Sold out for the 2026 race
As read 15 October 2026.
Every way in, year by year
Entry details on the organiser’s site →
The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.
Running Boston? Order your gels by 18 October to test them on two long runs. Get them on Amazon Amazon partner link
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Boston Half
At a glance
- Race day
- The 2026 race
- Start
- 08:008:00 AM
- Distance
- 21.1 km13.1 mi
- Half marathon
- Entry
- Sold out
- US$110. For the 2026 race
The course
The Boston Half starts and finishes in Franklin Park and runs along the Emerald Necklace park system, the Riverway, Jamaicaway and Arborway.
- The Emerald NecklaceFranklin Park to Jamaica Pond and back along the Emerald Necklace.
- Shuttles and no parkingShuttles from 5:30; no parking at Franklin Park; start at 8:00.
- $110 and a 14-year minimum2026 entry $110, minimum age 14, about 9,000 participants.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseLandmarkThe Emerald NecklaceFranklin Park to Jamaica Pond and back along the Emerald Necklace.
The organiser calls the course rolling and points to the views of Jamaica Pond, Willow Pond and Olmsted Park, with Franklin Park, one of the oldest parks in America, as both start and finish.
Sourced
Whole courseTacticsShuttles and no parkingShuttles from 5:30; no parking at Franklin Park; start at 8:00.
Shuttles drop off on Seaver Street outside the park, and return shuttles to Copley Square and Forest Hills run until noon. A rideshare should use 168 Seaver Street as its drop-off. Gear check sits near the start in the park and uses the plastic bag the organiser provides. Runners are seeded by expected pace per mile, with signs marking each start position.
Sourced
Whole courseCrowd$110 and a 14-year minimum2026 entry $110, minimum age 14, about 9,000 participants.
The organiser puts the field at 9,000 participants on race day. Every athlete receives an adidas participant shirt and a unicorn finisher medal. Entries are non-transferrable, non-deferrable and non-refundable. Runners already registered can join Dana-Farber’s charity team with their own entry.
Sourced
Race weekend
Sunday 8 November Race day
-
05:305:30 AM
Shuttles from Copley Square and Forest Hills Seaver Street, Franklin Park. Shuttles drop off on Seaver Street; return shuttles run until 12:00. -
06:306:30 AM–07:307:30 AM
International bib pickup Athlete Services Tent near the start. International residents, Canada included, claim their bib here; a government photo ID is required.
Other races and side events (3)
-
07:007:00 AM–08:008:00 AM
Youth Races registration Franklin Park -
08:008:00 AM
Boston Half start Franklin Park. Runners are seeded by expected pace per mile. -
08:158:15 AM
Youth Races start Franklin Park
Times as published by the organiser, in Boston time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.
The forecast for Sunday
Race morning, on the record
We hold no start time for this race, so the record is read at 09:009:00 AM, local time.
Add to calendar .ics file, times in Boston time
Entry
Race fuel
Energy gel
2 gels for Boston, plus 1 spare
Finish
One every 40 minutes, by the clock:
Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.
- km 7.3mile 4.6
- km 14.7mile 9.1
For your long training runs:
Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side. Enough for race day and two test long runs.
Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.
Order by 18 October to test them on two long runs first.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.
Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.
Anti-chafe
Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml
An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.
Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.
Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Number belt
Compressport Race Belt
Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.
Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.
Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Electrolytes
SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20
One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.
One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.
Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Blister plasters
Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6
One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.
Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.
Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.
Get it on Amazon
We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
Keep exploring
More races to look at after the Boston Half.
