How to qualify for the Boston Marathon – Find out how fast you need to run to make it to the start line

The Boston Marathon is a bucket list race for many runners, and for good reason. Not only is it an essential stop on your World Marathon Majors tour if you want to become part of the six star hall of fame. It’s also the longest standing annual road marathon. And, because of its highly competitive qualification criteria, making it on to the start list brings a level of prestige in its own right.

So if you want to become a Boston Marathon finisher, how fast do you need to be? We take a look at the current Boston Marathon qualifying times, and the alternative routes to entry.

What are the Boston Marathon qualifying times?

Since 1970, the Boston Marathon has had some form of qualification-only entry process. Back then, applicants just had to prove they had trained enough to be able to go sub-4. For most runners, you’ll need to be a fair bit quicker than that these days! The qualification times have been updated a few times over the years, to reflect the ever-improving standard of runners at all levels. The most recent update came towards the end of 2024, tightening up the margins by another 5 minutes. That makes it harder than ever to get a spot on the Boston Marathon start line.

Below you’ll find the minimum qualifying times to apply for a spot at the 2026 Boston Marathon by age group. But keep in mind, hitting these times is no guarantee of a space – we’ll explain why later on in this article!

Qualification ‘cut off’ time

The fastest runners get priority during the allocation process. And, according to stats from the Boston Athletics Association, to get accepted into the 2025 race applicants had to have run at least 6 mins 51s faster than the official minimum qualifying time on average. That meant thousands of runners who had met the qualifying criteria, still didn’t get a spot on the start line.

How many runners apply, and how many can get accepted?

The Boston Marathon has a maximum field size of 30,000 runners. Unlike other Marathon Majors, such as the London Marathon, where anyone can apply for the ballot (840,318 applied for the 2025 edition of London!). Only runners who have met the minimum qualifying time can apply to Boston. For the 2025 event, 36,393 runners applied. Which is why hitting the qualifying time is no guarantee of a place.

When do applications for the 2026 Boston Marathon open? Qualifying window and registration time frames

Before you can apply to the Boston Marathon, you need to have achieved a qualifying time at another eligible race. Typically, the qualification window starts in September 2 years out from the year of the race you want to apply to, and ends the September before. For example, the qualifying window for the 2025 Boston Marathon ran from September 2023-September 2024.

Once the qualification period has ended, there’s a 5 day window for runners to submit their application. Last year, that ran from 9-13 September – we’ll update this article when this year’s dates are confirmed. The Boston Athletic Association then go through a process of verifying all qualifying times and applications. You can expect to hear whether your application has been successful or not by early October.

Can you defer your Boston Marathon place?

Entries into the Boston Marathon are, as a rule of thumb, non-transferable and non-deferable. The exception to that rule is those who request a deferral due to pregnancy. Any runner who becomes pregnant prior to race day and chooses not to run can apply for a deferral up to 14 days before the race. The deferral also applies to those who will be up to 24 weeks post-partum when the race is due to take place.

What are the alternatives ways to get a Boston Marathon place?

Achieving a fast enough time to apply for the Boston Marathon is often a pursuit in its own right – helping to motivate runners through multiple seasons of training to hit the qualifying targets. But if those times are out of your reach, and you desperately want to add a Boston Marathon medal to your collection. There are alternative options.

One way is to apply for a charity place. 2025 saw 174 non-profit organisations allocated charity bibs for the Boston Marathon. Just be aware that you have to commit to fundraising a significant amount of money if you’re accepted. On average, the minimum donation for 2025 started at $8500 USD. And of course, those charity places will be incredibly oversubscribed so there’s no guarantee.

There is also the possibility of getting a place at Boston via a Marathon Tour operators. Again, demand will be high, and you’ll pay a huge premium.

Take a look at our deep dive into the history and course records at the Boston Marathon to learn more about this iconic Major Marathon. And if you’re inspired to start training, head on over to our dedicated marathon training section where you’ll find everything you need to get the most out of every run. From interval workouts, to a training zones explainer to dial in your efforts, and top tips from a sports nutritionist to help you fuel your way to success.