Why does the Boston Marathon start in Hopkinton? The king and queen of England play a role

HOPKINTON — It's hard to miss that it all starts here.

The Boston Marathon begins in Hopkinton. Runners follow Route 135, Route 16 and Route 30 onto the city streets of Boston, finishing beside the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. The course goes through seven communities before reaching its namesake city.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the race beginning in Hopkinton. But how did the Boston Marathon end up starting there?

Tim Kilduff, president of the 26.2 Foundation, said the story goes back to the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896. The distance between Marathon, Greece — site of the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C., as part of the first Persian invasion — and the Olympic Stadium measured approximately 25 miles.

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The course was to mirror the run of Pheidippides who, according to legend, ran from the site of the Battle of Marathon to announce the victory of the Athenians over the Persians, Kilduff said. The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) staged the first Boston Marathon in 1897, with the starting line at Metcalf's Mill in Ashland.

Eleven years later, the 1908 Olympic Games were held in London, Kilduff continued. King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra wanted the race to begin at Windsor Castle, so the royal family could watch the start of the race. But the distance between the castle and White City Stadium was a little farther — 26 miles and 385 yards.

Why the Boston Marathon moved its starting line 100 years ago

That distance ultimately became the accepted standard. In 1924, the Boston Marathon course was lengthened to the newly accepted distance of 26 miles and 385 yards, and the starting line was moved west to Hopkinton.

"It's got historic value in terms of obviously being the oldest continuous marathon in the world, and now this year we're celebrating 100 starts in Hopkinton," Kilduff said.

Jack Fleming, president and CEO of the B.A.A., said MetroWest starting lines were convenient for past B.A.A. members. The former clubhouse, on Exeter Street in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, was near a railway that would take B.A.A. staff and runners west to the start of the Marathon.

"It was a way to get down to the start, to transport down, and still can be," said Fleming, who lives in Natick. "The rail line parallels the Boston Marathon course almost the entire way." Some of the course runs along the Framingham-Worcester Commuter Rail Line, including the Framingham section along Waverly Street.

Fleming continued: "I would say one of the beauties of the Boston Marathon is that it is the same, historic course that has been essentially unchanged for 128 years, and as cities and towns have grown in population over the last century and a quarter, the course still happens to be the main right-through."

What the Boston Marathon means to Hopkinton, race communities

Kilduff and Fleming agreed the Boston Marathon is a staple of MetroWest culture.

Kilduff said the Marathon runs deep to Hopkinton residents.

"It's deep and it's interwoven in the fabric of the community," he said. "After 100 years, the Hopkinton connection to the Boston Marathon has gained some ground and notoriety and awareness."

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He pointed to the town's website, which reads: "Hopkinton is a vibrant welcoming community centrally located in New England and nestled 26.2 miles west of Boston" on its homepage.

Fleming said it's inspiring to see and learn from runners visiting from not only other cities and towns, but also from throughout the country and world.

"There is that sense of pride at each one of the eight cities and towns," Fleming said.

The 128th Boston Marathon starts with the men's wheelchair race at 9:02 a.m. on Patriots' Day, April 15. The elite men and women start at 9:37 a.m. and 9:47 a.m., respectively, according to the B.A.A. website.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Boston Marathon: Why the race start moved to Hopkinton 100 years ago