Runners gear up for another wet Boston Marathon

HOPKINTON, Mass. (AP) — Runners are trying to stay dry as they await the start of the 2019 Boston Marathon.

The 123nd running of the world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon got a wet start. But it’s not as cold as expected, with temperatures in the 60s as runners arrived instead of the 30s that were initially forecast.

Monday is the sixth anniversary of the deadly Boston Marathon bombings. It’s the first time the anniversary date falls on the same day as the marathon.

Runners are gathering underneath large tents set up outside of a high school in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

Defending champions Des Linden and Yuki Kawauchi have said they’re not bothered by the forecast for a rainy, windy day because they won last year in similar conditions. They lead a field of about 30,000 runners on the 26.2-mile (42-kilometer) trek from Hopkinton to Copley Square.

The mobility impaired division is scheduled to begin at 9:02 a.m. EST.