10 Tips for the Boston Marathon start in Hopkinton.

10 Tips for the Boston Marathon start in Hopkinton.

If you’re taking the bus out from Boston I can’t give any advice on that.  I’ve never done it.  But the official handouts from the race should have lots of details on how that works.

I drive to the start in Hopkinton.  More specifically I get a ride to the start.  Sometimes it’s from an obliging teammate sometimes from my wife.

I’ve been doing it for almost two decades now and it’s changed a lot.  What can you expect on Patriot’s Day?

Contrary to popular belief, you can get dropped in Hopkinton.  If you go to exit 21B north/west off of 495 and take the first left on South Street (less than ¼ mile) there’s an office building there where they run shuttle buses out to athlete’s village and also to downtown Hopkinton.   There’s no place to park, but it’s very easy to get dropped off.

You have to consider your start wave. If you’re in one of the later waves you probably don’t need to get there super early.  I’ve never seen the line for the buses be more than one bus long.

Another interesting thing you can do is take the spectator bus to Hopkinton center.  If you’ve got time on your hands you can walk around the starting corrals and take a picture at the iconic ‘Welcome to Hopkinton’ sign.  There are also a few hundred porta johns here that no one will be using until the corrals start to fill up.

Athletes Village is the grass playing fields behind the Hopkinton High School.  They throw up some party tents, but unless you’re super early there won’t be any room in the tents.  There is an announcer keeping up a delightful patois with a Boston accent and loud music playing.

The fence along the exit side of the field is where all the charities stake out their claims.  If you’re running with a charity, that’s where they’ll be.  The television news is typically over there too if you want to be on TV.

Usually there is water, Gatorade and various promotional PowerBar items on the field for you to take free of charge.  But, if that sort of thing is important to you check with the BAA to be sure what’s planned for this year.

There are hundreds of portajohns around the field.  As you might imagine everyone needs to use them. The lines tend to be 15-20 minutes long, especially as the day progresses.  Budget accordingly.  Don’t try to ‘go’ off the reservation.  They will pull your number and disqualify you.  (if they can catch you)

When the race time comes, they load the corals by wave.  It’s probably less than a ½ mile walk to your starting coral on Main Street.  They have the timing down and there is no reason to rush.  The race starts when you cross the mat.  Don’t waste your energy trying to jostle your way ahead of the 1,000 other runners trying to get to the same coral.

There is more water and the aforementioned parking lot full of porta johns on your left just before the corals for any last-minute needs as you approach the start.

What are some things to remember?

  1. We used to have bag drop buses, but they don’t do that anymore. You have to bring whatever you’re going to need for the race.  Anything you don’t carry with you you’ll have to discard.  Once you’re in Athlete’s Village you’re going to have to live off of what you’ve carried in.  If you need something before the race go out and buy some single-serve version of it so you don’t have to carry or throw away a whole bottle.
  2. You can only bring the see-through gear bag that they pass out at the expo. No backpacks or gear bags.  They have to be able to see what you’ve got.
  3. You are going to be screened by security before you get on the bus in Hopkinton and before you enter the Village. They will make you dump out anything not in the clear bag.
  4. Check the weather. Early and often.  It can be sunny, rainy, cold, and anything in between.  The forecast can change overnight.
  5. Be prepared to bring throw-away sweat shirts and sweat pants to keep warm.
  6. Be prepared to bring a throw-away rain covering of some sort – trash bags work.
  7. Bring something to sit on. I typically bring a used space blanket from a prior race. The grass is damp.
  8. Wear a throw-away pair of old shoes. Put your race shoes in a clear plastic bag with a fresh pair of socks.  Even if it’s not raining the grass can still be wet.  There been years when I haven’t changed into my race shoes until the corrals.
  9. Don’t’ forget your sunscreen. Sunglasses are trickier because you never really know if you’re going to need them.  I usually bring them and just perch them on top of my head if I’m not wearing them.
  10. Don’t forget your lube & bring your pre-race nutrition. A nice banana with a bottle of water is usually enough.

