Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The weekend before the big race has arrived, and Boston is alive with marathon runners and sports fans preparing for a busy week.
Nearly 30,000 runners are set to start the 26.2-mile race in Hopkinton and cross the finish line at Copley Square. As thousands of tourists arrive in town with the race on Monday and runners deal with pre-race jitters, Mayor Michelle Wu says she is looking forward to hosting visitors from around the world for the Boston Celtics and Bruins postseason play, 130th Boston Marathon on Monday and later this summer, the arrival of the Tall Ships and World Cup soccer.
"We already are seeing the energy all across the city with visitors pouring in, all the families, everyone getting ready, so it should be a great day."
The Boston Red Sox are also hosting the Detroit Tigers at Fenway on Monday, where authorities expect an additional 30,000 people in the Kenmore Square area. The New York Yankees are also coming to town on Tuesday.
"We're at the city level open and excited for whatever possibilities might be on the table, but we've been working very closely with our businesses and community members, so there's lots of excitement and lots of planning already underway," Wu explained.
Boston city leaders have outlined public safety preparations ahead of the activities on Monday:
Street closures and parking restrictions
Major streets along the race route will be closed early on Marathon Monday, with some closures starting Sunday evening.
The Boston Athletic Association said streets in the downtown area will be closed off from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday.
Several parking restrictions will also be in place in towns along the route.
For the full list of street closures in Boston, visit the city website here.
MBTA
All MBTA lines will run on a normal operating schedule during the big event.
Several Green Line stations will be closed to accommodate the race. Copley Station will be shut down all day. South Street Station on the B Branch and Kent Street and St. Mary’s Street on the C Branch will be closed starting at 10 a.m.
For a full list of changes, visit the MBTA website here.
WBZ NewsRadio's Mike Macklin (@mikemacklinwbz) reports.