Military flyover planned for Boston Marathon 2026
A military flyover is planned for this year's running of the Boston Marathon.
One C-130 operated by the 103rd Airlift Wing of the Connecticut Air National Guard will depart Bradley Air National Guard Base and head toward Boston Monday morning, a marathon spokesperson tells WBZ-TV. The military transport aircraft will cross the starting line in Hopkinton at 9:55:30 a.m., which is just minutes before the first wave of runners begin at 10 a.m.
The C-130 will fly over the entire course in about six minutes.
Flyovers always depend on the weather cooperating. The latest marathon forecast calls for more clouds than sunshine, with chances of scattered showers along the route. Winds are expected to be 5 mph to 15 mph out of the west-northwest.
Last year, two F-15s from the Unit 104 Fighter Wing out of Westfield flew over the course. Two C-130s out of Bradley did a flyover of the marathon in 2022.
Boston missed out on one traditional flyover earlier this spring. There was no military flyover for the Boston Red Sox home opener at Fenway Park on April 3.
A U.S. Air Force spokesperson told WBZ-TV it had approved a Fenway flyover, but the team was apparently unable to find a unit to volunteer. Amid the war with Iran, a sergeant with the Vermont Air National Guard said that "due to ongoing mission operations and commitments, our unit was unfortunately unable to provide support for this event today."
