takes place on today (April 17)
► Time: 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 2 pm BST / 12 a.m. Tuesday AEDT
• U.S. — Broadcast locally on WCVB Channel 5. Live national coverage will be featured on ESPN (watch on Sling TV), The Olympic Channel, via Olympics.com, WCVB, Very Local Boston, FloTrack
• U.K. — ESPN UK, FloTrack, EuroSport,
• Watch anywhere — try ExpressVPN 100% risk free 

The stage is set for one of the most iconic marathons in the world, with some of the fastest runners in history lining up with 30,000 runners today, to take on 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.

In the elite field, the fastest man in the world, Eliud Kipchoge, is toeing the start line in an attempt to break the course record in his quest to win all six of the marathon majors. The Kenyan runner has an unofficial PR of 1:59:40, which he ran in Vienna in October 2019, and an official world record marathon time of 2:01:09. The Boston Marathon course record is 2:03:02, set by Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai in 2011, and Kipchoge looks set to break it. 

Last year's Boston and New York City Marathon winner, Evans Chebet of Kenya, is also back to defend his title. Scott Fauble, CJ Albertson, and Conner Mantz are all racing on home soil. 

In the women's field, nine athletes who have run under 2:20 will be on the start line, including Amane Beriso, who ran the third-fastest marathon of all time last year, and reigning world champion Gotytom Gebreslase. Des Linden, Sara Hall, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Emma Bates, and Nell Rojas are all racing in front of a home crowd.

This year’s race is slated to be the “fastest and most decorated Boston Marathon” in race history, organizers say.

And of course, there's the mass participation race — if you do know someone running in the masses, here are the best ways to track runners at the Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon 2023 start times and schedule 

Ready to cheer? Timings are as follows (all times are in ET): 

9:02 a.m. – Men’s wheelchair

9:05 a.m. – Women’s wheelchair

9:30 a.m. – Handcycles and duos

9:37 a.m. – Professional men

9:45 a.m. – Professional women

9:50 a.m. – Para athletics

10 a.m. – Non-elite start

Wave 1, starting at 10:00 a.m.

Wave 2, starting at 10:25 a.m.

Wave 3, starting at 10:50 a.m.

Wave 4, starting at 11:15 a.m.

What does the weather look like for the Boston Marathon?

In a word, the weather for Monday's Boston Marathon looks to be wet. At the moment, temperatures look to be between 45-50 degrees, with winds of 5-15 miles per hour on the route from Hopkinton to Boston. By midday, the winds pick up a little, with gusts of 10-20 miles per hour. 

How to watch the Boston Marathon live stream wherever you are 

ExpressVPN

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How to watch the Boston Marathon in the US 

US flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Outside of Boston, you can also tune in to the Boston Marathon on ESPN, which is available on Sling TV Orange, which starts at $40 per month, and is currently 50% off for the first month. The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. ET and will continue until 1:00 p.m. ET.

If you’re local to Boston, the easiest way to watch all of the action on Monday is to put your feet up and tune into CBS Boston’s WBZ-TV live coverage, which airs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. Cut the cord? It should be available locally on fubo, if your WBZ is available for you. The race will also be live-streamed on Very Local Boston, which can be installed for free on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, or through the app store on mobile devices. 

You can also stream the Boston Marathon on FloTrack, but it does require you to have a subscription. 

Sling TV

Sling TV Orange nets you ESPN for $40 per month. It's also very customizable, and Sling Blue is the cheapest service with national broadcast channel affiliates.

Fubo.TV:a 7-day free trial

Fubo.TV: One of the best streaming services with CBS, and the top pick for watching all of the 2021 NFL live streams, Fubo has all of the right network channels and the two cable channels you don't want to go without. Who needs cable? Not Fubo subscribers. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front.

How to watch the Boston Marathon in the UK 

British flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you’re in the UK, you can still follow the Boston Marathon live coverage by using one of the best VPN services, such as ExpressVPN

The easiest way to tune in is to watch the live coverage on NBC Sports using a VPN service, which starts at 1.00 pm BST. You can also watch the live stream from FloSports, but this does require you to have a subscription. Plans start at $12.50 per month, according to the FloSports website, and you can download the FloSports app on Roku and Apple TV. You can also stream the Boston Marathon on EuroSport from 2.30 pm BST, or on the Olympic Channel.

VPN terms and services language

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Jane McGuire
Fitness editor

Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy.