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Boston Marathon Trivia Questions

How much do you really know about Boston Marathon? Below are 8 true or false statements. Click each one to reveal the answer and explanation.

1.

The course is entirely downhill, making it one of the fastest marathon courses.

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Easy
✗ FALSE

It has a net downhill drop, but includes significant uphills like Newton Hills; it's not entirely downhill and is not the fastest.

2.

The Boston Marathon's most famous hill is called Heartbreak Hill, at mile 20.

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Easy
✓ TRUE

Heartbreak Hill is part of the Newton Hills around mile 20-21, known for breaking many runners' pace late in the race.

3.

The Boston Marathon is run on the third Monday of April, also known as Patriot's Day.

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Easy
✓ TRUE

It's held on Patriot's Day, a Massachusetts state holiday on the third Monday of April, commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

4.

The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, first run in 1897.

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Medium
✓ TRUE

It started in 1897, inspired by the 1896 Olympic marathon, making it the oldest continuously running marathon globally.

5.

No woman officially ran the Boston Marathon until 1972, when it was first allowed.

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Medium
✗ FALSE

Roberta Gibb ran unofficially in 1966, and Kathrine Switzer in 1967 with a number before women were officially accepted in 1972.

6.

Runners must qualify with a time from any marathon, not just Boston.

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Medium
✗ FALSE

Qualifying times must be run on a certified course recognized by Boston Athletic Association—not any marathon qualifies.

7.

The 2013 bombing caused the race to be cancelled for three consecutive years.

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Hard
✗ FALSE

The 2014 race was held as scheduled; the bombing did not cancel any future races. The 2020 race was cancelled due to COVID-19, not the bombing.

8.

Winners of the Boston Marathon receive a large cash prize of $150,000.

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Hard
✓ TRUE

Open division winners get $150,000, plus potential time bonuses; it's one of the richest marathon prize purses.

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