Major Boston Marathon Qualifying Rule Change Coming for 2027

The qualifying threshold for the Boston Marathon is about to get even more competitive. 

Qualifying for the 2027 Boston Marathon will include a significant rule change: Marks set at courses with substantial downhill elevation characteristics will result in an adjustment to their times.

According to a Boston.com report, Boston Marathon qualifiers from races featuring 1,500 to 2,999 feet of net downhill elevation change will have five minutes added to their times. Qualifiers from races with 3,000 to 6,000 feet of net downhill elevation change will have 10 minutes added to their times.

This rule change comes as the B.A.A. attempts to meet the growing demand from runners worldwide to participate in the marathon. The Boston Globe noted that the Boston Marathon already tightened its time-qualifying standards for 2026. These new “time indexes” represent the first of their type among the major marathons.

“We looked at the data over four years, not just a snapshot,” Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) CEO Jack Fleming told the Boston Globe. “The data analysis told us that there was an advantage for runners who were using the downhill races in terms of their overall performance and specifically when it came to achieving the qualifying standards for the Boston Marathon.”

The Globe's analysis of Boston Marathon entry lists revealed that approximately 2,000 qualifiers for the 2025 marathon — nearly 10 percent of the field — were from races with at least 2,000 feet of net downhill. Runners continue to seek every advantage they can to trim seconds or minutes off their personal bests.

By setting the new time indexes to take effect in 2027, Fleming said, runners have sufficient time to adjust to the changes.

The B.A.A. announced on Monday, June 16, that registration for the 2026 Boston Marathon will open this fall from Sept. 8-12. The qualifying window for the 2027 race begins on Sept. 13.