Boston Marathon 2024 Betting Odds & Predictions

As the 128th running of the oldest marathon in the world approaches, the 2024 Boston Marathon betting odds are available at a few sports gambling sites. I explore the latest news and share my Boston Marathon betting tips for the highly anticipated event on Monday, April 15, 2024!

After a stunning upset last year, the odds promise to be shaken up for the 2024 Boston Marathon. With the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer, multiple top contenders are bypassing Boston to prepare for a golden run at the Olympics.

Below, check out the top odds, the main favorites, and my 2024 Boston Marathon predictions on Patriots’ Day in Beantown.

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Boston Marathon 2024 Betting Odds

We had to wait a bit for the odds, but they are here! Bovada covers both the men’s and the women’s events. Let’s start with the ladies:

Boston Marathon Women’s Winner Odds for 2024

I’ve only covered the top 5 favorites here, but Bovada offers winner odds for the Boston Marathon 2024 for many other contestants. The same applies to the men’s race, so let’s check the top contenders there.

Boston Marathon Men’s Winner Odds for 2024

I’ve only covered the most likely winners here, but Bovada has a long list of contestants if you want to back one of the underdogs.

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Boston Marathon 2024 Route

The Boston Marathon route covers 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to downtown Boston on Boylston Street.

Although the course does not involve many sharp turns, the change in elevation and hills make this a particularly challenging event.

Communities On The Boston Marathon Route:

• Hopkinton
• Ashland
• Framingham
• Natick
• Wellesley
• Newton
• Brighton
• Brookline
• Boston

The marathon, which consists of a decrease in elevation over a meter per kilometer, starts at 450 feet and drops to roughly sea level at the finish line. The opening mile features an incredibly steep decrease in elevation by 130 feet!

If runners are not prepared to traverse these challenging hills, they will soon fall behind. After some relief, the hilly terrain returns around Mile 8. This point of the race to the halfway mark begins to test runners physically and mentally, but the real test arrives following the Wellesley Scream Tunnel.

With fatigue arriving at Mile 20 and Mile 21, runners must traverse a steep half-mile hill — commonly known as the Heartbreak Hill. Winners and losers are made in this portion of the Boston Marathon. After that, it’s a straight downhill east toward downtown Boston.

The large Citgo sign marks the final stretch to the finish line at roughly the 25-mile mark. After entering Beacon Street, runners are nearly home on Boylston Street.

Boston Marathon 2024 Top Favorites

Last year, the Boston Marathon brought plenty of surprises. Despite Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge entering as a heavy favorite in 2023, he finished 6th after struggling to keep pace during Mile 18.

Kipchoge reportedly suffered a leg injury on Heartbreak Hill after leading the pack¹. The world record marathon runner will bypass the Boston Marathon after being named to Kenya’s 2024 Paris Olympics team.

Although Kipchoge will be absent, three world-class runners are sure to be top online sports betting contenders in the 2024 Boston Marathon odds. Let’s examine these runners, including the top contenders for the women in the elite field.

Professional Men’s Field Favorites

Find the top runners from the men’s Boston Marathon 2024 elite field below:

Evans Chebet (Kenya)

While the Boston Marathon isn’t a favorite of many runners due to its hilly landscape, Evans Chebet is using it to his advantage. Chebet has mastered the Boston Marathon course and is seeking his third consecutive victory here.

In 2022, Chebet completed the Boston Marathon in 2:06:51 to secure the win. A year later, the 35-year-old cut roughly a minute off his time at 2:05:54 to win back-to-back titles at +900 odds².

Chebet became just the sixth man to win consecutive Boston Marathon crowns. Only four participants have won three in a row: Clarence H. DeMar (1922-1924), Bill Rodgers (1978-1980), Cosmas Ndeti (1993-1995), Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (2006-2008)³.

He’s also part of an exclusive list of long-distance runners who have won the New York Marathon and Boston Marathon. In 2022, Chebet won the open division in impressive form at the New York Marathon. So, from 2022 to 2023, he ripped off an incredible streak of success. He may not be done, either.

The three-time major marathon winner knows this course like the back of his hand. After failing to make the Kenyan marathon team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, he is likely to show up in Beantown with some extra determination to win three straight Boston Marathons.

All things considered, Chebet is my top pick to win the 2024 Boston Marathon.

