To qualify for the Boston Marathon, you must meet specific time standards based on your age and gender by completing a certified full marathon within a designated qualifying window. Here are the key points:
- You must be at least 18 years old on race day.
- You need to run a marathon on a USATF or AIMS certified course (indoor or virtual races are not accepted).
- Your marathon finishing time must meet or be faster than the qualifying standard for your age and gender group. These times vary; for example, for the 2026 Boston Marathon, men aged 18-34 need to run under 2:55:00, while women in the same age group need to run under 3:25:00
- The qualifying time must be achieved within the qualifying window, which for the 2026 race is from September 1, 2024, until registration closes in September 2025
- Achieving the qualifying time does not guarantee entry. Because the number of qualifiers often exceeds the race field size, only the fastest qualifiers (those who beat their qualifying times by the largest margins) are accepted until the field is full. For recent races, cut-off times have required runners to be several minutes faster than the official qualifying standard to gain entry
- You must submit a registration application with proof of your qualifying time during the registration period.
In summary, to qualify you must run a certified marathon within the qualifying time for your age and gender during the qualifying window, then apply for entry. The fastest qualifiers are accepted based on available spots, making it necessary to run faster than the official qualifying times to ensure acceptance
