The Paris Marathon just went cup-free. Is Boston next?

The Paris Marathon made historical past Sunday by requiring athletes to carry their own water containers, placing an finish to the acquainted sight of hydration stations surrounded by a blizzard of trampled paper cups.

With lower than every week to go earlier than hundreds crowd into Hopkinton for the 26.2-mile trek into Again Bay, will the Boston Marathon comply with swimsuit? 

Not fairly; in response to Chris Lotsbom, the Boston Athletic Affiliation’s director of race communications and media, there’s “no new information to report” concerning the Boston Marathon’s aid stations. 

Nonetheless, the marathon’s environmental footprint stays a high difficulty for race organizers. Hydration stations alongside the Boston Marathon course accounted for about 7.7 tons of discarded single-use cups in 2025, however the usage of compostable cups and assortment luggage diverted waste away from landfills, in response to a brand new BAA sustainability report.

The marathon’s water stops could stay unchanged for now, however Lotsbom stated the BAA is popping away from single-use cups for its Boston 5K, which is predicted to attract 10,000 athletes downtown Saturday. 

“All cups are reusable, and shall be collected and washed for use at different races,” Lotsbom defined. “We’re asking all athletes to throw their cups into the bins supplied to maintain the roads clear for fellow runners. That is the primary time these cups shall be used at our occasions.”

The BAA is sourcing 30,000 reusable cups from Hiccup, an organization that gives silicone cups to race organizers, gathering them afterward and sanitizing them for reuse. 

Within the meantime, it stays to be seen whether or not organizers for different main world marathons will comply with Paris’s lead.

Abby Patkin is a basic task information reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, well being, and every thing in between.