When 26.TRUE started in 2021, nobody was expecting the marathon to become what it has.
The race takes place entirely within the Boston city limits, in contrast to the Boston Marathon that is run mostly outside of the city. The name 26.TRUE is a play on words, claiming its place in the city and paying homage to the 26.2-mile distance of a marathon.
In 2021, the Boston Athletic Association was still getting back on its feet after the COVID-19 pandemic. The association delayed the Boston Marathon to the fall and offered a virtual race since the in-person field was smaller than usual.
Those changes gave the folks at PIONEERS Run Crew the idea to host their own marathon, giving people the chance to earn a unicorn medal while running through the parts of the city the Boston Marathon doesn’t reach. About 30 to 40 runners showed up that first year.
“That was really gonna be it, but then people started reaching out and saying, ‘What is this thing, this looks like a lot of fun, are you bringing it back?’ And that iteration was in the fall because they had moved the date that year,” said Barak Soreff, one of the race directors of 26.TRUE. “And so we ended up turning it around within, like, six months time and doing it the following April. Which is a little hectic because, yeah, we were not expecting to. But I’m glad we did ‘cause it’s sort of been the springboard to get us here.”
Now, 26.TRUE is in its sixth year and has grown to include hundreds of runners. This year, it will feature a half-marathon distance for the first time. And as the city prepares for Marathon Monday, 26.TRUE is making the Saturday before the Boston Marathon into its own kind of tradition.
A growing field
Last year, there were about 250 runners at 26.TRUE. This year there’s 400 runners, with about 200 for the full marathon and around another 200 for the half marathon.
Sharon Lee, another race director for 26.TRUE, said the growth of the event has tracked with the growth of the PIONEERS Run Crew.
“You know, our field for 26.TRUE has pretty much doubled every year,” Lee said. “So that first year there about 30 people, the second year we had 70 some odd [people], and it’s just grown since then. And it’s just something unexpected but so wonderful to see and be a part of.”
The addition of a half-marathon option makes the event more accessible.
That plays out on the course by starting each race distance with the back-of-the-pack runners and not closing cheer zones until the last runner comes through. Organizers don’t even time 26.TRUE. And everyone gets to break the finish line tape.
“We want them to be able to enjoy their moment, enjoy their run for themselves and feel like they’ve really completed something that is super challenging,” Lee said. “And it is.”
The course for 26.TRUE used to be one long loop but changed to a 13.1-mile circuit last year after coming up with a new mutually agreed upon course with the city. Which opened up the chance to include the half-marathon distance, something Soreff said people have been asking for since the inaugural run.
“When we switched to that format last year, you know, immediately that was the first thing that we thought of is how can we talk to the city and introduce the half-marathon option?” Soreff said. “I think it’s a great way for people who are still intimidated by the 26.2-mile distance or just don’t want to do it. Frankly, some people don’t want to go that far, that’s totally fine. Last year was such a fun party on the course, we’re like if we can have more people experience this, then offering a 13.1-mile option is a great way to do it.”
This year’s 13.1-mile loop will go through Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester and Mattapan.
Future of 26.TRUE
The race is organized by volunteers. They work nights, weekends and take meetings during lunch breaks to handle all the planning for what’s become a pretty big race.
Soreff says organizers are trying to be realistic about their capacities in the near future. But making the city more visible on marathon weekend — to both locals and visitors — will continue to be the key to 26.TRUE. Because, as Soreff points out, unless you’re in a specific part of Boston, you could get through all of Marathon Monday and not even know a huge race is going on.
“But, as runners, we love going to marathons in other cities, we love going to the marathon in this city and we love just celebrating runners,” he said. “But you don’t really get any of that on Marathon Monday. And so we’re really just trying to take that experience that we love, bring it into the communities, and share it with people.”
