Boston Marathon 2024 live stream: How to watch online and on TV from anywhere

Evans Chebet was shooting lasers at Gabriel Geay's heels on Heartbreak Hill a year ago, but he gave it everything and ended up with his second consecutive Boston Marathon crown. Will he be the first in 16 years to make it three in a row? Hellen Obiri made her decisive move even later, during the last mile, and she'll defend her title against perhaps the strongest field this great race has ever attracted.

The sun's beating down on Bean Town – perhaps with a touch too much enthusiasm – and grand marshal Rob Gronkowski has got everyone in the mood. Read on and we'll show you how to watch the Boston Marathon from anywhere with a VPN, and potentially for FREE.

Former track star Obiri has run three marathons in her life and won two of them, the first being last year's Boston Marathon. She did it in sensational style too, leaving the pack in her dust just as the Copley Square finish line materialized on the horizon. However, no fewer than 15 of her competitors have brought superior PBs to Boston today, most notably Tadu Teshome and Hiwot Gebremariam.

Geay seized the lead with less than six miles to go last year, only for Chebet to somehow eat up the gap and split the tape a matter of seconds ahead of his rival. A repeat of the battle would be worth watching on its own, though Sisay Lemma would love to get in on the action on a course he's tended to struggle with.

And it's not just the elite runners you can expect the extraordinary from. So ludicrously high is the general standard now that more than 11,000 hopefuls who hit the qualifying mark still weren't fast enough to earn a bib. 

Here's how to watch a 2024 Boston Marathon live stream online from anywhere.

2024 Boston Marathon start times

(All times ET)

• 8:02 a.m. – Men's wheelchair
• 8:05 a.m. – Women's wheelchair
• 8:30 a.m. – Handcycles & duos
• 8:37 a.m. – Elite men
• 8:45 a.m. – Elite women
• 8:50 a.m. – Para divisions
• 9 a.m. – Rolling start

FREE Boston Marathon live stream

The 2024 Boston Marathon is being live streamed for free on RTVE in Spain.

But what if you're based there but aren't at home to catch that free Boston Marathon coverage? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch the race for free at home?

Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.

Boston Marathon live streams around the world

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the race on your usual subscription?

You can still watch the Boston Marathon live stream online thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:

There's a good reason you've heard of NordVPN. We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services, it's fast and it has top-level security features too. With over 5,000 servers, across 60 countries, and at a great price too, it's easy to recommend.

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Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in Australia and want to view a Spanish service, you'd select Spain from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to RTVE or another website and watch the 2024 Boston Marathon live stream.

How to watch Boston Marathon live streams in the U.S.

The 2024 Boston marathon is being shown on ESPN2 and ESPN Plus in the U.S..

If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can get the channels through an OTT cable TV alternative.

Sling TV is the option we'd recommend. It includes ESPN2 in its Orange plan, with prices starting from $40 a month and your first month half price.

You can get ESPN2 on the Sling TV Orange package, along with ESPN and ESPN3. It usually costs $40 a month but new subscribers get 50% off their first month. 

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Fubo is a great alternative to a cable package. The Pro Plan ($79.99 per month) gets you well over 100 channels including ESPN2. And you can try it all out with Fubo's 7-day free trial. 

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How to watch Boston Marathon live streams in the U.K.

Live coverage of the 2024 Boston Marathon is being provided by Eurosport and Discovery+ in the U.K..

A 'standard' subscription to Discovery+ will set you back £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year. The package includes coverage of a wide array of live sports, including cycling, snooker, tennis, motorsports, the Paris Olympic Games, and more.

A premium subscription, which carries all that plus TNT Sports (Premier League, Champions League and Europa League football plus rugby, wrestling, UFC, and MotoGP), costs £30.99 per month.

If you're currently traveling overseas, don't worry, as you can use NordVPN to watch from abroad.

How watch Boston Marathon live streams in Australia

The 2024 Boston Marathon is being shown on FloTrack in Australia, where a subscription costs US$29.99 (approximately AU$47) per month or US$210 (around AU$325) per year.

Away from your Australia home right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as NordVPN, to watch the race as if you were back in Oz.

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