The Boston Marathon, a 128-year-old tradition, is known for being the world’s oldest annual marathon. It started out as a 24.5 mile course before it was lengthened to the traditional marathon length of 26.2 miles in 1924. The starting line was also shifted west from Ashland to Hopkinton, eventually ending in Boston on Boylston Street. From 1897 to 1968, the Boston Marathon was held every Patriots Day which occurred on April 19 until 1969, when the marathon was moved to the third Monday of April. However, recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic affected the 2020 and 2021 races. In 2020, the pandemic postponed the race from April to September and was transformed into a virtual experience.

As years have gone by, the Boston Marathon has made significant additions, allowing all people to participate regardless of gender or disability. In the past, the marathon was exclusively for men until 1972, when women were officially allowed to run. Nina Kuscsik was the first woman to officially win the Boston Marathon in 1972, although Roberta Gibb was the first woman to run the whole marathon unofficially each year from 1966 to 1968.

In 1975, the marathon involved a wheelchair division, allowing people with physical limitations to partake in the race. The first participant of this division was 24-year-old Bob Hall, who became disabled at an early age due to polio. In 1977, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A) began the tradition to allow wheelchair participants to start 15 minutes earlier than the runners.

The Boston Marathon is a historical tradition that is kept alive by dedicated runners raising money for charity. This event is continuously held each year to promote perseverance as well as hundreds of charitable causes. Over the years, the marathon has evolved to include more groups of people, and is now an event that anyone can run in, regardless of ability or gender.

Running the Boston Marathon is no easy feat, and can take a major physical and mental toll on the body. However, running for a meaningful and worthwhile cause can make the miles fly by.

Many Boston Marathon runners fundraise for non-profits, assuring participants that they are running for an important cause. 176 non-profit organizations were chosen for the 2025 Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program, where each charity can choose participants based on their commitment to their cause. If a runner wishes to run for a specific charity, they typically reach out to that charity and go through an interview process. They later come to an agreement to raise a specific amount of money for each non-profit.

The Hoyt Foundation is just one of multiple non-profit organizations chosen for the 2025 Boston Marathon dedicated to raising donations and awareness in support of their causes. The Hoyt Foundation empowers young people with disabilities and helps build their character and self confidence.

“Our foundation is all about trying to find the opportunity to help people be included in what they’re passionate about,” Hoyt Foundation CEO Russ Hoyt said.

The Hoyt Foundation was founded by Russ Hoyt’s father, Dick Hoyt, and his brother Rick Hoyt in 1989. Rick Hoyt was born with cerebral palsy, which is a group of conditions resulting from neurological damage to the brain, usually occurring at birth. This can make movement difficult and, for some, affect speech. For Rick Hoyt, it left him in a wheelchair, however, this did not stop him from competing in over a thousand races, with his father pushing his wheelchair as they ran.

It all started in 1977, when Rick Hyot’s schoolteacher suggested that he run a race. He then went home to ask his father if he could participate, to which his father responded “Yes you can.” This became the motto for the Hoyt Foundation to inspire others that anything is possible.

“They went out, ran that five mile race together finishing not last, but second to last,” Russ Hoyt said. “When Rick got home on his computer he typed out, ‘Dad, when I’m running, it feels like my disability disappears.’”

This would be the start of Team Hoyt and the Hoyt Foundation, where Dick Hoyt would go on to push his son, Rick Hoyt, through 72 marathons. The Hoyt Foundation has had a tremendous impact on Boston Marathon runners and inspired people that anything is possible. In 1981, Dick and Rick Hyot were the only duo runners; now there are 20 in this year’s Boston Marathon, proving the effect that Dick and Rick created and how running for a charity can impact and inspire others.

“When you do something for someone other than yourself, it’s extremely motivating, not only to you, but to others around you,” Russ Hoyt said.

For Russ Hoyt’s son, Troy Hoyt, being able to run the marathon for someone other than yourself and knowing that you’re running for a good cause, can give a sense of purpose and make running all the more meaningful.

“[To run for a good cause] is huge,” T. Hoyt said. “I get to show people that if they’re doubting their capabilities, or if they have self-doubt, that if you put your mind to anything, you can do it.”

Boston Marathon runner Isabelle Fournier is running for the Hoyt Foundation for her first marathon this coming April. Like Rick Hoyt, Fournier’s sister has cerebral palsy, so she had been following Rick Hoyt’s story for a long time. After going to college in Wellesley, she became more involved in running, making her feel more connected to the foundation. So when she decided that she wanted to run the Boston Marathon, she knew she wanted to run for the Hoyt Foundation.

“[My family and I] would watch [The Hoyt Foundation] interviews that they would do, and we would follow them running the Boston Marathon growing up, and it was something that was very special to our family, just because the story was so similar to ours,” Fournier said.

Everyone can have their own motivations for running, and, especially for the Boston Marathon, these reasons can make it easier to stay driven. For Fournier, she finds that her inspiration for running, along with helping her clear her head and put her in a good mental space, is her sister.

“As I’m running, I try to remind myself of my younger sister, who doesn’t get to walk or run and I am just inspired by how happy she is every single day, even though she has a lot more restrictions than most people do,” Fourier said.

After completing a marathon, runners might feel a sense of pride and fulfillment after completing this difficult task. For some it might feel sort of surreal, and running for a purpose bigger than themselves can make it more worthwhile.

“Once I sit down and reflect on what I was doing, I’m like, ‘wait, I really was just running for almost four hours non-stop,’” T. Hoyt said. “That’s the first thing going through my head and I bring it all back to what I was actually doing it for, and it just makes it all worth it.”

Join WSPN Copy Editor Olivia Green as she breaks down the personal aspects of the marathon with the help of Wayland residents Jeff Bergeron and Damian Zedower. Bergeron and Zedower provide an insight into the training, inspiration and effects of the marathon.

The 129th Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon, took place on Monday, April 21. The 26.2 mile course spans from Hopkinton to Boston, with the finish line on Boylston Street. John Korir won the men’s elite race with a time of two hours, four minutes and 45 seconds. In the women’s elite race, Sharon Lokedi beat defending champion, Hellen Obiri, in a time of two hours, 17 minutes and 41 seconds.

Gallery • 16 Photos

Credit: Sasha Libenzon

In the men's wheelchair race, Mongolia's Erdenetugs Bayar-Erdenee makes his way down a hill in Natick. Bayar-Erdenee finished No. 25 in two hours, 30 minutes and 37 seconds.