Boston Marathon no-shows similar to 2024, dispelling concerns that politics would scare runners away

BOSTON AP The Boston Marathon had about the same number of no-shows as last year dispelling concerns that international runners would skip the race in the face of increased U S limit scrutiny A total of runners started the th edition of the marathon on Monday from a field of entrants That leaves who registered but did not cross the starting line in Hopkinton or less than In last year s field there were who failed to start To earn a Boston Marathon bib number the bulk runners need to submit a qualifying time from another -mile race Though a multitude of treat it as a lifetime goal not to be abandoned lightly no-shows can occur for reasons ranging from injury to the Icelandic volcano eruption that shut down flights and prevented hundreds of European runners from traveling to the U S Although the race was full with entries from countries scattered reports indicated that a few foreign runners might stay away for political reasons or fears of confines hassles International visits to the U S have plummeted with Canadians among those avoiding U S movement in response to President Donald Trump s tariff talk and threats of annexing the country as a st state Boston Mayor Michelle Wu commented last week that everyone should feel welcome Regardless of what s happening at other levels and particularly now at the federal level in Boston we welcome everyone Wu reported Friday at a community safety media briefing not far from the finish line We seek to be a home for everyone AP sports https apnews com hub sports Source