How to qualify for the 2027 Boston Marathon
Three things decide whether you run Boston: the standard for your age and division, the cutoff that gets applied when more people qualify than there are places, and — new for 2027 — how steeply your qualifying course descends.
The standards
Standards are set by your age on race day and run in five-year bands. Times must be from a marathon on a course certified by USATF, AIMS, or a national governing body.
| Age on race day | Men | Women | Non-binary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–34 | 2:55:00 | 3:25:00 | 3:25:00 |
| 35–39 | 3:00:00 | 3:30:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 40–44 | 3:05:00 | 3:35:00 | 3:35:00 |
| 45–49 | 3:15:00 | 3:45:00 | 3:45:00 |
| 50–54 | 3:20:00 | 3:50:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 55–59 | 3:30:00 | 4:00:00 | 4:00:00 |
| 60–64 | 3:50:00 | 4:20:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 65–69 | 4:05:00 | 4:35:00 | 4:35:00 |
| 70–74 | 4:20:00 | 4:50:00 | 4:50:00 |
| 75–79 | 4:35:00 | 5:05:00 | 5:05:00 |
| 80+ | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 | 5:20:00 |
Why the standard is not the number to train for
Meeting your standard earns the right to submit an application, not a place on the start line. Boston has been oversubscribed for years. The B.A.A. accepts the fastest applicants relative to their own standard and draws a line — the cutoff. Everyone below it is turned away having run a qualifying time.
- 2025: applicants needed 6:51 under the standard.
- 2024: applicants needed 5:29 under the standard.
The cutoff is not published in advance, so nobody can tell you the exact number to hit. Treating the most recent cutoff as your minimum buffer is the honest approach — and if you are choosing a goal time from scratch, aim past it rather than at it.
The net-downhill rule, new for 2027
The B.A.A. found that runners of comparable fitness post faster times on steeply descending point-to-point courses. Beginning with 2027 registration, times from those courses are adjusted upward — and the steepest are not accepted at all.
| Net elevation loss | Effect |
|---|---|
| 0–1,499 ft | No adjustment |
| 1,500–2,999 ft | 5:00 added to your submitted time |
| 3,000–5,999 ft | 10:00 added to your submitted time |
| 6,000+ ft | Not accepted for qualifying |
Two details people get wrong. First, this is net elevation loss — start elevation minus finish elevation — not total descent, so a rolling course that climbs and drops repeatedly is unaffected. Second, a penalty does not make a race a bad choice. A fast downhill course with a five-minute adjustment can still be the right race; you simply need to run five minutes faster than you otherwise would.
Dates that matter
- Qualifying window opened: September 13, 2025. A marathon run before this date cannot be used.
- Registration: September 14, 2026 to September 18, 2026. Applying early confers no advantage — acceptance is by time, not order.
Sources
Standards, window, certification requirement, and downhill bands transcribed from the B.A.A. qualifying page on July 26, 2026. Standards change; confirm with the B.A.A. before planning around them.
Work out your number
Your standard, the buffer to target, and what a given course does to it.