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The course, in 3D

Boston Marathon

Boston, MA · Monday, April 19, 2027

Boston Marathon official site →registration and course details
Race day
Monday, April 19, 2027
Climb
897 fttotal ascent
Race-week weather
39°F to 58°Ften-year normals, 32% of days wet

Fly the course

All 26.2 miles through a model of Boston built from OpenStreetMap: real building footprints, heights and roof shapes, the water, and the course line itself. Scrub it, switch cameras, or let it play.

Route statusa community trace of the current course; the official certified course is on the race's site. public RWGPS trace matching the Hopkinton-to-Boylston course

Course line a community trace of the current course; the official certified course is on the race's site. public RWGPS trace matching the Hopkinton-to-Boylston course Buildings, roads, parks and shorelines are OpenStreetMap, ODbL, so building coverage varies block to block. Public-domain USGS/USDA aerial imagery and USGS 3DEP terrain are served as static site assets; no paid map API runs in the browser. This is photographic terrain with modeled architecture, not photogrammetry. Bridge approaches, elevations and facade details remain approximate. The organizer's published route is the reference.

Accuracy check: drawn line is within 0.8% of the certified 26.2 miles; no part of the line passes through a building; 100% of it sits on a mapped road; closest it ever comes to a building wall is 2.9 m.

The elevation profile

-40 10 60 110 160 210 260 310 360 410 460 510 Mile 0.0 to 0.2: -4.1% Mile 0.2 to 0.4: -4.7% Mile 0.4 to 0.6: -3.1% Mile 0.6 to 0.8: +3.0% Mile 0.8 to 1.0: +0.5% Mile 1.0 to 1.2: -2.2% Mile 1.2 to 1.4: -1.1% Mile 1.4 to 1.6: +1.1% Mile 1.6 to 1.8: -1.3% Mile 1.8 to 2.0: -1.9% Mile 2.0 to 2.2: -0.8% Mile 2.2 to 2.4: +2.4% Mile 2.4 to 2.6: -3.5% Mile 2.6 to 2.8: -1.8% Mile 2.8 to 3.0: -0.2% Mile 3.0 to 3.2: -1.6% Mile 3.2 to 3.4: -1.8% Mile 3.4 to 3.6: -0.9% Mile 3.6 to 3.8: -0.3% Mile 3.8 to 4.0: +0.5% Mile 4.0 to 4.2: -0.6% Mile 4.2 to 4.4: +2.0% Mile 4.4 to 4.6: +1.0% Mile 4.6 to 4.8: +0.5% Mile 4.8 to 5.0: -1.1% Mile 5.0 to 5.2: -1.2% Mile 5.2 to 5.4: -0.2% Mile 5.4 to 5.6: -0.1% Mile 5.6 to 5.8: +0.1% Mile 5.8 to 6.0: -1.6% Mile 6.0 to 6.2: -0.9% Mile 6.2 to 6.4: +0.4% Mile 6.4 to 6.6: +0.2% Mile 6.6 to 6.8: -0.6% Mile 6.8 to 7.0: -0.0% Mile 7.0 to 7.2: -0.0% Mile 7.2 to 7.4: -0.5% Mile 7.4 to 7.6: -0.2% Mile 7.6 to 7.8: +2.7% Mile 7.8 to 8.0: -1.8% Mile 8.0 to 8.2: +0.8% Mile 8.2 to 8.4: +0.2% Mile 8.4 to 8.6: -1.2% Mile 8.6 to 8.8: -0.6% Mile 8.8 to 9.0: -0.2% Mile 9.0 to 9.2: +0.1% Mile 9.2 to 9.4: +0.8% Mile 9.4 to 9.6: +1.3% Mile 9.6 to 9.8: +0.1% Mile 9.8 to 10.0: +0.6% Mile 10.0 to 10.2: +0.4% Mile 10.2 to 10.4: +0.8% Mile 10.4 to 10.6: +0.1% Mile 10.6 to 10.8: +0.3% Mile 10.8 to 11.0: +0.8% Mile 11.0 to 11.2: +1.0% Mile 11.2 to 11.4: -2.0% Mile 11.4 to 11.6: +0.3% Mile 11.6 to 11.8: -3.7% Mile 11.8 to 12.0: +1.3% Mile 12.0 to 12.2: +0.2% Mile 12.2 to 12.4: +0.1% Mile 12.4 to 12.6: -2.0% Mile 12.6 to 12.8: +0.8% Mile 12.8 to 13.0: -0.4% Mile 13.0 to 13.2: -1.0% Mile 13.2 to 13.4: +0.1% Mile 13.4 to 13.6: +0.2% Mile 13.6 to 13.8: -0.6% Mile 13.8 to 14.0: +0.4% Mile 14.0 to 14.2: +0.9% Mile 14.2 to 14.4: -0.0% Mile 14.4 to 14.6: -0.0% Mile 14.6 to 14.8: +1.3% Mile 14.8 to 15.0: +0.3% Mile 15.0 to 15.2: +0.3% Mile 15.2 to 15.4: -1.2% Mile 15.4 to 15.6: -5.1% Mile 15.6 to 15.8: -2.6% Mile 15.8 to 16.0: +1.1% Mile 16.0 to 16.2: +1.2% Mile 16.2 to 16.4: +2.5% Mile 16.4 to 16.6: -1.5% Mile 16.6 to 16.8: +0.1% Mile 16.8 to 17.0: +0.3% Mile 17.0 to 17.2: -0.7% Mile 17.2 to 17.4: -1.1% Mile 17.4 to 17.6: +1.3% Mile 17.6 to 17.8: +4.3% Mile 17.8 to 18.0: -0.3% Mile 18.0 to 18.2: -1.0% Mile 18.2 to 18.4: -0.7% Mile 18.4 to 18.6: -0.4% Mile 18.6 to 18.8: +0.1% Mile 18.8 to 19.0: -2.2% Mile 19.0 to 19.2: +0.5% Mile 19.2 to 19.4: +2.0% Mile 19.4 to 19.6: +0.8% Mile 19.6 to 19.8: -1.0% Mile 19.8 to 20.0: +0.3% Mile 20.0 to 20.2: +0.5% Mile 20.2 to 20.4: +3.0% Mile 20.4 to 20.6: +3.7% Mile 20.6 to 20.8: -0.8% Mile 20.8 to 21.0: -1.2% Mile 21.0 to 21.2: -3.0% Mile 21.2 to 21.4: -2.4% Mile 21.4 to 21.6: -0.5% Mile 21.6 to 21.8: +0.8% Mile 21.8 to 22.0: -0.8% Mile 22.0 to 22.2: -1.8% Mile 22.2 to 22.4: -1.0% Mile 22.4 to 22.6: -0.4% Mile 22.6 to 22.8: +0.8% Mile 22.8 to 23.0: +1.1% Mile 23.0 to 23.2: -1.4% Mile 23.2 to 23.4: -1.7% Mile 23.4 to 23.6: -0.7% Mile 23.6 to 23.8: -0.5% Mile 23.8 to 24.0: -2.0% Mile 24.0 to 24.2: -0.3% Mile 24.2 to 24.4: -0.5% Mile 24.4 to 24.6: -0.5% Mile 24.6 to 24.8: +0.0% Mile 24.8 to 25.0: +0.2% Mile 25.0 to 25.2: -0.2% Mile 25.2 to 25.4: -0.3% Mile 25.4 to 25.6: +0.5% Mile 25.6 to 25.8: -0.3% Mile 25.8 to 26.0: +0.5% Mile 26.0 to 26.2: -0.4% 5 10 15 20 25 mile +98 ft +73 ft +55 ft
steep up up flat down steep down

