BOSTON (AP) – The first runner to cross the finish line at this year’s Boston Marathon will be a woman.

The starting format has been changed so the elite female runners will leave Hopkinton 25 minutes before the rest of the field, the Boston Athletic Association announced Tuesday.

“As a whole, the sport of marathoning is moving toward a separate start for elite women,” BAA executive director Guy Morse said in a statement, adding that most of the elite women favor the separate start.

It should bring the top women to Boston’s Back Bay eight to 10 minutes ahead of the first male finisher on Patriots’ Day.

“Women will race against women, unhindered by men of similar ability who often pace themselves against the women,” race director Dave McGillvray said.

The early start is one of the most drastic changes in the race’s 108-year history.

Traditionally, all runners have started at noon, with the elite men and women moved to the front of the field to ensure they aren’t caught in the crowd of thousands who run the race recreationally. But that has meant top female finishers can be lost among second-tier male runners who finish about 10 minutes behind the winner.

The wheelchair race will still start first, but that will be moved up to ensure they are ahead of the women.