How fast do you really have to run to get into Boston?
A Boston qualifier earns you an application. The cut-off, a new draw and separate rules for wheelchair, Para and adaptive athletes decide what happens next.
What time do you need to qualify for the Boston Marathon?
It depends on your age on race day and your entry category. For 2027 and 2028, the open standard at ages 18–34 is 2:55 for men and 3:25 for women. A qualifying time lets you apply, with the 2027 cut-off set at 5 minutes 17 seconds under each standard.
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“I ran a BQ” is perfectly good news. You’ve run a Boston qualifying time, probably after spending several months explaining why Sunday lunch keeps moving to half past three. Then someone asks whether you’re going to Boston. That’s where the arithmetic starts.
The Boston Athletic Association uses your age on Boston race day and your official net time, the time from when you cross the start mat to when you cross the finish mat. You need an eligible certified full marathon within the window. The half, the virtual marathon and your watch’s very flattering moving time can stay in the group chat. For the 17 April 2028 race, the qualifying window opened on 19 September 2026. The 2027 application window closed in September. The B.A.A. says it will announce 2028 registration details after the April 2027 race. [B.A.A. qualifying rules · Registration update]
Men’s and women’s standards
| Age on race day | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 18–34 | 2:55:00 | 3:25:00 |
| 35–39 | 3:00:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 40–44 | 3:05:00 | 3:35:00 |
| 45–49 | 3:15:00 | 3:45:00 |
| 50–54 | 3:20:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 55–59 | 3:30:00 | 4:00:00 |
| 60–64 | 3:50:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 65–69 | 4:05:00 | 4:35:00 |
| 70–74 | 4:20:00 | 4:50:00 |
| 75–79 | 4:35:00 | 5:05:00 |
| 80+ | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 |
What happened when Boston had too many qualifiers?
For 2027, applicants in the open field needed to beat their standard by 5 minutes 17 seconds for acceptance through the time cut-off, subject to verification. At 40–44 that meant 2:59:43 for men and 3:29:43 for women. A woman in that band running 3:32:00 still qualified. She fell short of that year’s time cut-off, but if she applied during registration she was eligible for the new Boston Qualifier Selection, which set aside about 1,000 places for a random draw among eligible applicants who missed the cut. The 2027 margin is a historical result. The 2028 margin will depend on the applicants. [B.A.A. 2027 selection announcement]
Apply through Athletes’ Village when registration opens. Applications are assessed after the window, so there’s no prize for refreshing the form at one minute past opening. Check the course before entering a qualifier. Since 2027, the B.A.A. adds five minutes for a net drop of 1,500–2,999 feet and ten minutes for 3,000–5,999 feet. Courses dropping 6,000 feet or more are ineligible. A 2:53 on a course in the five-minute band is a 2:58 for Boston purposes. A charity place is a separate route through a participating organisation. [Registration and downhill adjustment]
Wheelchair, Para Athletics, adaptive runners and teams
Wheelchair Division. The 2027 field was capped at 50. It requires a certified marathon result and ordinarily a national or World Para Athletics classification. The B.A.A. may accept impairment documentation for non-elite applicants at its discretion. Its standards split by racing class and age. [Wheelchair Division rules]
| Classes | Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| T53 / T54 / T34 | 18–39 | 2:00:00 | 2:25:00 |
| T53 / T54 / T34 | 40–49 | 2:15:00 | 2:40:00 |
| T53 / T54 / T34 | 50+ | 2:30:00 | 2:55:00 |
| T51 / T52 / T33 | 18–39 | 2:45:00 | 3:10:00 |
| T51 / T52 / T33 | 40–49 | 3:00:00 | 3:25:00 |
| T51 / T52 / T33 | 50+ | 3:15:00 | 3:40:00 |
Ambulatory Para Athletics. Boston publishes separate men’s and women’s tables for vision impairment, lower-limb impairment, upper-limb impairment, coordination impairment and intellectual impairment. A T13 athlete aged 18–39, for example, needed 3:40 in the men’s division or 4:10 in the women’s. Check the table for your classification. Adaptive Program for Runners. With eligible impairment documentation, the published standards were 5:00 for visual impairment and 6:00 for physical or intellectual impairment. If Boston applies an adaptive cut-off it is separate from the open-field margin. [Para Athletics classifications · Adaptive Program]
Handcycle and Duo Team. Handcycling has its own eligibility and equipment rules. A qualifying Duo runner and rider must complete the certified marathon together and meet the runner’s age and gender standard. The B.A.A. also provides a limited invitational route for eligible teams with a qualifying-window performance of six hours or better. For 2027 it asks potential invitational applicants to notify it by 27 November 2026. [Duo Team rules · Boston Para and adaptive programme directory]
What’s waiting on the other side of the paperwork
At Boston in 2018, Des Linden won in driving rain, which explains the face of just about everybody in the photos. In 2026, John Korir and Sharon Lokedi won the open races in 2:01:52 and 2:18:51. Marcel Hug and Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper took the wheelchair titles in 1:16:06 and 1:30:51. The rest of us can watch Heartbreak Hill and feel a small twinge of sympathy in both calves. [B.A.A. champions archive]
Where is Heartbreak Hill?
The crest is around mile 20.8 in Newton. Boston finishes lower than it starts, with the Newton climbs breaking up the descent. Official course information