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Hey, college students: Here’s what Boston police want you to know for Marathon Monday
"We ask that you to play a role in our effort to ensure that we are a shining example of good sportsmanship, pride and most of all resilience."
The City of Boston will be filled with Boston Marathon runners and spectators Monday as the 125th Boston Marathon will take place after a long postponement due to COVID-19. For many college students in the Boston area, they will experience their first Boston Marathon Monday after 2020’s race was cancelled and this year’s contest was moved from its usual April date to Oct. 11.
In preparing for the upcoming weekend, the superintendent in chief of the Boston Police Department issued a safety letter to students in the Boston area. Here’s what Gregory Long wants students to keep in mind as the marathon approaches.
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“The City of Boston takes pride in this event, and we ask that you play a role in our effort to ensure that we are a shining example of good sportsmanship, pride and most of all resilience,” he said in the letter.
Be aware and alert of your surroundings
Security at the race has been understandably heightened since the Boston Marathon bombings that occurred in 2013.
Spectators are encouraged to call 911 if they are in an emergency or witness suspicious activity. In addition, Long wrote that there would be an increased number of police officers, including plain-clothes police officers, throughout the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston.
Social activities
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BPD asks students to refrain from public drinking and to leave open containers at home.
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“Public intoxication and smoking marijuana will not be tolerated,” Long wrote in the message.
Long also warned that it is prohibited for students to congregate on rooftops, fire escapes or porches.
On race day …
Bringing backpacks to the race is highly discouraged as spectators can be subject to be searched at designated search areas due to high security at the marathon.
Newbury Street and Huntington Avenue outbound will be open to pedestrians only on Monday, in order for spectators to access the race course easier. In the days leading up to the marathon, drivers can also expect some other roads in Boston to be shut down due to the race.
Spectators are highly encouraged to take the MBTA on Marathon Monday as streets will be heavily congested with spectators.
Check out a complete rundown of what race spectators need to know here, and read the full letter at the link below.
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