Boston Marathon facts

The 2013 edition of the Boston Marathon was the 117th running.

The marathon runs for 26.2 miles from Hopkinton, Mass., to downtown Boston.

The race started in three waves at 10 a.m., 10:20 a.m. and 10:40 a.m.

This year's field included more than 28,000 registered runners from every state in the United States and more than 90 countries. The race record was 38,708 for the 100th anniversary in 1996.

The Boston Marathon, organized by the Boston Athletic Association, is the world's oldest marathon. It takes place on Patriot's Day, which is a holiday (in Maine and Massachusetts) that commemorates the famous battles of Lexington and Concord.

This year's prize money totalled $806,000 for elite runners.

Of the 26,655 runners who entered the race in 2012, 22,485 actually ran, and 21,616 finished. That is 96.1%.

More than 500,000 spectators line the course every year.

In 1988, Ibrahim Hussein became the first black male to win at Boston.

In 1975, Boston became the first major marathon to include a wheelchair division.