The Boston Marathon ─ A Celebration of the America's Greatest Race

Offering an inside look at the most famous marathon in the world, this exploration traces the Boston Marathon's 26.2-mile route from the starting line on narrow Main Street in Hopkinton to the Boylston Street finish line in downtown Boston, bringing to life the history, personalities, pivotal moments, and individual character of each city the race traverses. The Boston Marathon includes well-researched briefs on topics including Metcalf’s Mill at Ashland, the unmarked starting point of the first race in 1897, the infamous 1967 battle over Kathrine Switzer’s attempt to compete five years before women were allowed, and other vital race-day elements. The book also includes a tribute to the victims of the tragic 2013 bombing near the finish line. This is a supremely entertaining glimpse at the history of the greatest running event in the world—from wacky entrants to hard-fisted managers, tortured disappointments, and glorious triumph.

Tom Derderian is a former New England road race champion who ran in the Olympic Trials in both 1972 and 1976. He is the author of the award-winning book The Boston Marathon: The First Century of the World’s Premier Running Event and The Boston Marathon: A Century of Blood, Sweat, and Cheers. He lives in Winthrop, Massachusetts. Bill Rodgers has won the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon four times each. In 1998, he was inducted to the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, and in 1999, he was inducted to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame.