The 130th Boston Marathon rolls out of Hopkinton on Monday with the deepest elite fields the race has ever assembled, but the supporting cast in Waves 2 through 6 is doing its own publicity this year. The Boston Athletic Association confirmed on Friday a celebrity list that stretches from the Boston Bruins' locker room to low-earth orbit, with nearly 400 ambassadors, public servants and notable athletes pinning on bibs. It is the largest curated 'name' field since the race returned to full capacity in 2022, and a pointed reminder that Patriots' Day still anchors a broader cultural moment in the city.
The biggest name on paper is Zdeno Chara. The former Bruins captain, Stanley Cup winner and 6ft 9in defenceman has quietly become one of the more committed marathoners in the post-retirement celebrity bracket, running a 3:38 at Boston in 2023 and a 3:13 at New York in 2024. His 2026 target is a sub-three, and he is not the only ex-Bruin on the course: teammate Andrew Ference, a veteran of several Boston finishes, returns for his eighth appearance. The two will run together out of Hopkinton before Chara is expected to push on at halfway.
Running Lookout also understands that astronaut Sunita Williams will take part as an honorary Wave 1 starter and ceremonial guest of race director Dave McGillivray. Williams, who memorably ran the Boston course on a treadmill aboard the International Space Station in 2007, will join the McGillivray family on the starting podium before completing a shortened ceremonial leg. McGillivray himself — now celebrating his 54th year involved with the race in one form or another — will again run the course in reverse once the last finisher has crossed the line, a tradition that has become part of Boston's liturgy.
The entertainment and media bracket is led by Bryan Terada, a reality-TV host and former Ironman competitor who is running to raise money for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, one of the BAA's longest-standing charity partners. Broadcast journalist Tiffany Chen is running her first-ever marathon under the 26.2 Foundation banner, while chef and TV personality Tiffani Faison is back for a second Boston after completing New York last autumn. The Boston Red Sox have entered a four-runner relay team, split into 6.55-mile legs, with players rotating through a support van for the in-between segments.
Behind the name recognition, the broader charity field remains the beating heart of the Boston ambassador programme. More than 10,000 charity runners are expected to raise over $45 million collectively — on track to eclipse last year's $42.3 million total — across the more than 200 registered non-profits, from Boston Children's Hospital to the BAA's own Brian Ott Leadership Fund. It is a number that has doubled in a decade, and it is the reason the celebrity list still carries weight: every bib in Wave 4 dragging a famous name behind it pulls donor dollars through with it, and on Monday the city will cash that cheque in full.