Peabody People Running Boston

A dozen Peabody runners will compete officially in the world’s oldest marathon on Monday for Patriots Day.

The grueling 26.2-mile race has an entry list of 26,656 this year – racers who have been training for months, and they all compete for different reasons.

, for instance, is tackling her first marathon in memory of Marcos “Markie” Luis Santana, the four-year-old son of her high school friend. Markie was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma, a solid tumor cancer most common in infants, and died in 2007, just two months short of his fifth birthday.

Patterson, 34 and a paramedic, is running Monday in memory of Markie as a member of the Mass General Marathon Team.

The Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the marathon, is urging those runners who did not qualify but are participating for charity or are otherwise novice marathoners, however, to sit this one out until next year, due to the high temperatures expected Monday. The forecast predicts temperatures will reach the high 80s, which could pose even more risks for runners who are not in top shape, have medical conditions or are not used to running in such heat.

Any registered runners who do choose to sit this one out will be allowed to automatically enter next year's race instead.

The marathon gets underway at 9 a.m., with the first start for the Mobility Impaired Program, followed at 9:17 a.m. by the Push Rim Wheelchair Division and the Handcycle Participants at 9:22 a.m. The Elite Women’s start is scheduled for 9:32 a.m. while the Elite Men’s start and the First Wave is at 10 a.m. The Second Wave is released at 10:20 a.m., followed by the Third Wave at 10:40 a.m.

The historic course starts in Hopkinton and passes through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, and Wellesley on to Boston. The finish is near the John Hancock Tower in Copley Square.

If you can’t physically follow family and friends the day of but want to get regular updates on their progress, don’t worry, real-time reports are available thanks to AT&T.

You can sign up for AT&T Athlete Alert, which will track everyone from the top runners to the back of the line throughout the race. Registration on the BAA Web site is closed, but you can still register directly to receive updates the day of from your AT&T, Boost, Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular or Verizon mobile phone. Text "RUNNER" to 345678.

You will need the athlete’s bib number to register.

Also check back to Peabody Patch later this afternoon for final results for the local runners. You can also search for them using the widget above of the BAA site.

Without further ado, here are the marathoners from Peabody: