Boston Marathon Accom

Congrats on your BQ!

buy a tent and sleeping bag when you get there.

Depends what you're looking for. Most folks coming in will stay in Boston & face jacked up hotel rates. The logistics on race morning aren't super fun so you could try looking for something closer to the start if that's important to you.

My suggestion is look for a hotel as far from the city as possible but as close as possible to one of the subway lines. I got a hotel on the Red Line in North Quincy last year and had no trouble at all getting to the race. It was about a half-mile walk to the subway station from the hotel but that just served to loosen up my legs a little on race morning. For the expo, get off on the Green Line at Copley Square. On race day, you will want to get off on the Green Line at Arlington to get the busses.

I'd love to get the chance to run London but the lottery is nearly impossible and the "Good for Age" standards, which are even easier than Boston standards, only apply to UK residents.

This is really helpful thank you!

what's stopping you claiming to be a UK resident? how would they know otherwise?

Congrats on your BQ and deciding to come over for the race.

I agree with poster who said if you decide to go further out, get a hotel close to the T. It makes life a lot easier. I've stayed in a lot of places over my 17 Bostons. Here are my thoughts.

Start-don't do it. Too much of a hassle after the race and not that convenient for pre-race.

Close to the finish - good if you like to be in the midst of the Boston madness. Lots of hotels here. Runners there all weekend going to the expo. Taking pictures of the finish line painted on the road. After the race it is obviously real crowded there. But its a fun atmosphere. I love the Mandarin Oriental.

Near where the buses load - This is my favorite place to stay. Wake up later on Monday morning. Don't have to worry about taking the T or walking too far to get there. After the race you can just get your medal or food and it just empties close to the hotel. For me it's always been the best especially after the hot race days where I could barely walk. No T to worry about, not much walking, less crowds to weave through to get back to the hotel.

My favorite is the Four Seasons right there south of Boston Common. Really convenient. I've stayed at the Revere and W in that area too and they are nice hotels and convenient.

Like the other poster said. If you don't stay within walking distance of the finish or bus area, get a hotel close to the T.

This link has a map of the race area with the race course track, where the expo is, where the buses are, plus the hotels that still are available to give you a lay of the land.

findmymarathon.com

Best Boston Marathon Hotels

We've compiled our recommendations for the best hotels for the Boston Marathon. View the hotel locations compared to the Finish Line, Bus Loading Area, Expo and along the course.

Link:findmymarathon.com/boston-marathon-hot...

I stayed at Hotel Commonwealth, which is at mile 25 where you can see the famous Citgo sign. It was very expensive, but excellent. The hotels at the finish line were even more expensive. Nothing in Boston is cheap around race day.

Getting to the race in the am wasn't too bad, with a quick train ride. Getting back there after race finish took a little time to find an Uber, and traffic was very busy on the way back.

My family enjoyed watching the elites run down the street from the hotel window, before heading out to meet me at the finish.

Unfortunately, proof is required.

"Proof of UK residence – this must be an official document proving your residence in the UK, such as a recent utility bill (within the last three months) or copy of your driving license."

Another thing I don't like is having to pay a "carbon offset levy." UK residents pay £49, international runners pay £99. I'm fine with that, but then they add the "carbon offset levy." It seems the extra £50 we pay should already cover this. If not, what exactly is this additional £50 used for?

"Across all our events and operations, we’re acting to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas-emitting activities and paying close attention to monitoring our carbon footprint.
International participant travel is the largest contributor to the carbon footprint of the London Marathon on average, accounting for more than 90 per cent of our carbon footprint.
We want to protect our natural environment so for 2022 we’ll be partnering with the organisation ClimateCare to invest the full £26 of your levy in certified projects to balance CO2 emissions from participant travel."

Some of the hotels are crazy expensive.
I will look at places further out on the tube or consider leaving it for another year
Thank you all for the help

I stayed at the Cambridge Marriott hotel in 2019. It's located at the end of the Red Linde (Alewife station).

Red Line

Agreed with what Boston Vet said - just expect much higher than normal room rates for that weekend (because they can and do sell out) and usually 3 night minimums (for the same reason). The best location is where the buses load if money is not an issue for the reasons Boston Vet articulated.

But just to really make you aware of the prices - You could stay at the Lenox Hotel right now (which is less than one block from the finish line) for 350 or so a night right now. Marathon weekend it is 3 night minimum and about 1000 per night.

I've stayed at the Cambridge Marriott as well. I thought it was just across the river though off of the MIT Red Line station and not in Alwife???? Quick and easy access to everything. Have to change trains at Park to get back and forth from Expo or Finish Line.

It is a good location, but the year I stayed there is when I decided that if hotels were available and not too expensive, I would stay close to the southwest side of Boston Common. I stayed in Cambridge in 2012 when the race was really hot. I felt so bad after the race that it felt like getting back to the hotel was another marathon. On any other day, it would have seemed an quick, easy ride and walk. Not that day. There were people laying face down on the T platforms because the concrete was cool.