(Bloomberg) -- The Boston Marathon delivered a more than $500 million economic windfall to the Massachusetts economy this year.
That total reflects spending on lodging, food, shopping and entertainment by both participants and spectators as well as knock-on benefits to local businesses, according to a report released Thursday by the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Donahue Institute.
More than 30,000 runners traveled from all over the world to take part in the Boston Marathon this past April, cheered on by an estimated 500,000 spectators. The historic 26.2-mile (42-kilometer) race, stretching from Hopkinton to the heart of the city at Copley Square, is one of the world’s oldest annual marathons.
Spending by fans wasn’t factored into previous studies of the marathon’s effect on the local economy, said Rod Motamedi, assistant director at the Donahue Institute. Spectators alone contributed to $209 million in economic activity in connection with April’s race, he said.
This is the first year that the institute has conducted the study, which is based on a survey of participants and spectators and also accounts for operational expenses for the Boston Athletic Association, the race organizer.
“Years ago, runners just showed up for the race. Now they are going out and being social,” said Jack Fleming, chief executive officer of the BAA. “They are touring, going to museums.”
About half the fans and more than 80% of the runners at this year’s marathon traveled from outside New England, according to the Donahue report. The median spend for visitors who stayed overnight in Boston was $500, in addition to hotel costs, the researchers found.
At this year’s event, Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma won the men’s division while Hellen Obiri of Kenya won the title for the second straight year in the women’s race, each taking home a $150,000 prize.
Bank of America Corp. became the Boston Marathon’s primary sponsor this year. The bank succeeded John Hancock, the Boston-based US insurance arm of Manulife Financial Corp., which had been the title sponsor for nearly four decades.
Bank of America also sponsors the Chicago Marathon. About 50,000 runners participated in that race in October, with more than a third traveling from other countries. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign estimate the economic impact of the Chicago Marathon could surpass last year’s record $547 million once the final numbers are in, thanks largely to international visitors.
Next year’s Boston marathon, the 129th, will be held on Monday, April 21.
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