50 Patriots’ Day Trivia Questions and Answers

Patriots’ Day more accurately captures the spirit of Boston. It is a commemoration of the first battles of the American Revolutionary War.

On the Morning of Patriots’ Day, people watch sports; the Baseball game just before the Marathon begins. The heart of the holiday is the iconic Boston Marathon where athletes from all over the world come together with ambitions of winning the race.

Patriots’ Day Trivia Questions and Answers

At its core, Patriots’ Day pays tribute to the city of Boston for its rich history and cultural heritage. It is more than a 26-mile race, an International festival, and a prelude to the Spring holiday.

Take a look at the following Patriots Day trivia questions and answers to deeply understand how the day came to be and the events of this holiday.

 

1. Why did the Boston Marathon bombers do what they did?

Since the Boston Marathon was an annual event and world news media would be covering it, then it made sense to the Tsarnaev brothers to kill/maim as many people as possible and achieve maximum exposure via the news media.

 

2. When was the first Boston Marathon held?

19th April in 1897

 

3. Did the argument on whether or not to make the bombers’ photos public really take place?

FBI voluntarily released the photos of the suspects to the press with a message to the public to help identify the suspects.

 

4. For many years, what was the only prize for winning the Boston Marathon?

A wreath woven from olive branches.

 

5. Why did the Tsarnaev brothers have Dun Meng go with them when they take his car? Why didn’t they just take it and leave Dun Meng behind?

As an insurance policy to escape.

 

6. Were the bombers members of a terrorist organization?

The revolutionary war battles of Lexington and Concord.

 

7. Who was Samuel Whittemore?

In 1775, the oldest man to fight in the American Revolution

 

8. If a 20-year-old woman wants to run in the 2014 marathon, how fast must she have run a previous marathon in order to qualify?

3 hours, 35 minutes

 

9. Where is Mark Wahlberg from?

Boston, specifically from the neighborhood of Dorchester.

 

10. When is Patriots’ Day?

Patriots’ Day is a state holiday in Maine and Massachusetts on the third Monday in April

 

11. What do people do on this day?

In the area around Lexington and Concord, re-enactments of the battles in 1775 and the events leading up to them are held.

 

12. The Red Sox have been scheduled to play at Fenway Park every Patriots’ Day since which year?

1959, with the 11 a.m. start time beginning in 1968

 

13. What are the tragic events of the 2013 marathon?

Terrorists set off two bombs at the finish line, killing three people and injuring hundreds

 

14. How did the field of runners grow in 2014?

From 26,839 to 35,671

 

15. How many runners are accepted every year?

Up to 30,000 runners

 

16. In 1897, what was the winner’s finishing time?

2 hours and 55 minutes

 

17. What was the distance of the first Boston Marathon?

24.8 miles (39.9 kilometers)

 

18. In what year was the race lengthened to the Olympic standard of 26.2 miles?

1924

 

19. What year did a woman first run the Boston Marathon?

1966

20. In what year did the race’s winner first break the two hours, 30 minutes mark?

1901

 

21. What happened to Kathrine Switzer, who ran the race in 1967 in spite of the official ban on women participants?

A race official tried to physically stop her.

 

22. How did Jock Semple ultimately respond to women who wanted to run the race?

He became a huge supporter.

 

23. What does Boston Marathon honor?

Paul Revere’s ride

 

24. True or false: The Boston Marathon is New England’s biggest spectator athletic event.

True

 

25. On which day Boston Marathon is held?

Patriots’ Day

 

26. What nationality was the man who first broke the two hours, 15 minutes mark at the marathon?

Finnish

 

27. Which is the starting point of Boston Marathon?

Hopkinton

 

28. In what year did an African first win the event?

1988

 

29. Since 1991, how many non-Africans have won the Boston Marathon?

Two

 

30. What is the course record?

2:03:02

 

31. Who won the first Boston Marathon?

John McDermott

 

32. When was the length of Boston Marathon increased to 26 miles 385 yards?

1927

 

33. What was Mutai’s per-mile pace at the 2011 Boston Marathon?

4 minutes 41 seconds

 

34. Who was the first woman to complete Boston Marathon?

Roberta Gibb

 

35. American Meb Keflezighi won the race in 2014. He was the first American to win the race since what year?

1983

 

36. Who won Boston Marathon in 2006?

Robert Cheruiyot

 

37. How many Finnish men have won the race?

Seven

 

38. Who fell down due to the impact of the bomb blast and then got up and completed the race during the Boston Marathon 2013?

Bill Iffrig

 

39. What’s the nickname for the segment of the course that passes by Wellesley College?

Scream Tunnel

 

40. How many feet does Heartbreak Hill rise?

88 feet (27 meters)

 

41. How many runners have died as they attempted to run the Boston Marathon?

Three

 

42. How many Russians have won the race?

Four

 

43. In his poem “Concord Hymn,” Ralph Waldo Emerson called the gunfire at Concord’s North Bridge the “shot heard round the world.” What does Concord mean?

Peace and harmony

 

44. What’s the minimum age for participants in the Boston marathon?

18 years old

 

45. What’s the record time set by a wheelchair participant?

One hour and 18 minutes

 

46. In Massachusetts, Patriots’ Day replaced what?

Fast Day, which was a common religious day of fasting and prayer in the early days of the colonies.

 

47. Bobbi Gibb was the first woman to finish the race. How long did it take her to cross the finish line?

Three hours and 21 minutes

 

48. Which State was the last to have Fast Day as a legal holiday?

New Hampshire

49. How do race organizers respond to “bandits,” unofficial runners who jump into the race without registering?

Banditry is a tradition of sorts and race officials publicly (but gently) scold these runners.

 

50. How many times did John A. Kelley finish the Boston Marathon?

58

 

 

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