Boston Athletic Association Making Changes to Qualifying Standards for 2026 Boston Marathon
The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) received a record number of qualifier entry applications for the 2025 Boston Marathon that they are already making changes to the qualifying standards for the 2026 Boston Marathon.
In a press release, the B.A.A. said they received 36,406 qualifier entry applications for the 2025 race, which breaks the previous record set for the 2024 race, which was 33,058. As a result, the B.A.A. has made necessary adjustments to its qualifying standards for the 2026 Boston Marathon, based on many years of data. These qualifying standards changes will impact runners 18-59. The new qualifying time standards are below.
| AGE GROUP | MEN’S STANDARD | WOMEN’S STANDARD | NON-BINARY STANDARD |
| 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 and older | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 | 5:20:00 |
Jack Fleming, President and CEO of the B.A.A., said in a statement, “As we have witnessed in recent years, the sport of marathoning is growing and athletes continue to get faster. At the same time, demand to participate in the Boston Marathon has steadily grown as well, and unfortunately in recent years we’ve had to turn away thousands of runners who’ve achieved Boston Marathon qualifying times.”
Fleming added, “Every time the B.A.A. has adjusted qualifying standards – most recently in 2019 – we’ve seen athletes continue to raise the bar and elevate to new levels. In recent years we’ve turned away athletes in this age range (18-59) at the highest rate, and the adjustment reflects both the depth of participation and speed at which athletes are running”
As for the 2025 Boston Marathon, the qualifier registration window closed on September 13. All applicants will be notified whether or not they have been accepted as a race participant by early October. The B.A.A. needs to verify all qualifier submissions before finalizing the selections of who will participate in the race. The organization stated they were unable to accept 11,039 applicants to the 2024 Boston Marathon.
The fastest runners in each age and gender group will be selected for the race, which will feature 30,000 participants. The B.A.A. notes, “Historically, runners who beat their qualifying standard by a larger amount of time are more likely to be accepted into the Boston Marathon.”
Beasley Media Group Boston is a media partner with the Boston Athletic Association and the Boston Marathon.
