The Boston Marathon is One of the Most Famous Road Races
The Boston marathon is an annual marathon hosted by Boston, eastern Massachusetts. It is always held on Patriots’ Day, which is the third Monday in April. The Boston marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon, and has become one of the world’s best known road racing events. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors, and is one of the major sporting events to be held in the United States each year.
Women were included in the participants in the Boston marathon in 1966, and in 1975 became the first marathon to include a wheelchair division in the competition. The Boston Marathon attracts entrants from every country in the world, in spite of the hilly terrain that constitutes the course of the run, as well as Boston’s notorious uncertain weather.
The Centennial Boston Marathon Has the Record for Entrants
The event began with eighteen participants in 1897, but there are now about thirty thousand runners who take part in the Boston Marathon. The Centennial Boston Marathon in 1996 established a record as the largest marathon in the world, with nearly forty thousand entrants. The event attracts over half a million spectators every year which is more than they can pack into the racecourse for Melbourne Cup betting.
The Boston Marathon owes its existence to the team manager of the United States Olympic team in 1896. He was inspired by the Olympic marathon, and determined to establish a similar marathon in the Boston area. Various routes were considered, but the one eventually chosen runs through 42.195 km of winding roads of the city into the centre of Boston. The race runs through eight different Massachusetts cities, which form the greater Boston area. The Boston Marathon is considered to be one of the more difficult courses because of the hills that runners have to ascend and descend near Boston College. Heartbreak Hill follows a 46km drop in a 800m stretch that forces many runners to a walking pace.
The Standard Distance for Marathons
The Boston Marathon distance of 42.195km, or 26 miles and 385 yards, is the standard distance for all world class marathons, and was set during the Olympic Games in London in 1908. This is the distance that has been run in every Olympic marathon since then.
The history of the terrorist attack that took place during the running of the Boston Marathon in 2013 is very well known. Three people were killed and nearly three hundred injured. Security remains a high priority still today at the running of the Boston Marathon. There are numerous cameras along the route, and security officials are entitled to make bag checks.
Possibilities of Betting on the Boston Marathon
Like all world class sporting events, the Boston Marathon always has fans following the race and betting on the outcome. Wagers can be placed on the winners, the times set, the number of runners who finish the race, among numerous other possibilities. It is always a good idea to have some knowledge of the sport before placing any bets. Although there is a large volume of information on the Boston Marathon there is always the form of the athletes to be taken into consideration. The state of the weather in Boston often plays a part as well in the outcome of the race.
Sports betting online in NZ on the different events in America has become a successful and lucrative industry. All Americans have a particular fondness for the Boston Marathon, and often manage to turn their knowledge of the sport into financial rewards.