Boston course intelligence
Boston Marathon water, gels, toilets and Heartbreak Hill
Skip the scattered blog notes: use the organizer-backed service timeline for hydration and fuel, then place the Newton hills and Heartbreak Hill into your pacing plan.
Interactive course services
Know what is available before you need it.
From Mile 2 onward, shows water, Gatorade and toilets every mile, with the three Maurten gel depots inserted into the same timeline for fueling decisions.
Race Day ETA mode
Tap a finish target. See the whole course in elapsed time.
No form and no personal data. This is an even-pace reference that turns course services into a practical race-day clock.
Target4:005:41 /km · 9:09 /mi
Use it as a reference, not a prediction: terrain, congestion, toilet stops, fueling and your actual start delay can shift arrival times. RaceZip does not convert an even-pace chart into a promise.
Mile 2
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 3
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 4
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 5
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 6
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 7
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 8
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 9
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 10
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 11
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 11.8
Wellesley town line: Maurten Gel 100 / Gel 100 CAF 100.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 12
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 13
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 14
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 15
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 16
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 17
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 17
Newton: Maurten Gel 100 / Gel 100 CAF 100.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 18
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 19
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 20
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 21
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 21.5
Just after Boston College: Maurten Gel 100 / Gel 100 CAF 100.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 22
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 23
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 24
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 25
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Mile 26
Poland Spring water and Lemon Lime Gatorade Endurance; B.A.A. says portable toilets are located at every aid station.
Verify this checkpoint ↗Coverage boundary: B.A.A. also confirms 26 medical stations along the course. Because the current text source does not enumerate every medical-station mile, RaceZip links the official course map instead of inventing positions. The Newton hills begin around Mile 17.1 and Heartbreak Hill crests around Mile 20.8.
Hills & landmarks
Put Boston’s critical course signals back on the mile markers.
Distances below come from the B.A.A. 2026 course map rather than third-party race blogs.
Start of the Newton hills
The B.A.A. official map marks the start of the famed Newton hills near Ladder 2.
Official map ↗Johnny Kelley “Young at Heart”
Organizer-listed course landmark.
Official map ↗Crest of Heartbreak Hill
One of Boston’s most searched course landmarks; distance follows the official B.A.A. 2026 map.
Official map ↗CITGO sign / one mile to go
Organizer-listed landmark near Kenmore Square.
Official map ↗Race strategy
Boston is more than Heartbreak Hill.
Set hydration rhythm from Mile 2
Water and Gatorade are available every mile, but that does not mean you need every station. Use the rhythm already tested in training.
Connect fuel to the Newton section
The Mile 17 Maurten depot sits around the beginning of the Newton hills, so fuel decisions and terrain should be planned together.
Use the official map for medical positions
B.A.A. confirms 26 medical stations, but RaceZip does not manufacture individual mile positions when the text source does not enumerate them.