Expect sunny skies for today’s Boston Marathon and appearances by some of the city’s most beloved celebrities, including former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara.  Gronk will serve as the race’s grand marshal, while Chara will run his second Boston Marathon.

Gronk will deliver the trophy to the finish line ahead of the athletes today and tour the marathon course. Last year’s winners, Evans Chebet for the men and Hellen Obiri for the women, both from Kenya, are back in hopes of winning the $150,000 first-place prize, while approximately 30,000 runners and para-athletes will hit the streets in hopes of securing a PR (that’s a personal record). 

The world’s oldest annual marathon, and quite possibly one of the best known, is on.  Keep reading for how and when to watch the 2024 Boston Marathon today.

How and when to watch the 2024 Boston Marathon

The 2024 Boston Marathon will broadcast live from Hopkinton, MA, all the way to the finish line in Boston on Monday, April 15, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET (5:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. PT). The race will air on ESPN and stream on SlingTV and the platforms featured below.

Local coverage of the race begins at 4:00 a.m. ET on WCVB 5 and runs through 8:00 p.m ET.

How to watch the 2024 Boston Marathon without cable

While most cable packages include ESPN, it’s easy to watch the 2024 Boston Marathon if ESPN isn’t included in your cable TV subscription, or if you don’t have cable at all. Your best options for watching are below. (Streaming options will require an internet provider.)

Stream the 2024 Boston Marathon on Sling TV and save 50%

If you don’t have cable TV that includes ESPN, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream major sporting events like the Boston Marathon airing on ESPN is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to ESPN, plus top cable channels like TBS and TNT with its Orange tier. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording today’s race or your favorite sporting events to come this year.

You can watch today’s race on ESPN via the Sling TV Orange or Sling TV Orange + Blue tiers. The Orange tier features 32 channels, including ESPN, for $40 per month. The Orange + Blue tier features 46 channels, including ESPN and local ABC, NBC and Fox affiliates (where available), for $60 per month. Sling TV is currently offering 50% off the first month of service on all subscription tiers, or prepay for four months of the Orange tier and pay $120, a savings of $40.

Top features of Sling TV Orange tier:

• There are 32 channels to watch, including local ESPN, TBS and TNT, CNN and Comedy Central (where available).
• You can access ESPN’s coverage of top sporting events like the Boston Marathon.
• All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.

Watch the 2024 Boston Marathon for free with Fubo

You can also catch the Boston Marathon, plus nationally-aired sporting events including the 2024 NBA playoffs and network-aired NFL games next season, on Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to NBC, USA, Fox and FS1, in addition to NASCAR races this season and network-aired MLB games this year.

To watch the 2024 Boston Marathon without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to today’s race, you’ll have access to NFL football, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. Fubo’s Pro Tier is priced at $80 per month after your free seven-day trial.

Sports fans will want to consider adding on the $7.99 per month Fubo Extra package, which includes MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, Tennis Channel, SEC Network and more channels with live games. Or upgrade to the Fubo Elite tier and get all the Fubo Extra channels, plus the ability to stream in 4K, starting at $90 per month.

Top features of FuboTV Pro Tier:

• There are no contracts with Fubo, you can cancel anytime.
• The Pro tier includes 195 channels, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy. 
• Fubo includes most channels you’ll need to watch live sports, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
• All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
• Stream on your TV, phone, tablet and other devices.

Watch the 2024 Boston Marathon on Hulu + Live TV

You can watch sports this year with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including ESPN, CBS, Fox and FS1, NBC and USA. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch your favorite sports on every network with Hulu + Live TV, plus catch almost all live NFL games next season, exclusive live regular season games, popular studio shows (including “NFL Total Access” and the Emmy-nominated show “Good Morning Football”) and lots more. With Hulu + Live TV, you’ll have access to live local network affiliate programming without the hefty price of a cable subscription. 

Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $77 per month.

Boston Marathon 2024 race day schedule

Below are the start times for each division entering today’s race. All times Eastern.

6:00 a.m. – Military Marchers

9:02 a.m. – Wheelchair Division – Men

9:05 a.m. – Wheelchair Division – Women

9:30 a.m. – Handcycle & Duo Participants

9:37 a.m. – Professional Men

9:47 a.m. – Professional Women

9:50 a.m. – Para Athletics Divisions

10:00 a.m. – Wave 1

10:25 a.m. – Wave 2

10:50 a.m. – Wave 3

11:15 a.m. – Wave 4

Who is expected to win the 2024 Boston Marathon?

After not racing for a year due to an Achilles issue, 2023 Boston Marathon champion Evans Chebet is back — the only man in the elite division who has won the race before. Hoping to win his third Boston Marathon, the Kenyan runner would become just the fifth man to do so. Expect Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma, Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay and Kenya’s Albert Korir to be strong contenders looking to dethrone Chebet.

As of this article’s writing, 11 elite women runners who all run sub-2:20 marathons are scheduled to compete in today’s race, which makes the women’s elite competition exceptionally fast — and exciting. 2023 women’s Boston Marathon winner Hellen Obiri enters today’s race as the favorite. She’ll be joined by Ethiopia’s Worknesh Degefa and American Emma Bates, both of whom are looking to give Obiri a run for her money. 

What is the prize for winning the Boston Marathon?

Winners will split over $1.2 million in prize money this year. First place runners in both the men’s and women’s division will each earn $150,000, while the second and third-place runners will receive $75,000 and $40,000, respectively. 

In the wheelchair division, the top winner will receive $40,000, and the second and third-place winners in this division will receive $25,000 and $12,000, respectively.

The top finisher in the master’s division will receive $5,000, while the para-athletics division winner will receive $2,500.

How long does it take to finish the Boston Marathon?

Entrants must finish the race within six hours from the time the last starter enters the race. 2023 men’s top finisher Evans Chebet finished in 2:05:54, while women’s top finisher Hellen Obiri finished in 2:21:38. The average finish time is approximately 3:40.