The British long-distance legend will be taking on Boston wearing Bib 215 in honor of her former women’s marathon world record time of 2:15. The 51-year-old recently ran her first competitive marathon in a decade in Tokyo in 2:57:22, and once she crosses the finish line on Monday, she’ll have earned her World Marathon Majors Six Star Medal.
Boston’s 1968 champion was also the winner of the 1966 Philadelphia Marathon, and clocked a PR of 2:14:28—one second off the American record at the time—back in his prime. He’s a prolific running journalist and author and the former editor-in-chief of Runner’s World. Burfoot has completed the Boston Marathon every year since 2014.
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The 1984 Olympic bronze medalist in the 3000m steeplechase (and three-time Olympian) went on to spend 36 years at the helm of a successful D3 cross country and track program. He coached the Calvin University team in Grand Rapids, Michigan to four national championships. He’ll be running the marathon with his daughter McKenzie Pluymert, who is following in his footsteps as the current assistant coach at Calvin.
The professional golfer is a three-time PGA tour winner, but Boston will be his marathon debut. He’s been raising money for Golf Fights Cancer and will be running 26.2 miles in support of the organization and to celebrate a milestone birthday—he turned 40 in March.
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Olympic figure skater, 1976 US silver medalist, and former sports reporter Alice Cook will be returning for her third Boston Marathon, and her second since being diagnosed with ALS, a rare neurodegenerative condition that causes progressive muscle weakness. She’s running in support of Compassionate Care ALS
The play-by-play announcer for the Boston Celtics will be tackling the marathon in support of the Shamrock Foundation, a Celtics program dedicated to helping at-risk children in New England. Carter was a high school cross country runner, but this will be his first attempt at the marathon distance. The sports broadcaster began training in December, and has been diligent with his mileage, even while traveling frequently for NBA games.
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Best known as the first Black male star of the reality dating show ‘The Bachelor,’ James is also a former NCAA football player and competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2021. The entrepreneur and TV star has been running since childhood and this will be his second Boston Marathon. He ran New York every year from 2021-2024, and in 2023, Shalane Flanagan paced him to a dramatic 40-minute personal best of 3:04:50, which he then lowered to 3:00:41 at the 2024 London Marathon.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she’s written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner’s World, Like the Wind Magazine, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
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