We're Back

For the first time since 2019, the Boston Marathon returns to its traditional Patriots' Day date. Here's what you need to know about the holiday, and why it's so meaningful to Bostonians and runners alike!

Patriots' Day honors the American Revolution battles in Lexington and Concord, just north of the Boston Marathon race route. Since its inception in 1897, the Boston Marathon has traditionally been held on Patriots' Day.

From 1897 to 1968, Patriots' Day was always recognized as April 19. The Boston Marathon would annually be held on the 19th unless it fell on a Sunday. That's right—if the 19th fell in the middle of the week, then the Boston Marathon was held mid-week as well. Imagine conquering Heartbreak Hill on a Wednesday! 

The last non-Monday champion of the Boston Marathon was Amby Burfoot in 1968, when the race was run on a Friday. Only since 1968 has the holiday been officially recognized as the third Monday in April. The Boston Marathon is the only major marathon to annually be held on a Monday.

DID YOU KNOW? 

Patriots' Day is recognized in Massachusetts, Maine, Wisconsin, Connecticut, North Dakota, and Florida.

This statue of American Patriot and the nation's first President, George Washington, stands regally in the Public Garden in Boston. It is located at the Arlington Street gate which faces Commonwealth Avenue, close to where participants will board buses bound for Hopkinton.