Amid record Boston Marathon registration, BAA stiffens qualifying standards for 2026 race

With another year of record applications for the Boston Marathon, the Boston Athletic Association is tightening its qualifying standards for the 2026 race and beyond.

The BAA announced Monday that it had received 36,406 applications for the 2025 Boston Marathon, an increase of more than 3,000 time qualifiers compared to the 33,058 who hit the standard for the 2024 race. More than 11,000 qualified participants were turned away for 2024, and that number will only grow for 2025, with more than 14,000 athletes set to receive rejection letters.

“The enthusiasm and desire from athletes around the world aiming to participate in the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America is unmatched, and is truly what makes the Boston Marathon such a special event,” said Jack Fleming, BAA president and CEO, in a release. “The record number of applicants indicates the growing trend of our sport and shows that athletes are continuously getting faster and faster. We look forward to welcoming 30,000 athletes in their pursuit of the finish line this April, and we are already planning for a memorable event experience from start to finish.”

While the BAA did not predict the “cut-off” time needed to gain acceptance into this coming April’s 129th running, it’s very likely that it will be even faster than the 2024 mark, which was already the fastest in race history. Athletes had to run 5 minutes, 29 seconds faster than the qualifying standard for their age group and gender to get into the race this past spring.

As the number of qualified entrants continues to balloon year over year, the BAA’s hand was finally forced. The organization will lower qualifying standards for each gender and age group (except for runners over 60 years old) by five minutes for 2026.

“As we have witnessed in recent years, the sport of marathoning is growing and athletes continue to get faster,” said Fleming. “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.”

As an example: Men aged 18-34, who previously had to run under 3 hours to qualify for the race, will now have to achieve a mark of 2 hours, 55 minutes in order to apply for the 2026 edition. Women aged 18-34 have seen their qualifying standard drop from 3 hours, 30 minutes to 3 hours, 25 minutes.

Here’s a full breakdown of the qualifying standards for each age and gender group.

The BAA last adjusted its qualifying standards in 2019.

“Every time the BAA has adjusted qualifying standards … we’ve seen athletes continue to raise the bar and elevate to new levels,” Fleming said. “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.”

Applicants for the 2025 Boston Marathon will be notified of their acceptance in the coming weeks. The 129th Boston Marathon is set for its latest possible date on the calendar, with Patriots Day falling on April 21, 2025.