In 2023, 25 percent of the field hit their BQs, according to
October 13, 2024.
Each year, thousands of runners aspire to toe the line at the Boston Marathon. But in order to do so they need to run a qualifying race at a USATF-sanctioned marathon in the 12 months preceding Boston registration in September.
Many runners know, though, that it takes a lot more than slipping in under their qualifying time to lace up for this race. The constantly-shifting cutoff time—the amount by which you have to beat your qualifying time—favors the fastest runners. In 2019, runners had to be 1 minute and 39 seconds faster than their qualifying standards in order to secure a number—even after the BAA lowered the qualifying standards by 5 minutes for every age group. This jumped to 7 minutes and 47 seconds faster than standards for the 2021 race—the biggest cutoff in the race’s history, which shut out 9,215 runners.
MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images 2023 races, as runners returned to races after the pandemic, there was no cutoff time. For 2024, the cutoff jumped to 5:29. Every qualifier who applied for race entry got in. Who knows what the cutoff will be for the 2025 race? And that makes selecting a Boston qualifying marathon critical, as you want the fastest time you can get.
Runner’s World picked these 10 races as tried-and-true Boston qualifying marathons to help you get into that coveted 26.2. These races offer a mix of locations and at various sizes, they have no history of course errors (which means Boston wouldn’t recognize times run there as qualifiers), and the weather is generally conducive to fast times. Many also offer precise pacing, knowing that runners looking for BQs seek them out.
[Why Does Boston Have a Qualification System in the First Place?]
Other Hearst Subscriptions is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World September 7, 2024, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
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