Real-Time Runner Tracking for the 2025 Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is a spectacle, not just for runners but for the thousands of friends, families, and fans hoping to follow every stride from Hopkinton to Boylston Street. For 2025, you don’t need binoculars or lucky guesses—you just need a smart device and the right tools.
The heartbeat of modern marathon tracking is the B.A.A. Racing App, powered by Tata Consultancy Services. Whether you’re tracking your best friend, a favorite charity runner, or the elite field fighting for a spot in marathon history, the app has it covered. Simply download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play on an iPhone or Android device. Once installed, you’ll have access to a suite of live tools:
- Live Participant Tracking: Plug in the bib number or name, and you can follow as many runners as you want in one place. The app provides GPS-based location updates, so you’ll know exactly when to cheer—even if you’re stuck at home or across the world.
- Interactive Course Maps: These detailed visuals turn the 26.2-mile journey into a digital experience, letting you see runners’ positions against iconic checkpoints like Heartbreak Hill, the Newton Hills, and the final approach to Boylston Street.
- Leaderboards and Fundraising Totals: Watch the race unfold in real time. Whether you’re curious about the frontrunners or following a friend's progress, live leaderboards update ranking as soon as runners pass timing mats. Plus, charity runners’ fundraising totals are visible, so you can support their causes with a tap.
- Social Media Sharing: Share your runner’s progress directly to your social feeds, turning the marathon into a social event even for those miles away from Boston.
The app goes beyond digital cheerleading—it helps spectators in Boston too. The integrated spectator guide highlights the best spots along the course, from Ashland’s small-town start, through lively Natick and Wellesley, to the crowded streets of Newton, Brookline, and that legendary finish in Boston. Whether you want a quieter patch of grass or an electric city corner, you’ll know just where to stand to catch runners as they pass by.
For Those Without the App: Tracking from Any Device
Not everyone has—or wants to juggle—a smartphone in a busy crowd. No worries. The B.A.A. website steps in as a reliable alternative. On race day, it offers searchable runner results, allowing you to type in a name or bib number and instantly see location, splits, and pace. The online leaderboard mirrors the app, updating in real time so you’re never left guessing who’s in the lead, or how your runner is faring as they hit each checkpoint.
Some spectators like to go old school and find their cheer spots using the course map posted online, printing it out or saving it to their phone gallery. Those prime viewing towns—Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline—become landmarks on marathon day, drawing big crowds and offering unique local energy for runners to soak up.
One word of advice: heavy use of live tracking features can sap your phone battery quickly. The app runs in the background to keep those GPS updates flowing, so bring a portable charger or hop onto local Wi-Fi when possible if you plan to keep tabs on multiple runners for several hours.
Whether you’re cheering from the sidelines or miles away, keeping up with your favorite runners in the 2025 Boston Marathon is easier—and a lot more fun—than ever. The right tools not only get you the updates you want but pull you into the energy and excitement of one of the world’s most famous races.