Snapshots: Boston Marathon marks its 129th run through Newton

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Maggie Smith Chaviano, running her first Boston Marathon in support of Newton Community Pride, waves to her friends and family as they cheer her on near her home along the marathon route in West Newton. Photo by Tami Nguyen

Thousands of spectators lined Commonwealth Avenue to cheer on the thousands of athletes tackling the Boston Marathon—the longest-running marathon in the world today—in the clear spring air Monday.

Newton has the largest share of the Marathon, and the Garden City provides an extra challenge in the form of several hills (including the infamous Heartbreak Hill near the east end of the city) to add a little torture to the journey.

In West Newton, Maggie Smith Chaviano’s husband and family, who live on the marathon route, celebrated her first marathon run with a party (complete with a band and a bounce house) for neighbors as they waited to see her run by.

And she did, at just before 2:30 p.m.

“I am just awe-struck,” her husband, Damian Chaviano, said. “It’s unbelievable. She flew by. Her headspace and her energy were infectious. It was incredible.”

Nearby, Jason Bhardwaj, marathon runner and candidate for School Committee, stopped to kiss his wife, Schweta, and son, Carson.

He then bolted off and finished the marathon in three hours and two minutes. The biotech CEO is not exactly new to the Boston Marathon.

“This will be number six,” he said as he returned to where his family was standing. He plans to run the marathon again next year.

How does running a marathon compare with running for office in Newton?

“With both, you have to do a lot of work,” he laughed.

Here are some photos from Marathon Monday in West Newton.

A wheelchair racer heads along Commonwealth Avenue in West Newton at the start of the 2025 Boston Marathon. Photo by Tami Nguyen

Damian Chaviano hangs a photo of his wife’s father in front of their house along the Boston Marathon route for her to see as she runs by during the 2025 Boston Marathon. Photo by Tami Nguyen

Spectators cheer on runners during the 2025 Boston Marathon. Photo by Tami Nguyen

Elite runners reach the 18-mile marker during the 2025 Boston Marathon. Photo by Tami Nguyen

Runners of the 2025 Boston Marathon reach the 18-mile mark in West Newton. Photo by Tami Nguyen

Jason Bhardwaj stops running the Boston Marathon for a second to kiss his son, Carson, on the forehead. Photo by Tami Nhuyen

Spectators cheer on runners at the 18-mile marker in West Newton during the 2025 Boston Marathon. Photo by Tami Nguyen

Maggie Smith Chaviano, running her first Boston Marathon in support of Newton Community Pride, waves to her friends and family as they cheer her on near her home along the Marathon route in West Newton. Photo by Tami Nguyen