On Tuesday, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) revealed the cut-off time for the 130th Boston Marathon, set for Monday, April 20, 2026. The cut-off time required to secure a spot in the race is lower than in previous years; those who exceeded their age group qualifying standard by four minutes and 34 seconds or more have been accepted.
According to the B.A.A., the race saw the second-highest number of applicants in its history with 33,267 runners applying, only behind last year’s total of 36,393. Out of 33,267 applicants, 24,362 runners have been accepted or are in the final stages of verification, leaving more than 8,900 athletes who ran under the standard without a spot.
🚨 UPDATE on qualifier registration for the 130th Boston Marathon presented by @BankofAmerica 🚨
24,362 qualifiers who ran 4:34 or faster than their qualifying standard have been accepted into next April’s Patriots’ Day race!
Full release at https://t.co/OY8QmzhXEC pic.twitter.com/2uclf7CdDf
— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) September 23, 2025
The Boston Marathon’s overall field size remains capped at 30,000 official entrants, including both qualifiers and invited participants. The remainder of the field will consist of runners participating through charity programs, invited professionals and Para athletes.
“The sport of marathoning is gaining momentum worldwide, and we recognize the dedication it takes to qualify and earn a spot on the starting line for the Boston Marathon,” said Jack Fleming, president of the B.A.A. “The B.A.A. looks forward to showcasing the spirit of our running community to the thousands of qualifiers who’ve now officially circled Marathon Monday, April 20, on their calendars. 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.”
A breakdown of the 2026 numbers
A total of 33,267 applications were received during the registration period, the second-highest amount in race history.
24,362 qualified applicants have been accepted into the 2026 event or are pending final verification.
8,905 qualified applicants were not accepted (due to the cut-off time).
This year’s qualified field includes 13,823 men, 10,429 women, and 110 non-binary athletes to date.
719 qualifiers were accepted based on finishing 10 or more consecutive Boston Marathons.
Runners from 120 countries were accepted into the 130th Boston Marathon.
The top five most popular qualifying races were the 129th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America (2,981 entrants), 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon (1,804 entrants), 2024 BMW Berlin Marathon (1,127 entrants), 2024 TCS New York City Marathon (832 entrants), and 2024 California International Marathon (675 entrants).
10,710 athletes will be racing their first Boston Marathon.
The youngest and oldest accepted athletes are 18 and 83 years old, respectively.
5,397 qualifiers met their qualifying time by 20 minutes or more.
8,961 qualifiers met their qualifying time between 10 minutes and 19 minutes, 59 seconds.
10,004 qualifiers met their qualifying time between four minutes, 34 seconds and nine minutes and 59 seconds
Registration information for the 131st Boston Marathon will be announced following the conclusion of the 130th race. The 2027 qualifying window began on Sept. 1, 2025, and qualifying standards can be found here.
