Boston Marathon 2017 — PICS

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April 17, 2017 7:47AM EDT

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — When it’s Patriots’ Day in Boston, that can only mean one thing: it’s time for the Boston Marathon. Held on the third Monday of April, the race (started in 1897) sis the world’s oldest annual marathon and is considered one of the world’s best-known road racing events. It’s one of the six World Marathon Majors, and often attracts tens of thousands of racers (with about half-a-million spectators) each year.

The 2017 Boston Marathon was history for a variety of reasons. Kathrine Switzer returned to the Boston Marathon 50 years after the “raced” it for the first time. She competed in the 1967 marathon five years before women were officially allowed to run, registering under a gender neutral name “K. V. Switzer.” When race officials tried to rib away her bib as she ran, her boyfriend intervened and shoved them away, allowing her to proceed. In 2017, she ran the marathon again with the same bib number – 261 – that she wore in 50 years prior. After finishing the race at 4:44:31, the number was retired.

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — Runners pass through a security check in Boston to board buses for the starting line in Hopkinton, Mass., for 121st Boston Marathon on April 13, 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — Workers make final preparations of the finish line before the 121st Boston Marathon, in Boston on April 13, 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — Workers make final preparations of the finish line before the 121st Boston Marathon, in Boston on April 13, 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — A police officer and a working dog perform a security sweep at the starting line of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, MA on April 17, 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston-Marathon2 — Workers install the timing clock at the finish line for the 121st Boston Marathon, in Boston
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — Boston police on bicycles ride through the finish line area before the 121st Boston Marathon, in Boston (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — The elite female runners break from the starting line in the 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — Boston Marathon, The men’s wheelchair division crosses the line at the start of the 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — Men’s elite runners as they break from the line at the start of the 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — Men’s elite runners as they break from the line at the start of the 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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Boston Marathon 2017

Boston Marathon 2017 — 2017 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass
17 Apr 2017 (REX/Shutterstock)

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