... was the first marathon to permit women to enter, and the first to have a wheelchair race; but I don't know how it qualifies as the world's oldest foot race.
Having been held every year since 1897, it is the world's oldest marathon, if you don't count the Olympic one (which was first run in 1896). But that's only run every four years, and in a different place each time. It may also be true to say that the Boston Marathon has been run in more consecutive years, up to the present time (without a break) than any other race.
Most sources agree that the world's oldest foot race is Verona's Palio del Drappo Verde, which is believed to have been run for the first time in 1208. But it was discontinued in 1798, after the Venetian Empire was conquered by Napoleon. It was revived in 2008, as a 10 kilometre race; the 2017 event should be the 600th.
If you think that doesn't count because of the 210–year break, you'd be very harsh to discount Scotland's Carnwath Red Hose three–mile race, which was first run in 1508. It's been run every year since then, except during the two world wars, the 1926 General Strike, and two foot and mouth outbreaks (in 1952 and 2001).
Carnwath is a village on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills of South Lanarkshire – about 30 miles south of both Edinburgh and Glasgow. The idea behind the race was to find the village's fastest runner, so that he could alert the authorities in the event of an English invasion. It was recognised as the world's oldest foot race by Guinness World Records in 2006, and is still recognised by them as the world's oldest road race.
England's oldest road race is the Rotherham Christmas Day 5–mile Handicap, which was first run in 1888. The Association of Road Racing Statisticians (who knew there was such a thing?!) lists two more races that are older than this: one in France, which was run most years between 1369 and 1651 and was revived in 1978, and one in Japan which was run for the 125th time in 2011.
The USA's oldest road race is the 8–kilometre New York YMCA Turkey Trot, which was first run in 1896 – five months before the first Boston Marathon.
Women were first allowed to enter the Boston Marathon (officially) in 1972. The first wheelchair competitor took part in 1975.
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