It’s really a nice time to just sit and soak up the atmosphere.  I see people reading newspapers and napping.  Try to relax.  Talk to people.  Enjoy yourself.  It’s Boston.  There will be plenty of time to suffer, no need to start early.

It’s not New York or Disney.  If you’re getting dropped off, you don’t need to be there 5 hours early.  A couple hours is plenty of cushion.

See you out there.

16 thoughts on “10 Tips for the Boston Marathon start in Hopkinton.”

  1. Thank you so much for this info! I listen to your podcast routinely, I know you’re from the area and as I’m staying with family in Needham, I didn’t know if i HAD to take the buses or if there was another way. I thought you would know. Thanks! And have a great Boston!

  2. I’m hoping it doesn’t rain this year. I much prefer to park at South Street and take the BAA bus back to it for my drive home. The problem is with rain and cool temps it will be very uncomfortable to sit in wet clothes.

    I think the Soth St. lot you are talking about for drop off is the first one you encounter. Just down the road from that is a huge lot with plenty of parking. They have lots of porta potties that are almost completely empty. I lie to go there and relax before taking the bus to athletes village.

    I just wish they didn’t do away with the bag drop. Now it really won’t be possible unless I can get someone to take my bag to the dropoff Monday morning.

  3. Great advice.
    Running this year and was looking at advice about driving to the start.
    Happy training Chris!

    *doubt I will ‘see you out there’ as I am in the charity wave 😉 – simply had to be on the course and earn back 4/15

  4. Wow – this is just the information I needed!! Last year (my first Boston Marathon), I was staying downtown and took the Boston Common buses, which worked fine. They dropped us off right at the school itself, which was minimal walking to get into the Athlete’s Village. This year, I will be staying with a friend in Framingham who is planning to drop me off at the South Street parking area by exit 21B. My question is do the buses from the South Street lot drop us off right at the Athlete’s Village or do they leave us much farther away. I’m thinking of my desire to minimize as much of the walking as possible to conserve energy.

    Thank you so much!

  5. Does this info still apply for the 2021 race because of Covid restrictions? I’m not staying in Boston and seems like a waste to go all the way into Boston to get on a bus just to go back to the start near where I’m staying.

    1. Rory, this is an old post (2017). I haven’t been following the race procedures this year. I’m running the virtual.
      You’re best bet is the BAA and/or the many facebook groups around Boston Marathon.

        1. Yeah – my friends who are working as volunteers this year are in full Covid protocols. Masks, gloves, etc. I would expect a lot of that at the start.

  6. Hi, I am travelling solo from Europe for 2023 race. I am planning to stay in Marlborough MA and wondered where could I park rental car in Hopkington for start to avoid taking the bus from Boston?
    Thanks

    1. Sorry guys – I’ve been away from the blog and wasn’t notified when you left these comments.
      I haven’t run the race since 2019. You used to be able to park and take a shuttle bus in from the Hopkinton exit. The spots are very limited.
      Chris,

  7. CYKTRUSSELL
    I am running my first Boston Marathon I am staying outside of downtown Boston. With 4 kids the most reasonably priced hotel we could find was Homewood Suites by Hilton (50 Royall Street, Canton, MA 02021). I was wondering if your information about the drop off point in Hopkinton was still accurate for the 2023 Boston Marathon? I was planning to have my wife drive me over in the morning to Hopkinton rather than try to get into the city than get the bus although way to Hopkinton from Downtown. If I am in White Wave that starts at 10:25am what time should I plan to arrive in Hopkinton to get the shuttle to the Athlete Village? Thank you so much in advance for your help.

    1. Sorry guys – I’ve been away from the blog and wasn’t notified when you left these comments.
      I haven’t run the race since 2019. You used to be able to park and take a shuttle bus in from the Hopkinton exit. The spots are very limited.
      Chris,

Leave a Comment