897 feet of total climb across the 26.2, between 11 and 456 feet of elevation. Heartbreak Hill runs from mile 19.82 to 20.62, 98 feet up, about a half-mile rise from Centre Street to Hammond Street; steepest pitch around 2.5%. Also named on this course: Firehouse Hill, the Route 128 overpass. Click the profile to jump the flythrough to that mile.

Mile by mile

Every mile of the course on the same vertical scale, so they compare at a glance. Net is what the mile does to your elevation; steepest fifth is the sharpest continuous fifth of a mile inside it, the same unit the colour strip above uses.

MileShapeNetElevation Steepest fifthStreetsTurns
1-113 ft359 ft-5.8%East Main Street
2-57 ft299 ft-2.5%East Main Street, West Union Street
3-58 ft240 ft-4.1%West Union Street
4-52 ft185 ft-2.0%Union Street, West Union Street
5+19 ft205 ft+2.2%Waverly Street, Union Street
6-37 ft169 ft-1.6%Waverly Street
7-10 ft159 ft-1.0%Waverly Streetright to continue on Waverly St
8-3 ft155 ft+2.8%Waverly Street, West Central Street
9-14 ft141 ft-1.3%West Central Streetright to stay on MA-135 E
10+30 ft170 ft+1.2%West Central Street
11+29 ft200 ft+1.2%East Central Street, West Central Street
12-54 ft148 ft-3.7%East Central Street, Central StreetSlight right onto E Central St
13-7 ft144 ft-1.9%Central StreetSlight right onto Central St; Slight left to stay on Central St
14-9 ft136 ft-1.2%Washington Street, Central Streetstraight onto Washington St
15+26 ft163 ft+1.3%Washington Street
16-99 ft64 ft-4.8%Washington Street
17+45 ft110 ft+3.9%Washington Street
18+46 ft158 ft+4.3%Commonwealth Avenue, Washington Streetright onto Commonwealth Avenue
19-53 ft107 ft-2.4%Commonwealth Avenue
20+39 ft146 ft+2.9%Commonwealth Avenue
21+75 ft220 ft+4.0%Commonwealth Avenue
22-77 ft140 ft-4.1%Commonwealth Avenue
23-21 ft114 ft-1.8%Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill Avenue, Commonwealth Avenueright onto Chestnut Hill Ave; Slight left onto Beacon St
24-82 ft26 ft-2.6%Beacon Streetright; right onto Beacon St
25-11 ft13 ft-0.7%Beacon Street
26+2 ft15 ft+0.6%Commonwealth Avenue, Boylston Street, Beacon StreetSlight left onto Commonwealth Avenue; right onto Gloucester St; left onto Boylst

The course on a map

1 5 10 13 15 20 25 26

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Boston Marathon planning

Open the complete race guide: course, hotels, expo, spectators and the city.

Course geometry a community trace of the current course; the official certified course is on the race's site. City geometry is OpenStreetMap, ODbL. Weather normals are ten years of Open-Meteo reanalysis around race day at the start line. Confirm dates and registration on the official site. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it fast.