Boston Qualifier Reference

Boston Marathon qualifying standards

Official BQ time standards by age group and gender for the 2027 Boston Marathon. Use the finder below to look up your personal standard, then see exactly what pace you need to run it.

2027 qualifying window is open. The window opened September 13, 2025 and runs through approximately September 2026. The 2027 Boston Marathon is April 19, 2027. Standards are announced by the BAA when each qualifying window opens and can change year over year — always verify at the official BAA website.

Find your standard

Age on race day (Apr 19, 2027)

Gender

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Your 2027 BQ standard

Hitting the standard isn’t enough. In 2026, runners needed to beat their standard by 4:34 to secure entry — and 8,887 qualifiers were still turned away. In 2025 the cutoff was 6:51. Plan to run at least 5 minutes under your standard.

See my splits → Predict from a recent race

2027 standards — all age groups

Source: Boston Athletic Association — Qualify for the Boston Marathon. Standards apply to net times (chip time). Age is determined by the athlete’s age on race day, April 19, 2027.

The cutoff gap — why the standard isn’t enough

What is the cutoff time?

When more qualified runners apply than the field allows, the BAA accepts the fastest applicants first. The cutoff is how many minutes and seconds under your qualifying standard you needed to be accepted. A cutoff of 4:34 means you needed to beat your standard by at least 4 minutes 34 seconds.

2024 and 2025 saw record-high cutoffs — 5:29 and 6:51 respectively
2026 improved to 4:34, but 8,887 qualified runners were still turned away
2022 and 2023 had no cutoff — all qualifiers who applied got in
Practical target: aim for at least 5 minutes under your standard

New for 2027 — net-downhill course rule

Qualifying times from steep downhill courses now carry a time penalty

Starting with 2027 registration, the BAA adds time to results from courses with a significant net elevation drop before reviewing your application. This affects popular fast courses like Revel Canyon City, Revel Mt Charleston, and others.

1,500–2,999 ft net drop: +5:00 added to your submitted time
3,000–5,999 ft net drop: +10:00 added to your submitted time
6,000+ ft net drop: course not accepted for qualifying purposes

Check your race’s net elevation on the USATF certified courses database or the race’s own website before planning a BQ attempt on a downhill course.

Standards history — 18–34 age group

Era	Men (18–34)	Women (18–34)	Notes

Full qualifying history on the BAA website. Non-binary category introduced for 2026. History shown for the 18–34 group; other age groups follow similar patterns with proportionally adjusted times.

How Boston qualifying works

Step 1 — Run a qualifying time. You need to run an official, certified full marathon within the qualifying window at or faster than your age/gender standard. Times from half marathons, virtual races, or indoor events are not accepted.

Step 2 — Apply during registration. Registration for the 2027 Boston Marathon opens in September 2026. Simply meeting the standard gives you the right to apply — it doesn’t guarantee a spot.

Step 3 — Wait for acceptance. If more runners apply than the field allows, the BAA accepts the fastest qualifiers first. Historically, you’ve needed to beat your standard by 2–7 minutes to get in. The faster you qualify, the safer your application.

Not sure what pace you need? Use our race pace calculator to predict your marathon equivalent from a recent 5K, 10K, or half marathon result.