The Boston Athletic Association announced Friday that baseball legend David Ortiz will serve as Grand Marshal at the 2023 Boston Marathon. Ortiz is a three-time World Series champion who entered the Hall of Fame last year.
Ortiz’s Grand Marshal assignment will take him to Hopkinton for the start of the race, where he will make a speech before over 30,000 runners take off down Boylston Street. “Ortiz, whose rousing speech united Boston in the aftermath of April 15, 2013, returns ten years on to ceremonially guide the field of participants along the course,” the marathon organizers stated. “A leader on the Red Sox from 2003-2016, Ortiz embodied the strength and resilient spirit of Boston both on and off the playing field throughout his career.”
After his speech, Ortiz will head to the Boston Marathon finish line, where he will await finishers as past Grand Marshals have done before him.
“Grand Marshal” is a time-honored title in countless marathon races, Boston included. Past Marshals include Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb, the first woman to compete in the Boston Marathon (2017); frontline workers from the John Hancock Non-Profit and B.A.A. Charity Programs (2021); and Boston Pride team captains Jillian Dempsey and Mary Parker (2022).
Ortiz will also receive the Patriot’s Award—given to “a New England-based individual, group, or organization that is patriotic, philanthropic, and inspirational, and fosters goodwill and sportsmanship”—a few days before the race. Past winners include Robert Kraft and Myra Kraft and the New England Patriots, Red Sox pitcher and philanthropist Tim Wakefield, and Joan Benoit Samuelson.
Kells McPhillips is a health and wellness journalist living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Runner's World, The New York Times, Well+Good, Fortune, Shape, and others.
