The 130th Boston Marathon Runs April 20 on Patriots' Day

New England's biggest sporting day returns April 20. The 130th Boston Marathon, presented by Bank of America, sends nearly 30,000 runners from Hopkinton to Boylston Street on Patriots' Day, drawing an estimated half a million spectators along the 26.2-mile route. The marathon is the oldest annual marathon in the world and still the gold standard of the sport — the one race every distance runner wants to run, and the one city in the country that knows how to host it.

Marathon weekend is a festival in itself. The Boston Marathon Fan Fest at City Hall Plaza features live music, brand activations, meet-and-greets with elite runners, and the Samuel Adams Run Pub beer garden. The Red Sox play their traditional Patriots' Day home game at Fenway, ending just in time for fans to pour out to Kenmore Square and watch the runners pass.

If you're spectating: Heartbreak Hill in Newton (mile 20) is the most dramatic spectator spot. Boylston Street is the finish line. Public transit is the only way to move — T lines run on extended schedules but are packed from mid-morning on.

Sources: Boston Athletic Association, Meet Boston April