History of the Boston Marathon Finish Line

Our favorite time of the year at The Lenox is Marathon Weekend – a tradition that started 125 years ago. When the hotel was built in 1900, who would have known that we had the best, possible view of the finish line!

The Boston Marathon was first run on April 19, 1897, inspired by the revival of the marathon at the inaugural modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. It was organized by John Graham of the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), with the help of Herbert H. Holton. Since the Boston Athletic Association’s first marathon in 1897—then known as the “American Marathon”—the site of the finish line has changed several times.

The original course was a 24.5-mile race that started in Ashland and ended close to the site of the present finish line, at Irvington Oval, a 220-yard outdoor track located in our Back Bay neighborhood – of which the exact location is still somewhat of a mystery. In order to conform to the Olympic standard established in 1908, the course was lengthened to 26 miles, 385 yards in 1924, and the starting line was moved to Hopkinton.

After the BAA’s clubhouse was completed in 1898, the finish line was moved to Exeter Street between Boylston and St. James Streets. The annex to the Boston Public Library, across from our Exeter Street entrance, is where the BAA’s headquarters stood. Running past the Exeter Street entrance of the ornate brownstone, finishers ended their races here from 1899 to 1964. Check out the images of winners during this time period!

When John Hancock Financial Services assumed sponsorship of the event in 1985, the finish line moved yet again to its present location on Boylston between Exeter and Dartmouth streets. 2025 marks the second year that the Bank of America has sponsored the marathon, its 129th running!