While the Boston Marathon is already a grueling and challenging race, most competitors agree that the around mile 20, things get exceptionally difficult.
They call it 'Heartbreak Hill' and do so for a reason—because the hill comes towards the end of the marathon and it pushes runners to their breaking point.
After training for a year to qualify and run, this singular spot has ruined plenty of dreams. Hence the name.
With the 2025 Boston Marathon taking place on Monday, April 21 at 9:37 a.m. ET (men's race) and 9:47 a.m. ET (women's race), let's take a deeper look at Heartbreak Hill.
Where Is Heartbreak Hill on the Boston Marathon Course?
Heartbreak Hill is located between miles 20 and 21 of the race course. It is the fourth and final of the 'Newton Hills,' a group of rolling inclines that start right around the 16-mile mark.
As runners go from Hopkinton to Boylston Street, the Newton Hills serve two purposes: Firstly, they are a sign that you're entering the final stretch of the race. Secondly, they are brutally difficult and often dispatch some of the most determined participants.
Heartbreak Hill itself isn't exceptionally steep. If you were looking at it, it wouldn't strike you as being particularly grueling. However, after running for 20 miles, it might as well be a mountain in the middle of Boston.
The half-mile hill is a 3.3% incline, rising approximately 88 feet from start to finish.
Why Is It Called Heartbreak Hill?
Heartbreak Hill got its name way back in 1936, due to an iconic moment in the race's history.
During that contest, defending champion Johnny Kelley passed Ellison Brown on the hill, giving him a pat on the back on the way by.
Instead of taking the gesture as a friendly bit of encouragement, Brown instead had a fire lit within him and surged past Kelley to win the race.
Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason famously wrote that the man nicknamed 'Tarzan,' "ran down John Kelley on the hill, breaking his heart." Nason began working at the Globe at 17-years-old as a copy boy, then became the publication's cartoonist. By the mid-1940s he was the sports editor.
Why bring all of this up? Because Nason's legacy and coverage of the Boston Marathon was so legendary that he became the first non-runner to ever be elected to the Road Runners Hall of Fame in 1973.
What Makes Heartbreak Hill So Difficult?
Heartbreak Hill is so tough to navigate for a multitude of reasons. First, runners are already more than halfway through the race and are coming off of three other hills. Second, bodies are getting to their breaking point. It becomes harder to maintain pace and rhythm, harder to breath and muscles are getting tighter. Third, there's the mental aspect. Every runner knows how grueling Heartbreak Hill is, so it's quite easy to make the hill into a boogeyman before you even get to it.
How Runners Prepare for Heartbreak Hill
Runners who qualify for the Boston Marathon understand that training on hills is incredibly important. Many finish their practice runs on hills or inclines. Others will complete pace runs on and around hills to help replicate Heartbreak Hill.
Athletes also need to complete rigorous strength training, so that their quads, calves and hamstrings can handle both the uphill and downhill stretches of the marathon.
Which is something a lot of people tend to overlook: Going downhill. Running downhill uses the leg muscles differently. While running downhill might be easier on your lungs, it's really not much easier on your legs (especially during competition).
Keeping that in mind, many qualified runners use weight training to ensure that their legs can handle the downhill stretches as well.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Is It Called Heartbreak Hill? Explaining the Most Challenging Part of the Boston Marathon.
