Boston Launches Coordinated Safety Plan for 125th Marathon Return

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston officials outline safety and transit plan for 125th Boston Marathon return. Mayor Kim Janey, joined by Boston Police Superintendent Gerard Bailey, MBTA Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green, and Boston Athletic Association President and CEO Tom Grill, detailed a sweeping public safety framework for the first in-person marathon since 2019, after COVID-19 forced the 2020 cancellation and 2021 postponement. The BAA has cut the field by roughly 40 percent to 20,000 runners from 50 states and 87 countries and implemented a rolling start for the first time in the race's 125th-year history, eliminating mass gatherings in Hopkinton. Copley Station will be fully closed on Marathon Monday, and Green Line stations at Kent Street, Saint Mary's, and Fenway will close from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Green said "there is no intelligence, credible or otherwise" suggesting the MBTA or marathon is a target, while Bailey confirmed bag screening and restricted access in the Kenmore Square and Back Bay areas.