Writer: Ryan Gandolfo
2 min read April 2023 — This morning, the 127th Boston Marathon kicked off, with 30,000 runners from around the world participating in the world’s oldest marathon that also packs an economic punch.
According to the Boston Athletics Association (B.A.A.), an estimated $40 million will be raised through fundraising. The city’s tourism bureau Meet Boston expects the marathon to bring in $100 million in economic impact this year. In 2019, the race produced an estimated $200 million into the Boston economy — an indication of international travel still returning to pre-pandemic levels.
“The race is one day, and families will typically stay two to three to four nights,” said Meet Boston CEO Martha Sheridan, as cited by WBUR. “And, you know, they want to do other things while they’re here. So, they’ll do duck [boat] tours or they’ll visit our museums. They’ll go off into our neighborhoods and experience some of the unique cultures of Boston.”
“In spite of some inflationary pressure, people are still wanting to take their trips, they’re not giving up travel,” Sheridan added. “That pent-up demand is still real for us. And so I think all of those things combined are going to add up to a very, very, very successful 2023 in the tourism sector for the Greater Boston area.”
This year’s race marks the 10-year anniversary of the double bombing that killed three and injured more than 264. A tribute concert to commemorate the anniversary was held on Sunday.
It’s also the Boston Marathon debut of Eliud Kipchoge, who holds the world record marathon time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 9 seconds — after surpassing his previous record in Berlin in September 2022. Kipchoge, a Kenyan native, is the favorite in the men’s elite field. In total, Monday’s race had 30,239 participants entered, with 120 countries represented.
According to Meet Boston, the marathon ranks only behind the Super Bowl in terms of on-site media coverage for a single-day sporting event in the world. It also holds the distinction as the first major marathon to include a wheelchair division competition.
The first Boston Marathon was organized in 1897. John Graham, the inaugural U.S. Olympic team manager and member of the Boston Athletics Association, along with Boston businessman Herbert H. Holton helped to organize the event — drawing inspiration from the Olympic Marathon. The race has come a long way from its inaugural 15-member race to 30,000 athletes.
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