Boston Marathon qualifying times
The B.A.A. standards below apply to the 2026 Boston Marathon (5:00 tougher than 2025 for ages 18–59). Your age group is your age on race day. Non-binary athletes qualify under the women's standards.
Hitting the standard only makes you eligible to apply. Recent acceptance cutoffs ran from 4:34 (2026) to 6:51 (2025) faster than the standard, so treat 'standard minus 6:00' as your real target. Note: from the 2027 qualifying window, times run on steeply net-downhill courses are adjusted upward (+5:00 for 1,500–2,999 ft of drop, +10:00 for 3,000–5,999 ft).
| Age group | Men | Women / Non-binary |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Click any time for the pace it requires and the best races to chase it. Standards can change year to year — confirm at baa.org before you plan a season around one.
Where runners actually qualify
Berlin Marathon
Berlin, Germany · September
Valencia Marathon
Valencia, Spain · December
Chicago Marathon
Chicago, USA · October
Seville Marathon
Seville, Spain · February
Rotterdam Marathon
Rotterdam, Netherlands · April
California International Marathon
Sacramento, USA · December