Boston qualifier marathons
Every US marathon in our guides, checked against the net-downhill rule that takes effect for the 2027 Boston Marathon. 6 of them now carry a time adjustment.
The rule that changed
Starting with 2027 registration, the B.A.A. adjusts qualifying times run on steeply descending courses. The adjustment is based on net elevation loss — start elevation minus finish elevation — not total descent.
- 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 — cannot be used to qualify
A penalty does not make a race a bad choice — it means you need to run that much faster there than the standard alone suggests. Confirm current rules with the B.A.A.
96 races
| Race | Month | Net drop | BQ adjustment | Course |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Marathon Fort Collins, Colorado | May | 2,500 ft downest. | +5:00 | Unrated — course data not verified Steep descent — needs downhill-specific training |
| REVEL Big Bear Marathon Big Bear, California | November | 5,084 ft downest. | +10:00 | Fast Steep descent — needs downhill-specific training |
| REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon Salt Lake City, Utah | September | 4,500 ft downest. | +10:00 | Unrated — course data not verified Steep descent — needs downhill-specific training |
| REVEL Mt Charleston Marathon Las Vegas, Nevada | April | 5,098 ft downest. | +10:00 | Fast Steep descent — needs downhill-specific training |
| St. George Marathon St. George, Utah | October | 2,559 ft downest. | +5:00 | Honest Steep descent — needs downhill-specific training |
| Tunnel Light Marathon North Bend, Washington | September | 2,050 ft downest. | +5:00 | Fast Steep descent — needs downhill-specific training |
| 26.2 with DONNA Jacksonville Beach, Florida | February | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Akron Marathon Akron, Ohio | September | 40 ft downest. | No adjustment | Honest |
| Atlantic City Marathon Atlantic City, New Jersey | October | +4 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Austin Marathon Austin, Texas | February | +200 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Avenue of the Giants Marathon Humboldt Redwoods, California | May | 2 ft downest. | No adjustment | Very fast |
| Bayshore Marathon Traverse City, Michigan | May | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Baystate Marathon Lowell, Massachusetts | October | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Big Sur International Marathon Big Sur, California | April | 60 ft downest. | No adjustment | Hard |
| Blue Ridge Marathon Roanoke, Virginia | April | 10 ft downest. | No adjustment | Hard |
| BMW Dallas Marathon Dallas, Texas | December | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Boston Marathon Boston, Massachusetts | April | 480 ft downest. | No adjustment | Honest |
| Buffalo Marathon Buffalo, New York | May | +3 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| California International Marathon (CIM) Sacramento, California | December | 366 ft downest. | No adjustment | Fast |
| Cape Cod Marathon Falmouth, Massachusetts | October | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Carlsbad Marathon Carlsbad, California | January | +10 ft upest. | No adjustment | Hard |
| Carmel Marathon Carmel, Indiana | April | 2 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Charleston Marathon Charleston, South Carolina | January | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Charlotte Marathon Charlotte, North Carolina | November | +10 ft upest. | No adjustment | Hard |
| Chicago Marathon Chicago, Illinois | October | +10 ft upest. | No adjustment | Very fast |
| Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia | November | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Clarence DeMar Marathon Gilsum to Keene, New Hampshire | September | 265 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Cleveland Marathon Cleveland, Ohio | May | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Colfax Marathon Denver, Colorado | May | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Columbus Marathon Columbus, Ohio | October | +0 ft up | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Cowtown Marathon Fort Worth, Texas | February | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon Deadwood, South Dakota | June | 940 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Des Moines Marathon Des Moines, Iowa | October | +35 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Detroit Free Press Marathon Detroit, Michigan | October | +3 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Erie Marathon at Presque Isle Erie, Pennsylvania | September | +3 ft upest. | No adjustment | Very fast |
| Eugene Marathon Eugene, Oregon | April | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Fast |
| Eversource Hartford Marathon Hartford, Connecticut | October | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Fargo Marathon Fargo, North Dakota | May | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Flying Pig Marathon Cincinnati, Ohio | May | +5 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Glass City Marathon Toledo, Ohio | April | +13 ft up | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Grand Rapids Marathon Grand Rapids, Michigan | October | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Grandma's Marathon Duluth, Minnesota | June | 118 ft down | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Harrisburg Marathon Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | November | +20 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Honolulu Marathon Honolulu, Hawaii | December | +20 ft upest. | No adjustment | Fast |
| Houston Marathon Houston, Texas | January | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Indianapolis, Indiana | November | +0 ft up | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Kansas City Marathon Kansas City, Missouri | October | +60 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Kiawah Island Marathon Kiawah Island, South Carolina | December | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Life Time Miami Marathon Miami, Florida | January | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Lincoln Marathon Lincoln, Nebraska | May | +30 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Long Beach Marathon Long Beach, California | October | +3 ft upest. | No adjustment | Fast |
| Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, California | March | 240 ft downest. | No adjustment | Hard |
| Maine Marathon Portland, Maine | October | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Marine Corps Marathon Arlington, Virginia & Washington, D.C. | October | +125 ft upest. | No adjustment | Fast |
| Mercedes-Benz Marathon Birmingham, Alabama | February | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Mesa Marathon Mesa, Arizona | February | 765 ft down | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon Milwaukee, Wisconsin | October | 2 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon Pass Christian, Mississippi | December | 1 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Missoula Marathon Missoula, Montana | June | 35 ft downest. | No adjustment | Fast |
| Mohawk Hudson River Marathon Albany, New York | October | 230 ft down | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Mountains 2 Beach Marathon Ventura, California | May | 690 ft downest. | No adjustment | Very fast |
| Myrtle Beach Marathon Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | March | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Napa Valley Marathon Napa, California | March | 339 ft downest. | No adjustment | Very fast |
| New Jersey Marathon Long Branch, New Jersey | April | +3 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| New York City Marathon New York, New York | November | +65 ft upest. | No adjustment | Honest |
| Newport Marathon Newport, Oregon | June | +5 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| OC Marathon Newport Beach to Costa Mesa, California | May | 75 ft downest. | No adjustment | Very fast |
| Ogden Marathon Ogden, Utah | May | 760 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | April | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Outer Banks Marathon Outer Banks, North Carolina | November | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Philadelphia Marathon Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | November | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Fast |
| Pittsburgh Marathon Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | May | 3 ft down | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Portland Marathon Portland, Oregon | October | 5 ft downest. | No adjustment | Honest |
| Publix Atlanta Marathon Atlanta, Georgia | February | +70 ft upest. | No adjustment | Hard |
| Quad Cities Marathon Moline, Illinois | September | +4 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Richmond Marathon Richmond, Virginia | November | 150 ft downest. | No adjustment | Honest |
| Rock ‘n’ Roll Savannah Marathon Savannah, Georgia | November | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Route 66 Marathon Tulsa, Oklahoma | November | 20 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Santa Rosa Marathon Santa Rosa, California | August | +10 ft upest. | No adjustment | Honest |
| Shamrock Marathon Virginia Beach, Virginia | March | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Skagit Flats Marathon Burlington, Washington | September | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Very fast |
| Space Coast Marathon Cocoa, Florida | November | +0 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon Nashville, Tennessee | April | +70 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Steamtown Marathon Scranton, Pennsylvania | October | 944 ft down | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Sugarloaf Marathon Carrabassett Valley, Maine | May | 350 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Surf City Marathon Huntington Beach, California | February | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| The San Francisco Marathon San Francisco, California | July | +15 ft upest. | No adjustment | Hard |
| Tobacco Road Marathon Cary, North Carolina | March | 32 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Top of Utah Marathon Logan, Utah | September | 900 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Twin Cities Marathon Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota | October | +46 ft upest. | No adjustment | Fast |
| Utah Valley Marathon Provo, Utah | June | 1,000 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified Steep descent — needs downhill-specific training |
| Vermont City Marathon Burlington, Vermont | May | +10 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| VIA Marathon Allentown to Easton, Pennsylvania | September | 125 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Walt Disney World Marathon Orlando, Florida | January | +2 ft upest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Whistlestop Marathon Ashland, Wisconsin | October | 640 ft downest. | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
| Wineglass Marathon Corning, New York | October | 210 ft down | No adjustment | Unrated — course data not verified |
On the numbers
Net drop comes from each course's start and finish elevation. Where a course is marked est., those elevations are our own estimates rather than official race data, so treat a band near a threshold as provisional and confirm with the organizer.
Courses are rated only where we hold verified elevation data. We would rather show “unrated” than derive a confident-looking rating from an approximation.
A big net drop is fast and hard on quads at the same time. It is flagged separately rather than treated as a bonus, because a descent you have not trained for will cost you more in the last 10K than it gave you in the first.
Know your number?
Work out your standard, the buffer recent cutoffs actually demanded, and what a penalized course would ask of you.
Boston qualifier calculator