BAA announces start times, changes for 2020 Boston Marathon
The Boston Athletic Association has swapped the start times for the elite men and elite women racers for the 2020 Boston Marathon in an effort to cut down on the amount of athletes passing each other down the course, the BAA announced Thursday.
Race organizers hope the change will minimize safety risks. Previously, runners in the elite women’s division would sometimes be overtaken by elite male runners and lead vehicles.
The BAA hopes the change will also make for more TV coverage for elite women runners.
“In an effort to ensure the best possible race experience for all participants, we have made alterations to the start times for this year’s race,’’ said Tom Grilk, Chief Executive Officer of the B.A.A. “Keeping participant safety and their experience at the forefront of all decision making, we have taken a data-driven and analytical approach to determine the most optimal start times for all divisions,’’ BAA CEO Tom Grilk said in a release.
The race will be run on Monday, April 20. Last month, the BAA announced the elite field; nine previous champions will run, including 2018 champion Desiree Linden.
Here are all the start times, which the BAA notes are subject to change:
■ Men’s Wheelchair, 9:02 a.m. ET
■ Women’s Wheelchair, 9:05 a.m. ET
■ Handcycles & Duos, 9:30 a.m. ET
■ Elite Men, 9:37 a.m. ET
■ Elite Women, 9:45 a.m. ET
■ Para Athletics Divisions, 9:50 a.m. ET
■ Wave One, 10:00 a.m. ET
■ Wave Two, 10:25 a.m. ET
■ Wave Three, 10:50 a.m. ET
■ Wave Four, 11:15 a.m. ET
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