BOSTON -- New changes are in the works for the 111th running of the Boston Marathon in April.

The legendary event will feature an earlier start time than in previous years, with the wheelchair division starting at 9:25 a.m., the elite women starting at 9:35 a.m., and the elite men and first wave starting at 10 a.m. This year's race will also feature the 2007 U.S. Women's Marathon Championship Race.

This is the first time that Boston will play host to this event. The Women's Marathon Championships will start within the Elite Women's Start and feature many of the top female marathoners in the country. Registration for this event is limited to U.S. citizens and features a separate prize purse of $25,000 that will be awarded to the top finisher in the championship race. Women who participate in the Marathon Championships are also eligible for overall Boston Marathon prize money.

The Boston Marathon is a historic event held every year in Massachusetts on the third Monday in April. The Boston Marathon is the oldest U.S. marathon, having first been established in 1897.

The marathon begins each year in Hopkinton, Mass., and ends on Boylston Street in Boston, just outside of Copley Square.

Participation in the marathon is very strict and based on qualifying times for those who wish to run. The only other way to officially participate is to be part of a charity team that has been issued numbers by the Boston Athletic Association or John Hancock Financial Services.

Among the highlights and notable stretches of the marathon course is Heartbreak Hill. Heartbreak Hill is located at mile 20.5 in Newton, Mass., near the Boston College campus.

The name Heartbreak Hill comes from Boston Marathon legend John Kelley. In 1936, Kelley was trailing Ellison Tarzan Brown at the start of the Newton hills when he picked up the pace and caught Brown on the final hill. He gave him a tap on the shoulder. However, Brown regained the lead to win the race, and ever since the final hill has been known as Heartbreak Hill.

A bronze statue commemorating Kelley's achievements now stands at the base of Heartbreak Hill.