Boston lengthens its course and moves the start to Hopkinton
To conform to the newly standardised distance, the Boston Athletic Association extends the course from about 24.5 miles to 26 miles 385 yards and moves the start west from Ashland to Hopkinton. The change is the clearest single illustration of what standardisation did: an existing race, older than the standard, rebuilt itself around a number set in London in 1908.
Historical — it happened, and the record is settled.
Subjects
- Boston Marathon · route · United States
- The marathon distance (42.195 km / 26 miles 385 yards) · concept · not located
- Boston Athletic Association · organisation · United States · not located
Evidence
Partly verified — Core facts are sourced; some optional detail is deliberately absent.
History of the Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon was first run on 19 April 1897 from Ashland over about 24.5 miles, won by John J. McDermott in 2:55:10; the course was lengthened and the start moved to Hopkinton in 1924; Bobbi Gibb ran unofficially in 1966, Kathrine Switzer with a bib in 1967, and women were admitted officially in 1972. V55 verification basis: baa.org was refused by this session's egress proxy; the page was read only through attributed search summaries and contemporary Boston Globe reporting cited within them.
Boston Athletic Association · Partly verified
https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/history/
Recorded on Boston Marathon
- The first Boston Marathon
- The 1908 Olympic marathon fixes 26 miles 385 yards
- The 1908 distance becomes the world standard
- Boston lengthens its course and moves the start to Hopkinton
- Women run Boston, unofficially and then officially
- The World Marathon Majors series is announced
- Bombings at the Boston Marathon finish line
- Kelvin Kiptum runs 2:00:35 in Chicago
- Ruth Chepngetich runs 2:09:56 in Chicago
- Tigst Assefa sets a women-only world record in London
- The first sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible race
Related
Related because they share a subject in the Atlas — never because the text looks similar.
- The first sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible race · 2026-04-26
- Tigst Assefa sets a women-only world record in London · 2025
- Ruth Chepngetich runs 2:09:56 in Chicago · 2024-10-13
- Kelvin Kiptum runs 2:00:35 in Chicago · 2023-10-08
- Bombings at the Boston Marathon finish line · 2013-04-15
- The World Marathon Majors series is announced · 2006-01-23
- Women run Boston, unofficially and then officially · 1966–1972
- The 1908 distance becomes the world standard · 1921