B.A.A. Expands 2020 Boston Marathon Field By 1,500
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Marathon is a pretty big event. It's about to get a little bit bigger.
Get ready to see a lot more runners make the 26.2 mile trek from Boston to Hopkinton on Marathon Monday. The Boston Athletic Association announced Wednesday that they have expanded the field size for the 2020 Boston Marathon, with 1,500 entrants added to the race. Previously, from 2015 through 2019, the Boston Marathon featured a field size of 30,000 participants.
Among those accepted into the 2020 Boston Marathon were athletes from 112 countries and all 50 U.S. states.
The expanded field will allow even more qualified and charity participants to take part in the Boston Marathon. More than 80 percent of the field will be made up of athletes who have met the qualifying standards, while the balance will consist of invitational entrants and invited elite athletes, according to the B.A.A.
Participants who ran on behalf of nearly 300 non-profit organizations raised a race-record $38.7 million for charity at the 2019 Boston Marathon.
The 124th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 20, 2020, with John Hancock serving as the principal sponsor for the 35th straight year. You can see wire-to-wire coverage of the race on WBZ-TV.