By Fiona Broadie and Talia Lissauer

More than 28,000 runners from all 50 states raced from Hopkinton to Boston for the 126th Boston Marathon this Monday, marking the first regular schedule of the historic race since 2019. 

The 2020 Boston Marathon was held virtually due to COVID-19. In 2021, the marathon took an unusual format — held in October after being postponed and with some participants running virtually.

This year, as part of COVID-19 safety measures, all participants, including volunteers, were required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Masks were also required in all buses and medical tents.

This year also marked 50 years since women were allowed to officially participate in the marathon.

“In 1972, the first year a women’s division was officially established, eight women ran, and this year …  thousands of women and girls …will be participating in the marathon,” Wu said.

One of 10,000 volunteers at the marathon included J.D. Hale — a bike spotter and former marathon finisher — who said his morning began at 3:30 a.m. when he arrived at Copley to go to Hopkinton with the wheelchair racers. 

He then biked the 26.2-mile track making sure slower runners stayed to the side and faster runners were able to get through.

This year marked Hale’s ninth year volunteering after four years as a bike spotter and five years volunteering at the finish line. Hale said his love for the marathon brings him back year after year. 

“I grew up in New Hampshire, and I came down to watch my college roommate run in 1979.  Something captured me about this city, about the race, the history, competition,” Hale said. 

Event Marshal volunteer Dave Miles said spectators’ bags were checked before they entered the viewing areas, so his job was to make sure spectators were not crossing the barriers and to give directions in case people needed them. 

“[My job is to] stand inside the barriers here and tell people how to get where they’re going and make sure no one goes where they are not supposed to,” Miles said.

After running over 26 miles to complete the Boston Marathon, participants said they felt happy, accomplished and exhausted.

Ricardo Vidales stretched on the side of the road after completing his fourth Boston Marathon. He said finishing the race was “a dream come true.”

“I’m stretching right now because [if I don’t] tomorrow I won’t be able to move,” Vidales said.

Michael Garrity said it was the hardest marathon he’d ever done. 

“Mile 16 to 21 was all uphill,” Garrity said.  “I feel accomplished. Probably will do it again.” 

Mauricio Vazquez said he felt “so many feelings at the same time” upon completing the marathon. 

“Sometimes [you doubt yourself] but then you remember how hard you trained, and you convince yourself that you are ready to do this and that’s why you’re here,” Vasquez said.

Kenya’s Evans Chebet and Peres Jepchirchir won first place in the professional men’s and women’s division with a time of 2:06:51 and 2:21:01 respectively.

Manuela Schar of Switzerland won the women’s wheelchair division with a time of 1:41:08 and American Daniel Romanchuk won the men’s wheelchair division with a time of 1:26:58.