Universal Sports Offers Coverage of The Boston Marathon

Coming on Monday, Universal Sports will offer national coverage of the Boston Marathon. As some parts of Massachusetts have what is known as Patriots Day off, the Marathon is run as well as the Red Sox having an early 11 a.m. game. So coverage for the Marathon begins at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Universal Sports’ Coverage of the Marathon Majors Series Begins this Monday with the Legendary Boston Marathon

LIVE Television, Online Coverage Begins this Monday, April 19 at 9:30 a.m. ET

LOS ANGELES – April 15, 2010 – Universal Sports Television, the preeminent destination for Olympic-related sports programming, will broadcast the 114^th Boston Marathon LIVE this Monday, April 19, on Universal Sports Television and at UniversalSports.com. Anchored by veteran commentators Al Trautwig and Larry Rawson, Universal Sports’ three-hour television broadcast will kick-off at 9:30 a.m. ET, as the world-class field of men and women compete for the coveted Boston Marathon title and begin the World Marathon Majors Series chase for a $1 million jackpot. For channel listings in your area, please go to UniversalSports.com.

Headlining the world-class men’s field will be Americans Meb Keflezighi, the reigning New York Marathon champion, and Ryan Hall, current holder of the second-fastest American marathon time.  Keflezighi and Ryan will battle it out over Heartbreak Hill to be the first male American winner since Greg Meyer in 1983.  They will face off against defending champion Deriba Merga (Ethiopia).  On the women’s side, last year’s winner Salina Kosgei (Kenya) and runner-up Dire Tune (Ethiopia) will be the front-runners the field will be chasing for bragging rights to the Boston title.

Boston marks the start of the World Marathon Majors Series, as the elite athletes compete in five world-class marathons with the goal of earning the $1 million jackpot.  Universal Sports will follow the athletes along their journey through the Marathon Majors Series, and offers in-depth coverage of the world’s most renowned marathons.

The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon with a maximum field size of 25,000 participants that begins in the rural town of Hopkinton, and runs the legendary course through eight cities and towns before finishing in Boston’s Back Bay.  The Boston Marathon is one of the few marathons in the world with qualifying times, making the field truly elite.  

In addition, UniversalSports.com will offer the ultimate on-line experience for marathon fans: Live, pay-per-view coverage of the race for $4.99 that will include interviews with key athletes, in-depth profiles, press conference coverage, course maps, field previews, highlights, photos and recaps. 

I’ll list the Marathon in Monday’s Viewing Picks.