When was the first Boston marathon run?

Begun in 1897, inspired by the success of the first marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's best-known road racing events.

The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by several cities in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is always held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April.

Each year 500,000 spectators come to this event, making it most widely viewed sporting event in New England. Starting with 18 participants in the first marathon, the event now attracts an average of about 30,000 registered participants each year, with 30,251 people entering in 2015. By the way, The Centennial Boston Marathon in 1996 established a record as the world's largest marathon with 38,708 entrants, 36,748 starters, and 35,868 finishers.