Boston Marathon Security Plan: How It Unfolded — Bookmark & Save This Article Now

With 30,000 runners and about half a million spectators ready to rally for the 129th Boston Marathon today, top Boston officials laid out the enhanced public safety plans for the race. No credible threats specific to the weekend’s events or Monday’s race have been identified, according to Allen Davis, FBI Boston’s special agent-in-charge. However, Davis said the agency does consider terrorism threats against Boston as “elevated” given the city’s many patriotic and significant landmarks that could be targeted as part of the symbolic race. There will be a “myriad of physical barriers” along the entire route, said State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble. A “large number” of uniformed troopers and both plainclothes and uniformed Boston Police officers will be stationed along the entirety of the 26.2-mile course. WCVB’s coverage of the Boston Marathon began at 4am ET with pre-race coverage and will continue “through the race until concluding with a special edition of ‘Chronicle’” at 7:30pm. Anchors Maria Stephanos and Ed Harding “will host the professional race” from 9am-12:30pm “from the finish line photo bridge.” They “will be joined by” ESPN’s Hannah Storm, with the national, out-of-market broadcast airing on ESPN2. John Anderson, who retired as a “SportsCenter” anchor in 2024 but still hosts ESPN’s marathon and track and field coverage, “will call the race along with 2014 winner Meb Keflezighi, former Olympian Carrie Tollefson, and Paralympic medalist Amanda McGrory.” The forecast shows Monday “looking like a great spring day with mostly sunny skies.” Temperatures will “end up somewhere between 55 and 60 Monday afternoon, with a cooler-than-average start to the day — pretty good running temperatures for the race.” On Friday morning, federal, state, and local officials detailed the extensive, months-in-the-making safety operation that will back the Boston Marathon. At a press conference in the Fairmont Copley Plaza Grand Ballroom, officials outlined a coordinated security plan that stretches from Hopkinton to Boston. The effort includes uniformed and plainclothes law enforcement, intelligence teams, emergency responders, and transportation personnel, along with centralized command centers to monitor the event in real time. Stepped up security is now the norm since the marathon bombing near the finish line 13 years ago, injuring hundreds and taking the lives of 23-year-old Lingzi Lu, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, and Martin Richard. “We will be doing all we can to ensure that we support a family-friendly fun day and a safe day,” said Boston Police Department Commissioner Michael Cox at the press conference. Officials said global tensions, including the conflict involving Iran and the Middle East, have not led to any changes to security operations. Mayor Michelle Wu said the city will have public safety personnel “visible and positioned wherever needed” along the route and in surrounding neighborhoods. “Please stay alert,” Wu said. “If you see anything suspicious, report it to a public official right away.” FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks said the bureau is not aware of any specific threats targeting the race this year, but cautioned that officials are operating in a heightened threat environment, where large public gatherings remain prominent targets. His team will take a “multi-layered” and “intelligence-driven” approach. FBI Boston will monitor everything from its headquarters in Chelsea. “Our agents, analysts, and task force officers are working around the clock to collect, analyze, and share information in real time,” Docks said, as he emphasized his team’s effort to diminish any potential threat.