Are you ready to watch the Boston Marathon online? Well, ready or not, 20,000 runners are about to take on the 125th edition of the race. It might not be happening on Patriot’s Day this year, but that doesn’t make the race any less exciting, as runners travel the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.
The Boston Marathon takes place today (Monday, October 12).
► Time: 8:00 a.m. ET / 7:00 a.m. CT / 5:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 pm BST
• U.S. — Watch WBZ-TV, NBC Sports, FloSports, Peacock
• U.K. — Watch FloSports
• Watch anywhere — try ExpressVPN 100% risk free
Last year’s Boston Marathon was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, so this race has been a long time coming for some runners. Those with guaranteed spots had to re-enter the race, which has a smaller field than usual to allow for more social distancing. If you’re not near Boston, or you want to support from your couch this year to avoid the crowds, here’s how to watch the Boston Marathon 2021.
From an elite perspective, the stage looks set for an exciting race, with male and female Boston champions returning to the race, which is being held in the fall for the first time. In the men’s race, previous winners Lelisa Desisa, Lemi Berhanu, Geoffrey Kirui and Yuki Kawauchi will all be toeing the start line.
In the women’s race, former winners Caroline Rotich, Atsded Baysa, Edna Kiplagat and Des Linden will all be racing. US runners Jordan Hasay and Molly Huddle will also be joining the list of Boston Marathon winners to race in front of a home crowd.
For the mass-participation race, the course has been harder than ever to get into, with the trimmed-down field meaning the competition for spaces was fierce. Runners had to reapply and inevitably, some were left out of the 2021 race. If you do know someone running in the masses, here’s the best ways to track runners at the Boston Marathon.
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Boston Marathon start times and schedule
Boston Marathon fans, be warned, you’re going to need to set your alarm earlier than you do on Patriots Day. This year’s Boston Marathon schedule is as follows (all times are in ET):
8:02 a.m. – Men’s wheelchair
8:05 a.m. – Women’s wheelchair
8:30 a.m. – Handcycles and duos
8:37 a.m. – Professional men
8:45 a.m. – Professional women
8:50 a.m. – Para athletics
9 a.m. – Non-elite rolling start
What does the weather look like for the Boston Marathon?
For anyone thinking back to the 2018 race, you'll be pleased to hear the weather looks much less dramatic for today's Boston Marathon. The start line looks to be a mild 61 degrees, which looks set to rise to 65 degrees by 11 am. The wind speed is 9mph — pretty perfect marathon running weather.
How to watch the Boston Marathon live stream wherever you are
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How to watch the Boston Marathon in the US
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 fuboTV, if your WBZ is available for you.
Outside of Boston, you can also tune in to the Boston Marathon on NBC Sports and the NBC Sports app, which will be broadcasting live race coverage from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET. You could log into those services with the right cable provider login.
You can also stream the Boston Marathon on Peacock, although that does require you to have a subscription, which costs $4.99 a month. Plus, if you signed up to FloSports to watch the London Marathon last weekend, you can also stream the Boston Marathon on there.
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How to watch the Boston Marathon in the UK
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 2 from 1.30 pm BST.
