10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Boston Marathon

Oldest annually run marathon on Earth—first held in 1897 with 15 entrants. William McKinley was president.
Second Boston Marathon was won by a man named Ronald MacDonald.
Current course record: 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 17 seconds, set in 2006 by four-time champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, of Kenya.
Comedian Will Ferrell ran the Boston Marathon in 3:56:12. Mario Lopez (seriously) was far slower at 5:41:41. This year Valerie Bertinelli will run, less than a week before her fiftieth birthday. Fastest time set by a non-runner celebrity? Lance Armstrong at 2:50:58.
John Kelley, of “Heartbreak Hill” notoriety, holds the all-time record for most Boston Marathons completed: 60. He won twice, in 1935 and 1945.
In Men’s and Women’s divisions, the champions each win a gold medal, a laurel wreath, and $150,000.
Cuba almost had its first champion in 1980, when Rosie Ruiz was the first woman to cross the finish line. Almost for one simple reason: officials discovered Ruiz had merely jumped into the course near the finish line.
Ten hospitals along the route bulk up their staffs on race day. And for good reason: around 900 runners get treated for injuries and exhaustion every year. But in the history of the race, only two runners have died.
A zone of zero cell-phone reception follows the lead runner, as huge numbers of people simultaneously place calls when they see him.
Each year, runners are treated to a pre-race meal: four tons of pasta and 500 gallons of sauce.