The 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution and the Boston Marathon are converging as the “greatest weekend of the year” has arrived in the city.
That’s how Boston Athletic Association President Jack Fleming described marathon weekend as he opened a news conference on public safety protocols for the 26.2-mile race set for Monday, beginning in Hopkinton and ending on Boylston Street in Copley Square.
This weekend also marks the start of celebrations commemorating the beginning of the American Revolution, with grand-scale reenactments and festivities in Boston, Concord, and Lexington.
“This year’s race marks the beginning of a celebration of 250 years of Patriots Day, 250 years of American spirit,” Fleming said on Friday, “all culminating in 2026 with the nation’s 250th anniversary.”
He pointed out that the BAA is also celebrating a “milestone of their own,” as Monday’s race will mark the 50th year of the wheelchair race. Bob Hall became the first official wheelchair finisher in Boston in 1975, and more than 1,800 athletes have followed his path in the decades since.
“What a revolutionary idea that was: wheelchair racing in the 1970s,” Fleming said.
Nearly 10,000 volunteers and hundreds of thousands of spectators will be lining the route, cheering on the 30,000-plus athletes running through the eight cities and towns that make up the course.
Public safety officials are asking spectators to be aware of their surroundings, ensure their phone is set up to receive emergency and public safety notifications, and to say something if they see anything suspicious.
They are also urging spectators to use public transit, as getting into and around Boston will be more challenging than usual. Large items such as backpacks and strollers should be left at home, and individuals with these items may be subject to search.
Authorities will have uniformed and undercover officers along the course, and cameras will be active along the Boston portion of the course, with observation points set up around the finish line area in Back Bay to monitor the crowd.
“At its core, what we are celebrating (this weekend) and what we are celebrating Monday are the same thing: Resilience,” Mayor Michelle Wu said of the 250th anniversary celebrations and marathon. “The resilience of our city, of our people, of the human spirit. It is the ability to persevere and push through against all odds.”
Anniversary celebrations began Friday night in Boston, with a reenactment of Paul Revere’s ride.
Beginning early Monday morning, the state’s emergency operations center, located at MEMA’s headquarters in Framingham, will open up as the marathon’s unified coordination center. There, staffers representing local, state and federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations will be working to maintain public safety across the route, said Dawn Brentley, the agency’s director.
As of Friday morning, the FBI was not aware of “any specific or credible threats” targeting this weekend’s events and Monday’s marathon, FBI Boston Assistant Special Agent in Charge Allen Davis said.
“That said,” he added, “we are asking everyone to maintain a heightened state of vigilance given that we are home to many patriotic and symbolic landmarks. These events are attractive targets. The threats we are facing from domestic, international and state-sponsored terrorism actors are all elevated.”