Until the 125th Boston Marathon last fall, para-athletes competed in the race in their own starting wave. In the second marathon, the para-athletes now compete in their own division.
Leading the Para division will be Adrianne Haslet, who lost her foot in the 2013 marathon bombing and campaigned to found the division. She will be running with support from Shalane Flanagan, the four-time Olympian, New York City Marathon winner and well-known Boston native.
Eagle-eyed observers might notice something in their nails. Haslet and Flanagan wear OPI’s ‘Big Apple Red’ in homage to Flanagan’s win in NYC, but keep a close eye on their ring fingers. Painted on the nail is “2.2”.
The choice of red is particularly important, Haslet wrote on Instagram, because Flanagan’s 2017 win was “the place where I started dreaming of one day running my own marathon.”
More importantly, 2.2 “honors the 2.2 million people living with limb loss and limb disparities. This race is for you!!”
The men’s and women’s wheelchair competitors will start at 9:02 a.m. and 9:05 a.m. Eastern Time, followed by the Handbikes and Duos division at 9:30 a.m. Then at 9:50 a.m. 37 para runners with visual, lower and upper body disabilities start in a division limited to 40 participants (without guide or support runners).
The ultimate goal for Haslet and Para competitors is the Paralympics, which currently do not include a marathon.