Black Hawk helicopters fly over Boston Marathon route

BOSTON (AP) - Two Black Hawk helicopters are flying over the route of the Boston Marathon on Monday to wrap up this year’s virtual event in which thousands of runners completed the 26.2-mile distance on their own.

The helicopters will fly the route from the starting line in Hopkinton to the finish line on Boylston Street in Boston in a show of support of health care workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, the Boston Athletic Association said.

The marathon normally is run on a Monday in April, on Massachusetts’ unique Patriots Day holiday, but was postponed to Sept. 14 because of the pandemic. At the end of May, it was canceled altogether - the first time in its 124-year history that the storied race in its traditional format was scrapped.

Instead, registered runners were encouraged to complete the marathon by themselves in their own neighborhoods and use a mobile app to upload their routes and finish times.

The BAA says nearly 18,000 people from almost 100 countries have participated in the virtual marathon, which began Sept. 5.

A post-race party, with appearances from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and others, will be broadcast live from Fenway Park on Monday night.