Patriots’ Day is Coming!

Patriots’ Day , the third Monday in April, is always a big event in Boston. Patriots’ Day is a legal state holiday that commemorates the beginning of the American Revolution and the battles of Lexington and Concord. But the day is most well known as “Marathon Monday” because it is the day that the prestigious Boston Marathon is run.  This year’s 114th  Boston Marathon will take place on Monday, April 19, 2010 with nearly 25,000 runners beginning the race in the town of Hopkinton around 9:30 AM, then winding their way through the cities and towns of Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline before finishing  in Boston’s Copley Square. The elite runners will break the tape around noon time- but for the 500,000 fans that line the route,  the most fun is often cheering on the masses of four-hour finishers along the route.

Running fans who want to  ”pre-game” the race will want to check out the John Hancock Sports and Fitness Expo which coincides with the runner’s race number pick-up  and takes place at the Hynes Convention Center (900 Boylston St., Boston) (Map) on Friday, April 16 from 2 PM-7 PM and on Saturday and Sunday April 17 and April 18, from 9 AM-6PM. The Expo is free and open to the public . There are meet and greets with running legends scheduled each day. And you’ll find lots of health, fitness and athletic company exhibits with stuff to purchase and lots of freebies too.

Image Credit: Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau