Boston Marathon | 115th running of the Boston Marathon

Thousands of runners are gathering in the small and normally quiet town of Hopkinton for the 115th running of the Boston Marathon.

Buses carrying the athletes began arriving shortly after dawn Monday. Most runners leave at 10 a.m. with the finish line 26.2 miles away in Boston's Copley Square.

Police have been shutting down roads along the route, which also winds through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline.

Defending champions Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (CHEER-ee-yot) of Kenya and Teyba Erkesso (TAY-ee-bah Er-KESS-oh) of Ethiopia have return to defend the men's and women's titles, respectively. But they will face plenty of competition along the way.

Defending men's wheelchair champion Ernst Van Dyk is seeking an unprecedented 10th Boston title.

The race forecast calls for temperatures in the 50s with a tailwind that could help the runners.

Article source: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2011-04-18-3414333217_x.htm