Framingham Leaders Assess Cost of Hosting Boston Marathon

FRAMINGHAM - The Framingham City Council’s Finance Subcommittee discussed the costs associated with hosting the Boston Marathon during their meeting at the Memorial Building on Tuesday, September 9.

Official municipal documents show that it cost Framingham $101,469 in total to host the portion of the 2025 marathon that went along Waverly Street. The Boston Athletic Association (BAA), the nonprofit organization that organizes the internationally-renowned race every year, provided $82,600 to Framingham in 2025. Mayor Charlie Sisitsky said that’s a raise from what was provided in 2024, and that it was one of the largest shares provided by the BAA to any of the communities that the marathon moves through. For comparison, the MetroWest Daily News reported that Framingham got $63,300 back in 2018.

The 2025 costs are primarily made up of regular and overtime wages for members of the local police, fire, public works, parks and recreation, and health departments. It includes payments for the time needed to prepare for the event.

At-Large City Councilor and Chair of the Finance Subcommittee George King called the difference between the overall cost for the city this past Patriots’ Day and the BAA’s contribution “ridiculous” and “kind of insulting.” He called upon city officials to request more money from the BAA moving forward; if they don’t do so, King said, local leaders should consider not allowing the Boston Marathon to run through Framingham—in spite of the historic nature of the race.

“Framingham taxpayers should not be picking up the difference here,” King continued.

“So I think we should talk to (the BAA), say, ‘We want more money,” and if we don’t get it, tell them we’re not going to give them their permit. They have no right to run through our streets.”

A 2024 study from the Donahue Institute of Economic and Public Policy Research at the University of Massachusetts found that the 2024 Boston Marathon resulted in a total of $509.1 million in economic activity across Massachusetts. BAA figures show that over 31,500 runners entered the 2025 Boston Marathon, alongside 50 wheelchair participants and 39 hand cyclists, as more than 120 nations were represented in the field. The entry fee for accepted and qualified participants in 2025 was $250, while it was $375 for those running on behalf of a charity.

Sisitsky mentioned that some costs have gone up due to demands placed on the Framingham Police Department related to planning and safety. Of the roughly $105,000 grand total for the city to host its portion of the 2025 race, close to $66,000 was allocated to police overtime wages.

Framingham Police Chief Lester Baker said that figure had to do with the extended time dedicated to planning the event, adding that “the mission changed” for participating communities following the 2013 Boston Marathon and the bombing at the race’s finish line that took the lives of three individuals on April 15 that year.

Baker explained that planning for the Boston Marathon now begins as far as 10 months out from race day.

”There’s a lot of security, there’s a lot of planning that goes into this,” Baker explained to the Finance Subcommittee on Tuesday.

“Those are the numbers you don’t see.”

King said he fully understands the need for those safety measures. His gripe falls with the BAA, adding that the organization should pay for any extended planning.

King suggested inviting BAA officials to meet with the full City Council to discuss the matter further. In the meantime, District 3 City Councilor Adam Steiner and Michael Cannon of District 4 requested data on what aid other communities are receiving from the BAA or any insight on how the BAA calculates how much money is allocated to participating municipalities. Sisitsky said his administration would work to provide those details.