What is a Boston Qualifying (BQ) time?

A BQ time is the qualifying standard set by the Boston Athletic Association based on age and category. You must run a certified marathon at or faster than your standard to be eligible to apply.

What are the current Boston Marathon qualifying times?

For the 2027 Boston Marathon, the open 18-34 standards are 2:55:00 for men and 3:25:00 for women and non-binary athletes. Always confirm current rules with the Boston Athletic Association.

What is the BQ cutoff?

The BQ cutoff is the extra time under the qualifying standard needed for acceptance when applications exceed the available field. The 2026 cutoff was 4:34 under the listed standard.

BQ Hub — Boston Qualifying Guide

Q: Do downhill marathon courses still count for Boston qualifying?

Starting with 2027 registration, the Boston Athletic Association applies time adjustments to qualifying results from courses with at least 1,500 feet of net elevation drop, and courses with 6,000 feet or more of net drop are not accepted for qualifying.

Boston Qualifier hub

Current B.A.A. standards, recent acceptance cutoffs, and a simple target pace helper. Official source: B.A.A. qualifying standards.

2:55:00Open men standard

4:342026 cutoff

11Age groups

30BQ races listed

Important course rule: starting with 2027 registration, B.A.A. applies time adjustments to qualifying results from courses with at least 1,500 feet / 457.2 m of net downhill. Courses with 6,000 feet / 1,828.6 m or more of net drop are not accepted for Boston qualifying. Official B.A.A. update.

Target pace

Age group

2027 standards

Age group	Men	Women	Non-binary	Men pace	Women pace	Non-binary pace
18-34	2:55:00	3:25:00	3:25:00	6:40/mi	7:49/mi	7:49/mi
35-39	3:00:00	3:30:00	3:30:00	6:52/mi	8:01/mi	8:01/mi
40-44	3:05:00	3:35:00	3:35:00	7:03/mi	8:12/mi	8:12/mi
45-49	3:15:00	3:45:00	3:45:00	7:26/mi	8:35/mi	8:35/mi
50-54	3:20:00	3:50:00	3:50:00	7:38/mi	8:46/mi	8:46/mi
55-59	3:30:00	4:00:00	4:00:00	8:01/mi	9:09/mi	9:09/mi
60-64	3:50:00	4:20:00	4:20:00	8:46/mi	9:55/mi	9:55/mi
65-69	4:05:00	4:35:00	4:35:00	9:21/mi	10:29/mi	10:29/mi
70-74	4:20:00	4:50:00	4:50:00	9:55/mi	11:04/mi	11:04/mi
75-79	4:35:00	5:05:00	5:05:00	10:29/mi	11:38/mi	11:38/mi
80+	4:50:00	5:20:00	5:20:00	11:04/mi	12:12/mi	12:12/mi

The published standard is only the eligibility line. Acceptance can require a faster time when applications exceed the available field.

Recent cutoffs

Latest official cutoff source: 2026 qualifier acceptance update

Year	Cutoff	Note
2026	4:34	Accepted qualifiers were 4:34 or faster under standard
2025	6:51	Accepted qualifiers were 6:51 or faster under standard
2024	5:29	Accepted qualifiers were 5:29 or faster under standard
2023	No cutoff	All verified qualifiers were accepted
2022	No cutoff	All verified qualifiers were accepted
2021	7:47	Accepted qualifiers were 7:47 or faster under standard
2020	1:39	Accepted qualifiers were 1:39 or faster under standard

BQ-friendly races

These races are marked as Boston qualifiers in our directory. Confirm certification, full-marathon distance, official results, and any net-downhill adjustment with the organizer before using a race as your qualifier.