Breaking Down the Boston Marathon By the Numbers

Boston Marathon photo Uploaded by John Beagle on Flickr

At this year’s Boston Marathon, there will be more charitable donations, more local spending, an increase in participants, and a flood of spectators cheering runners on as they come blazing down the 26.2-mile stretch toward the Boylston Street finish line.

And it’s no surprise: this year’s race is bound to be an emotional one for the entire region after last year’s attack, meaning more people will feel compelled to come out and show support, further proving Boston’s resilience after a tough year.

But the large expected attendance and big runners pool aren’t the only good things about the 2014 marathon. There’s also the positive economic impact that an event this size will bring to the region. “The spending impact of the 118th Boston Marathon provides a huge economic benefit for our visitor industry and it kick starts our spring tourism season,” said Patrick Moscaritolo, president of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Moscaritolo predicts that the marathon will be a record-setting one, pushing past the 1996 Boston Marathon, which currently holds the title for most spending in a single weekend since the race’s inception. Officials say this time around, the Greater Boston region can expect to see an estimated $175.8 million in spending impacts, setting a new standard for the historic event.

Here’s why:

35,660
The number of race participants in this year’s Boston Marathon. The pool of runners increased significantly after last year’s qualifiers were stopped at the finish line when the bombs went off, and were welcomed to finish the race in 2014. Charity organizations also increased the number of participants that could join a team due to the significance of this year’s race.

 100,000
Number of people that are expected at this year’s John Hancock Sports & Fitness Expo, one of the fitness industry’s premier events for all-things-running, and the place where this year’s participants will scoop up their coveted bibs.

10,000
The number of racers that will run in the 2014 B.A.A. 5K, a 3.1-mile race that takes runners past the Boston Marathon finish line. This year’s event, which takes place a few days before the actual marathon, has an event record field size, according to organizers.

 29
Number of years that John Hancock Financial Services has officially been a sponsor of the Boston Marathon.

$16 Million
Since they started sponsoring the event, John Hancock has coughed up funds for what’s known as the “prize purse” for marathon finalists. This year’s prize purse totals $806,000, plus bonuses. First-place runners receive $150,000.

$172 Million
The amount of money that was generated during the Centennial Boston Marathon in 1996. Until this year, it was the record holder as the highest-spending impact in Boston Marathon history.

$3.8 million
Experts and organizers predict this year’s Boston marathon will edge out the 1996 spending-impact totals by just a few million dollars. The new record-setting amount, if predictions are correct, can be attributed to the significance of the 2014 race.

$27.5 million
The amount in charitable donations that was raised for this year’s race.

$20 million
Roughly how much spectators will shell out over the course of the weekend as the marathon approaches, pumping cash into the city’s local economy.