
When 30,000 runners representing 129 countries and all 50 states – including 4,500 participants from the Bay State – take off from Hopkinton on Monday, 9,500 volunteers will be stationed in eight cities and towns, providing first aid, water and food. This year’s marathon marks the 100th anniversary of Hopkinton playing host to the starting line of the 26.2-mile route to Boylston Street in Copley Square. And in the eyes of Jack Fleming, the president of the Boston Athletic Association, the volunteers are the ones who make the race possible....