Preparation guide · Boston Marathon (B.A.A.)
Boston Marathon 2027: split times, gels and how to run it
The next edition is on Monday 19 April 2027 (third Monday of April (Patriots' Day), pending confirmation on the official website; the time is for the first wave, indicative), starting in Hopkinton (Massachusetts, USA) at 10:00. Here you have the Boston Marathon route, split times for your target, what's at each aid station, how many gels to carry and the usual weather.
Boston Marathon: route and profile
Official 2026 map (gels in miles, converted to km).
The course, section by section
| Section | Length | What it's like and how to run it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hopkinton → Framingham: the downhill km 0 | 11 km | Downhill start: about 100 m of descent in the first 6–7 km, on a narrow, packed road. Boston's trap: you go easy and fast without noticing. Run 5–10 s/km slower than your target with a short stride to spare your quads. |
| 2. Natick and Wellesley km 11 | 13 km | Rolling with a downhill trend, with the famous Wellesley College «scream tunnel» around halfway. Settle your pace. First Maurten gel at km 19. The noise at Wellesley lifts you: don't speed up. |
| 3. Newton Lower Falls and the Route 128 bridge km 24 | 3.5 km | Steep drop to the river and a climb over the highway bridge: a warning of what's coming. Run down with short steps and climb by effort. Gel at km 27.4, before the firehouse turn. |
| 4. The Newton hills and Heartbreak Hill km 27.5 | 6.3 km | After the right turn at the firehouse, four hills in 6 km; the last, Heartbreak Hill (about 800 m), tops out at Boston College. Same effort, not same pace: losing 10–20 s/km on each hill is normal. Arms and high cadence. Gel at km 34.6, at the top. |
| 5. Boston College → Kenmore Square km 33.8 | 6.4 km | Long descent through Brookline and along Beacon Street to the Citgo sign, a mile from the finish. If you saved yourself on the opening downhill, you fly here; if not, your quads hurt with every step. Short stride and let the slope carry you. |
| 6. Right on Hereford, left on Boylston km 40.2 | 2 km | Under Massachusetts Avenue, right on Hereford and left on Boylston: you can see the finish from far away. Boylston is longer than it looks: don't sprint until the last 300 m. |
Route keys
- It's a point-to-point course from Hopkinton to Boston, with a net but steep descent at the start. Don't go out too hard: your quads pay for that descent on the Newton hills, kilometres 26–34, and on the final stretch.
- The three Maurten gel depots are at km 19, 27.4 and 34.6 (caffeine-free Gel 100 and CAF 100): take them just before grabbing water. If you haven't tried the brand, carry your own.
- Heartbreak Hill (around km 32) isn't the toughest climb, but it's the one that comes after the other three, with 32 km on your legs. Measure your effort on the earlier ones, and don't count on recovering on the descent.
- In April the morning in Hopkinton is usually cold and sometimes with a headwind. Clothing to throw away while you wait in the starting village and warm up little.
4 more keys in WinWatts: with the forecast for the days before, the wind and heat, and your split times at your pace.
Split times
At an even pace (we haven't loaded the official track yet, so climbs and descents aren't adjusted: use it as a reference), with the clock time counted from the 10:00 gun. If you start from a later corral or wave, add the time it takes you to cross the start. Write yours down or wear them on a pace band: watch GPS usually reads long.
| Point | 3 h | 3 h 30 | 4 h | 4 h 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average pace | 4:16 /km | 4:59 /km | 5:41 /km | 6:24 /km |
| km 5 | 0:21:20 10:21 | 0:24:53 10:24 | 0:28:26 10:28 | 0:32:00 10:32 |
| km 10 | 0:42:40 10:42 | 0:49:46 10:49 | 0:56:53 10:56 | 1:03:59 11:03 |
| km 15 | 1:03:59 11:03 | 1:14:39 11:14 | 1:25:19 11:25 | 1:35:59 11:35 |
| km 20 | 1:25:19 11:25 | 1:39:32 11:39 | 1:53:45 11:53 | 2:07:59 12:07 |
| Halfway | 1:30:00 11:30 | 1:45:00 11:45 | 2:00:00 12:00 | 2:15:00 12:15 |
| km 25 | 1:46:39 11:46 | 2:04:25 12:04 | 2:22:12 12:22 | 2:39:58 12:39 |
| km 30 | 2:07:59 12:07 | 2:29:18 12:29 | 2:50:38 12:50 | 3:11:58 13:11 |
| km 35 | 2:29:18 12:29 | 2:54:11 12:54 | 3:19:05 13:19 | 3:43:58 13:43 |
| km 40 | 2:50:38 12:50 | 3:19:05 13:19 | 3:47:31 13:47 | 4:15:57 14:15 |
| Finish | 3:00:00 13:00 | 3:30:00 13:30 | 4:00:00 14:00 | 4:30:00 14:30 |
Aid stations: what's there and how much to drink
For a typical runner finishing in about 3 h 30: sip without stopping and take each gel just before an aid station, to wash it down with water. The organisers hand out gels at km 18.99, 27.36 and 34.6: if they match your plan, those are gels you don't need to carry.
There are three Maurten gel depots (Gel 100 caffeine-free and CAF 100) at km 19 (mile 11.8), 27.4 (mile 17) and 34.6 (mile 21.5). The organisers also provide water and sports drink at stations along the course; the source doesn't detail their kilometres.
How many gels and how much to drink
What a typical runner (68 kg) needs depending on their time, with 35 g gels. When running the stomach tolerates less than on the bike: more than 60 g of carbs per hour only if you've trained it. Gels alone don't reach that figure (the first one comes around 45 minutes and none are due in the last half hour): the rest comes from drinking sports drink instead of water at a few aid stations.
| Time | Carbs per hour | Gels | Total drink | Sodium per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h | 60 g/h | 4 × 35 g | 1.8 l | 450 mg/h |
| 3 h 30 | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 2.1 l | 450 mg/h |
| 4 h | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 2.4 l | 450 mg/h |
| 4 h 30 | 60 g/h | 6 × 35 g | 2.7 l | 450 mg/h |
Nothing new on race day: gels, breakfast, shoes and socks, all tested on your long runs. Vaseline on your feet, groin and armpits, and protect your nipples. If it's cold at the start, wait in your corral in old clothes you can throw away.
Boston Marathon: weather in mid-April
What the weather was like during the race (from the start to the finish of a 3:30 runner) in recent editions:
| Year | Low | High | Rain | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 9 ºC | 13 ºC | 0.0 mm | 14 km/h |
| 2023 | 10 ºC | 13 ºC | 0.0 mm | 13 km/h |
| 2024 | 8 ºC | 10 ºC | 0.0 mm | 14 km/h |
| 2025 | 11 ºC | 15 ºC | 0.0 mm | 11 km/h |
| 2026 | 7 ºC | 9 ºC | 0.0 mm | 16 km/h |
When running, heat slows you down: allow roughly 2 % more time for every 5 ºC above 12 ºC.
Your Boston Marathon, tailored to you
This guide uses a typical runner. In WinWatts we calculate it with your data:
- Your time, your pace and your split times from your threshold pace and the expected heat.
- The race-day forecast, and what to wear at the start and during the race.
- How much to drink at each aid station and where to take each gel, with your own gels.
- Your training plan until Monday 19 April 2027, adjusted every week to how you're doing.
WinWatts is not affiliated with the organisers of the Boston Marathon. Dates, routes, schedules and registration: official website. Gel stations from the official 2026 map; track not loaded yet (split times at an even pace); weather from past editions (Open-Meteo). For guidance only: it doesn't replace advice from a health professional.