Fran and Sandy Polom began setting up their chairs across from Newton City Hall at 9:30 a.m. on this chilly and sun-splashed marathon morning. The runners wouldn’t be arriving in Newton for a few hours yet, but the Poloms—decked out in winter hats and jackets—wanted to make sure they had a spot on the route to cheer on a pair of first-time marathoners: their son Corey, and their daughter-in-law Sarah.

They also carried a sign that honored Sandy’s brother, Jeff Coelho. Jeff had been a patient at Dana-Farber before he died of melanoma in 2023. So it was only fitting that when Corey and Sarah decided to train and run the Boston Marathon in honor of Jeff, they chose to do it as part of the Dana-Farber team. The couple, who lives in Maine, trained throughout the brutal winter and ended up raising nearly $40,000 for cancer research.

“I’m so proud of them because of the grueling workouts and training, [and] just how committed they were, and how many friends and family have supported them,” said Sandy.

Corey and Sarah were just two of the more than 30,000 runners who passed through Newton on their way to the marathon finish line on Monday. And for every runner, every spectator, and every volunteer, there was a story.

Just before mile marker 19, Somerville’s Isaac Stoner had established his home for the day. He brought a grill, many snacks, and a megaphone to cheer on his wife, Tracy Pogal-Sussman, who was running her ninth straight Boston Marathon. With him was his five-year old son, Beckham, who sported a sweatshirt that read, “I ran the Boston Marathon with my mom in 2020.”

While Tracy runs marathons—the whole family is heading to England later this week so she can compete in the London Marathon—Isaac is more of a 5K guy. But he loves Marathon Monday.

“It’s such a special day in town,” he said. “I grew up in Massachusetts, and this is a big day for us to show our stuff not only on the running, but on the sidelines. So we’ll be here until about 2, screaming until I can’t talk at all.”

Newton City Hall got its first taste of marathon action at 10 a.m., when Switzerland’s Marcel Hug flew down Commonwealth Avenue on his way to his ninth title in the men’s wheelchair division. Great Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper, the eventual winner of the women’s wheelchair division, followed 13 minutes later.

The crowd was still arriving when the wheelchair victors zipped by. But by 11 a.m., the barricades lining the marathon route were filled with spectators eagerly awaiting the elite runners in both divisions, as well as the waves of marathoners who would fill out the field.

When the men’s race arrived in Newton—Ethiopia’s Milkesa Mingesha 100 feet in front of the pack as the marathoners passed the Johnny Kelley statue—a roar went up from the thousands of spectators lining the marathon route. The noise did not stop until hours later. People cheered for friends and family members. They shouted encouragement to any marathoners who had their name written on their shirt. They rang cowbells, they shook pom-poms, they waved handmade signs.

Tish and Jim Gowgiel were among the throng, having traveled from Oregon to watch their daughter Janelle compete in her first Boston Marathon. As Janelle approached their location, Jim nervously alternated between checking her exact location on his phone and watching the field of runners, trying to pick her out of the crowd. Then, all of a sudden, she was there.

Tish shook her cowbell. Jim waved his hat in the air. Both yelled encouragement and support to their favorite marathoner. Janelle turned and waved as she ran by.

For Tish, though, that moment was enough. “It’s just so wonderful to share this with her,” she said.

The Poloms were still waiting for their favorite runners at 1:30 p.m. The day, which had started out sunny, had gone gray and cold. They had expected Corey to pass by around this time, with Sarah about 30 minutes behind him. Fran checked his son’s location on his marathon app. They still had some waiting to do.

Then, around 2 p.m., the app revealed he was getting close. The couple held up the sign, the one featuring photos of Corey, Sarah, and beloved uncle Jeff, as a sort of wayfinder for Corey. And there he was! Sandy’s face broke out into a huge smile as she saw her son. Corey came over to his cheering section and gave his parents a hug. They exchanged a few words. And then he was off. He had a marathon to finish.

MORE PHOTOS

Flowers adorn the two Johnny Kelleys during Marathon Monday on April 20, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Fans yelled encouragement along the race route. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

A field of over 30,000 runners participated in the 130th Boston Marathon on April 20, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Sandy Polom smiles as her son, Corey, runs over during the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Lyn Doubman (L) hugs her sister Erin (R) during a brief stop after a water break. “She asked me to come down, so here I am. It’s fun to see her. She looks good!” said Erin. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Jessica Lindeman smiles as she competes in the 130th Boston Marathon. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

A young fan cheers on marathoners. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Runners make their way through Newton in front of thousands of fans. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi leads a crowded pack in the elite women’s race. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Spectators cheer for the men’s elite runners as they make their way down Commonwealth Avenue. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Ethiopia’s Milkesa Mingesha leads the pack at Walnut Street but would eventually fade, finishing tenth. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Marcel Hug flies down Commonwealth Avenue on his way to a title in the men’s wheelchair division. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Dmitry Artamonov, of Walpole, is an amateur radio operator who supports marathon communications. He’s also a former marathon runner. “For me, it’s a day to come out and volunteer and support my fellow marathoners,” he said. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

A mountain of discarded water cups lined the marathon route. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Tish and Jim Gowgiel cheer after seeing their daughter, Janelle, running in the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Runners run past Newton City Hall during the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Family and friends of Tom DePalma display matching shirts they made for the occasion. DePalma ran at Tufts, and this was his first time running the Boston Marathon. The group of family and friends has been coming to the marathon since 1984. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Isaac and Beckham Stoner traveled to Newton to cheer for wife and mother Tracy Pogal-Sussman. Isaac says that Beckham has already run a marathon, as “this little guy was on board in 2020 for that particular marathon.” (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Volunteers fill up cups of water ahead of the 130th Boston Marathon on April 20, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon