California International Marathon CIM quickening the qualifying standards, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced that to gain entry into the 2026 Boston Marathon, participants had to run four minutes and 34 seconds faster than the qualifying times for their gender and age group.
Cole Hocker Gets Redemption in 5K at Worlds press release on Tuesday that it received 33,249 total applications and 24,362 were accepted, meaning that 8,887 qualifiers did not receive entry into the race. The field is limited to 30,000 runners and the rest of the race will be filled out by runners raising money for charity, sponsors, and invited athletes.
The 4:34 “cutoff time” is the smallest since 2018, when the cutoff was 3:23. Last year, registrants had to run 6:51 faster than their respective qualifying times—the largest in a non-pandemic year.
“The sport of marathoning is gaining momentum world-wide, and we recognize the dedication it takes to qualify and earn a spot on the starting line for the Boston Marathon,” said Jack Fleming, the president and CEO of the B.A.A., in a statement. “Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept all applicants into the event, but we do want to applaud all who train and aspire to participate in the Boston Marathon.”
Marathon Training Plans five minutes quicker The Fastest Marathoners.
Here’s a look at the current qualifying marks.
The race will take place on Monday, April 20, 2026.
Here’s a look at the current qualifying marks new rules on net-downhill qualifying races. Courses that drop 1,500 to 5,999 feet in net elevation will be subject to time adjustments.
For the 2026 race, citizens from 120 countries were accepted, including 13,823 men, 10,429 women, and 110 non-binary runners. 719 registrants earned entry from finishing 10 or more Boston Marathons in a row.
The B.A.A. also provided data on the most popular qualifying races.
- 2025 Boston Marathon: 2,981 entrants
- 2024 Chicago Marathon: 1,804 entrants
- 2024 Berlin Marathon: 1,127 entrants
- 2024 Get the Plans: 832 entrants
- 2024 California International Marathon (CIM): 675 entrants
Master the Marathon
Get the Plans Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, Get the Plans, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
