HOPKINTON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -- Monday marks the biggest day of the year for runners and racers in New England, with the Boston Marathon officially kicking off. The athletes have a 26.2 mile run ahead of them that started off at Hopkinton Common, ending all the way in Copley Square out in Boston.

That’s a daunting task for the average person, but it’s one that these 30,000 runners are well prepared for. It’s not just the runners, take Caroline Papageorgiou and Dawn Shea who made the trip up from North and South Carolina to be two of the over 10,000 volunteers.

Dawn tells Western Mass News, “Without the people who come out and cheer everybody on, the runners wouldn’t be able to do this,” with Caroline going on to say, “It’s just one of the most special, unique races in the world.”

Now, over 132 countries are represented in what is one of the most iconic marathons in the world.

Stick Western Mass News as we’ve got more live coverage coming your way all afternoon on air and online.