Gabriel Geay (Tanzania)

The 27-year-old Tanzanian is a strong contender to do one better than last year. The silver medalist of the 2023 Boston Marathon is back with the gold on his mind this year.

Geay’s time of 2:06:04 would have been fast enough to top Chebet’s time from 2022 of 2:06:51. If Chebet regresses, Geay could be there to overtake the back-to-back winner.

Following Geay’s outstanding effort in Boston, he finished a respectable 5th at the Valencia Marathon in Spain on Dec. 3, 2023. In a 10K event a month later in January, Geay was out of form to place 30th.

Nevertheless, Gaey is better suited to long marathons and isn’t bothered by the elevation changes in Boston. He should be able to recover in time for the 2024 Boston Marathon. That said, Chebet remains a huge threat, and Sisay Lemma is coming to win.

Sisay Lemma (Ethiopia)

Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma will give it a big go at the Boston Marathon after coming off the race of his life at the Valencia Marathon. Lemma recorded a personal best, which towers over his nearest rivals at the 2024 Boston Marathon.

Lemma shocked the field with a time of 2:01:48 to reign supreme at the 2023 Valencia Marathon. Chebet’s personal best is a time of 2:03:00 at the same event in 2020.

Geay matched Chebet’s time of 2:03:00 two years later in the 2022 Valencia Marathon. However, Lemma had a rough time in his previous two Boston Marathons.

In 2017, Lemma didn’t finish the race, and in 2019, he placed 30th⁴. Although Lemma didn’t have his ideal races in his first two starts in the Boston Marathon, he is entering this year in the best form of his career.

However, defeating a runner like Chebet, who has had a much better experience in Boston in the past, will prove to be difficult.

Professional Women’s Field Favorites

Before betting on the Boston Marathon, consider these two leading contenders in 2024:

Hellen Obiri (Kenya)

Hellen Obiri of Kenya returns to Boston looking for back-to-back titles. She is expected to be the odds-on favorite in the Boston Marathon 2024 betting markets.

Obiri’s 2023 results were overwhelmingly positive. The 34-year-old native of Kisii, Kenya, dominated the women’s field with eight wins and 2nd in nine races!

From June 25, 2023, to Nov. 5, 2023, Obiri won six straight events, including the New York Marathon and Boston Marathon. In her lone race in 2024, Obiri placed 2nd in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon⁵.

Despite Obiri’s success, her personal best of 2:21:38 ranks 17th in the Boston Marathon 2024 field. According to Lets Run, there are an unprecedented 11 women with a personal best of sub 2:20 entering the race⁶!

When the lights are the brightest, Obiri tends to find a way to come out on top.

Worknesh Degefa (Ethiopia)

Ethiopia’s Worknesh Degefa carries plenty of momentum going into Boston. The 33-year-old is coming off a win at the 2023 Valencia Marathon with a blazing-fast time of 2:15:51.

Two months earlier, Degefa cruised to a win at the Trento Half Marathon in October 2023. She’s in top form, five years after winning the 2019 Boston Marathon with a time of 2:23:31⁷.

Degefa is also the winner of the 2020 Dubai Marathon, with a strong time of 2:19:38. An accomplished and well-respected marathon runner, she is expected to duel with Obiri in a competitive women’s field.

Boston Marathon Betting Tips

There are some helpful tips you can use to gain an edge for betting on the Boston Marathon 2024. Let’s go over some of the best advice before placing your bets:

Boston Marathon By The Numbers

For a final look at our Boston Marathon betting preview, let’s dissect key numbers and information for the big day on Monday, April 15:

• More than 33,000 runners have qualified for the 2024 Boston Marathon.
• Geoffrey Mutai owns the men’s course record with a time of 2:03:02 (2011).
• Buzunesh Deba owns the women’s course record with a time of 2:19:59 (2014).
• Clarence DeMar’s seven Boston Marathon wins are the most in the men’s open division.
• Catherine Ndereba’s four victories between 2000 and 2005 still stand as the women’s Boston Marathon record.
• The previous four men’s winners are Kenyans, while the previous three women’s winners are Kenyans⁸.

Past Men’s Boston Marathon Winners

Past Women’s Boston Marathon Winners

Where To Find Boston Marathon Betting Odds?

Based on previous years, the 2024 Boston Marathon odds will be available in the days leading up to the race at Bovada.

UPDATE: Bovada did not disappoint, and we have the odds now! If you want to bet on the Boston Marathon, this is the bookmaker to visit.

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