Boston Marathon 2026: 24,362 Qualifiers Accepted with 4:34 Cut Off. Are You In?

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) received a total of 33,249 qualifier applications for the 2026 Boston Marathon and they have announced that a total of 24,362 people have been accepted, pending final verification of their qualifying performance. 

The cut off for the 2026 Boston Marathon was 4:34, meaning runners needed to be four minutes and 34 seconds faster than their qualifying standard. 

Emails will be sent out over a few days to let participants know if they have been successful. 

The 2026 Boston Marathon is the 130th running of the race and it takes place on Monday 20 April 2026. 

Want to know more? Here are the qualifying times for all the Abbott World Marathon Majors.

IN NUMBERS: THE 2026 BOSTON MARATHON QUALIFIER REGISTRATION 

33,249 qualifier applications were submitted for the 2026 Boston Marathon.

24,362 qualified applicants were accepted for the 2026 Boston Marathon.

8,887 qualifier applicants were not accepted for the 2026 Boston Marathon.

The 2026 cut off time was 4:34 (four minutes, 34 seconds) faster than the qualifying standard for each age group and gender.

The qualifying field for 2026 includes 13,823 men, 10,429 women, and 110 non-binary athletes.

Citizens of 120 countries were accepted into the 2026 Boston Marathon.

Residents of all 50 U.S. states (plus Washington, DC and additional U.S. territories) were accepted into the 2026 Boston Marathon..

The top five most popular qualifying races for the2026 Boston Marathon were:

2025 Boston Marathon (2,981 entrants)

2024 Chicago Marathon (1,804 entrants)

2024 BMW Berlin Marathon (1,127 entrants)

2024 TCS New York City Marathon (832 entrants)

2024 California International Marathon (675 entrants)

Approximately 10,710 athletes will be taking part in their first Boston Marathon in 2026.

The youngest and oldest accepted athletes are 18 and 83 years old, respectively.

WHAT ARE THE 2027 BOSTON MARATHON QUALIFYING TIMES?

Here are the qualifying times needed for the 2027 Boston Marathon. It’s likely that runners will need to be at least five minutes faster than these standards.

FAQ BOSTON MARATHON 2026 

I didn’t get into the Boston Marathon. How can I still run? it

The best chance to run the race is to go via an international sports tour company or to apply for a charity place.

When is the 2027 Boston Marathon qualifying window?

It opened on Saturday 13 September 2025 and will run until the end of registration week (likely Friday 11 September 2026). 

What was the cut off time for the 2026 Boston Marathon qualifiers?

The cut off of the 2026 Boston Marathon was 4:34, meaning runners needed to run four minutes and 34 seconds faster than their qualifying standard. 

When is the 2026 Boston Marathon?

The 2026 Boston Marathon will be run on Monday 20 April 2026.

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Image from B.A.A