“It’s the most iconic marathon”; Runners from around the world ready to lace up

Thomas VanSlembrouck, of Grand Rapids, Mich., has been to the Boston Marathon before, cheering on many of his family members who have competed in the world’s oldest marathon.

Monday morning, VanSlembrouck will put his running gear on and take off from Hopkinton, running his first Boston. A fieldof 30,238 participants from all 50 U.S. states and 106 countries will be joining him along the 26.2-mile route to Copley Square.