Finally, it’s here: the 113th Boston Marathon

As the 26,384 entrants make their final preparations, here’s a quick look at what to expect on Monday, Patriots’ Day. The push-rim wheelchair race gets under way at 9:22 a.m., with the elite women’s start at 9:33 a.m., the elite men’s and Wave 1 start at 10:00 a.m. and Wave 2 at 10:30 a.m.

Will history be made?

Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot is looking to become the first athlete ever to win the Boston Marathon four consecutive times. Clarence DeMar, Bill Rodgers, Cosmas Ndeti, Uta Pippig and Fatuma Roba have all tried, but no one in 112 years has yet hit the magic number of four straight. Will this be the year?

Not if Ryan Hall can help it, because he will be out to make some history of his own. No American man has won the Boston Marathon since Greg Meyer in 1983, but Hall’s credentials as the fastest man in the field give him as good a shot as anyone in a long time. Meanwhile, Kara Goucher will look to become the first American since Lisa Larsen Wiedenbach in 1985 to win on the women’s side.

And if he wins the push-rim wheelchair division on Monday for the eighth time, Ernst van Dyk will tie Jean Driscoll for the most wins by any athlete in Boston Marathon history.

Weather report

As of late Sunday afternoon, the forecast calls for partly-cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid-40s at the start in Hopkinton. Winds from the east at 12 mph – a head wind – are forecast for 10 a.m. At noon, it looks to be 50 degrees in Boston. The chance of precipitation is only 20 percent.

How to watch the race

The Boston Athletic Association has once again partnered with WBZ-TV (CBS owned-and-operated, Channel 4) in Boston to help provide viewers in the local market with the most comprehensive coverage of the American road race. To offer national and global fans a complete viewing of this year’s Marathon, the B.A.A. has partnered with Universal Sports. WBZ-TV will offer live coverage from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. and Universal Sports coverage will begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue until 12:30 p.m.

Universal Sports will provide a global stream of the race on its website, www.universalsports.com, with Emmy Award-winning broadcasters Al Trautwig and Larry Rawson providing the commentary. Universal Sports also has the national broadcast rights this year, and will air the race live. Visit www.universalsports.com for broadcast information in your area.

In addition, the race website, www.BostonMarathon.com, will feature live race-day blogs of both the men’s and women’s elite races.

How to track your favorite runners

The AT&T Athlete Alert lets you track the progress of your favorite runners at several points along the course. There are several ways to register: In the first, simply text RUNNER to 41234. You will then receive an SMS text message confirming how to complete registration.

Or, register under the AT&T Athlete Alert area of this website. Please note that this method requires that you have an athlete’s bib number and date of birth. See the AT&T Athlete Alert section of this website to register.

The race-day website, www.BostonMarathon.com, will also offer runner tracking. Visit the site on race day for more information.