Boston Marathon
Monday, April 19, 2027 · Boston, USA
Updated May 2026
Unidirectional point-to-point with severe net negative elevation drop. The first half's 1,275ft descent destroys quadriceps via eccentric loading; the Newton Hills at miles 16-21 — including Heartbreak Hill — arrive precisely when glycogen is depleted.
The score breakdown
The Kenyan Running Difficulty Index combines four weighted factors. The heaviest weight (35%) is on Tactical Brutality. That is what a Kenyan coach watches first: where the field actually blows up.
- Highest KR Difficulty in the set.
- Atmospheric Stress is high due to historic weather variability (38°F to 87°F across last decade).
- Tactical Brutality near cap because the combination of quad damage + Newton Hills + late-stage timing punishes most pacing strategies.
Score confidence: preliminary. Computed from public course, weather, and prize data; calibration against 5K split data and coach review is in progress.
Course profile
- Elevation gain
- 248m / 815ft
- Elevation loss
- 388m / 1275ft
- Highest point
- 141m
- Surface
- paved smooth
- Late-stage climbs (after mile 18)
- Heartbreak Hill at miles 20-21 (after preceding rollers from mile 16). Final 5 miles roll downward on damaged quads.
- Profile notes
- Opening 4 miles drop 267ft (eccentric loading). Newton Hills mile 16-21. Net downhill but mathematically NOT a fast course due to quad damage timing.
Race day
- Date
- Monday, April 19, 2027
- Field size
- 32,000
- Entry
- Competitive time standards by age/gender. From 2027 registrations: qualifying times from courses with net downhill drop ≥1,500ft incur an index penalty (+5 minutes for 1,500–2,999ft drops; +10 minutes for 3,000–5,999ft drops); courses dropping ≥6,000ft are disallowed.
- Time limit
- 6 hours
Weather (historical)
- Median temp
- 14.5°C
- Temp range
- 3°C to 30°C
- Humidity
- 72% at start
- Wind
- Variable; recent editions have shown 15 km/h E/NE headwind
- Notable weather events
- 2018: severe rain, snow, upper-30s temperatures
- 2012: intense heat reaching 87°F
Prize money
- Total purse
- $1,284,500 (2026/2027)
- Winner
- $150K
- Course record bonus
- $50K
- Notes
- Course is ineligible for World Record status due to net downhill exceeding regulatory limits. Highest total purse among the listed races.
Course records
Recent winners
Top East African winners (Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda) across the last 10 verified editions: 9 men, 9 women.
| Year | Men's winner | Time | Women's winner | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | John Korir (KEN) | 2:01:52 | Sharon Lokedi (KEN) | 2:18:51 |
| 2025 | John Korir (KEN) | 2:04:45 | Sharon Lokedi (KEN) | 2:17:22 |
| 2024 | Sisay Lemma (ETH) | 2:06:17 | Hellen Obiri (KEN) | 2:22:37 |
| 2023 | Evans Chebet (KEN) | 2:05:54 | Hellen Obiri (KEN) | 2:21:38 |
| 2022 | Evans Chebet (KEN) | 2:06:51 | Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) | 2:21:01 |
| 2021 | Benson Kipruto (KEN) | 2:09:51 | Edna Kiplagat (KEN) | 2:25:09 |
| 2019 | Lawrence Cherono (KEN) | 2:07:57 | Worknesh Degefa (ETH) | 2:23:31 |
| 2018 | Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) | 2:15:58 | Desiree Linden (USA) | 2:39:54 |
| 2017 | Geoffrey Kirui (KEN) | 2:09:37 | Edna Kiplagat (KEN) | 2:21:52 |
| 2016 | Lemi Berhanu Hayle (ETH) | 2:12:45 | Atsede Bayisa (ETH) | 2:29:19 |
Training for Boston Marathon?
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Sources
- https://www.baa.org/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Marathon
- https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/content-hub/korir-wins-boston-2026
- https://www.baa.org/news/2026-and-2027-registration-updates-boston-marathon-presented-bank-america/
- https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/content-hub/boston-to-adjust-downhill-bq-times