Kara Goucher, of the United States, speaks with reporters during a news conference for the 115th Boston Marathon, Friday, April 15, 2011, in Boston. The Boston Marathon is scheduled to run on Monday, April 18. Photo: Bizuayehu Tesfaye / AP
BOSTON (AP) — The 115th Boston Marathon has begun.
The
wheelchair field was first across the starting line in Hopkinton on
Monday morning, followed by the elite women. Then the clock started on
the elite men and the sold-out field of 26,964 other runners traversing
the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston's Back Bay.
It
was the largest field for the race except for the 100th anniversary
race in 1996. The unprecedented interest filled out the available spots
in just eight hours, breaking the previous record of 65 days and
forcing race organizers to change the process for next year's race.
The Boston Athletic Association also changed the start so that the field goes off in three waves of about 9,000 runners apiece.
