By St. Pete Run Club Coaches
Quick answer: The current Boston Marathon qualifying standards range from 2:55:00 for men aged 18 to 34 down to 5:20:00 for women aged 80 and older, and they apply to both the 2027 and 2028 races. The 2028 qualifying window opened on September 19, 2026, so a marathon run during 2027 is what puts you on the 2028 Boston start line. Hitting your standard only earns you the chance to apply. Because the field is capped, acceptance usually requires beating your standard by several minutes, so the smart target is a real cushion, not the bare minimum.
Boston Marathon 2028: Key Dates and the Open Qualifying Window
If you are here for the 2028 race, start with this: the 2028 Boston Marathon qualifying window opened on Saturday, September 19, 2026, one day after Registration Week for the 2027 race closed. Any marathon you finish from that date forward can be submitted as a 2028 qualifier.
That is the piece most runners miss. Boston runs on roughly an 18 month cycle, so the marathon you race during 2027 is the one that puts you on the 2028 start line in Hopkinton. Qualify in 2027, run Boston in 2028.
| 2028 Boston Marathon | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying window opens | Saturday, September 19, 2026 | Announced by the B.A.A. |
| Qualifying standards | Identical to the 2027 standards | Announced by the B.A.A. |
| Registration week | Expected September 2027 | Exact dates not yet announced |
| Race day | Patriots’ Day, Monday, April 17, 2028 | Follows the Patriots’ Day rule; not yet formally announced |
Two practical consequences. First, if you were waiting for a window to open before booking a goal marathon, it is open now. Second, a qualifier only counts if it lands inside the window and ahead of the registration week you are targeting, so a marathon run late in 2027 can fall past the 2028 cutoff and count toward the following year’s race instead. Check your goal race date against the window before you build a whole season around it.
Current Boston Marathon Qualifying Standards
Standards are set by your age on Boston race day, not the day you run your qualifier, and non binary athletes use the women’s standard. These are the current published standards, in effect for the 2027 Boston Marathon, and the BAA has announced the same standards will carry into 2028.
| Age Group | Men’s Standard | Women’s and Non Binary Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 | 2:55:00 | 3:25:00 |
| 35 to 39 | 3:00:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 40 to 44 | 3:05:00 | 3:35:00 |
| 45 to 49 | 3:15:00 | 3:45:00 |
| 50 to 54 | 3:20:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 55 to 59 | 3:30:00 | 4:00:00 |
| 60 to 64 | 3:50:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 65 to 69 | 4:05:00 | 4:35:00 |
| 70 to 74 | 4:20:00 | 4:50:00 |
| 75 to 79 | 4:35:00 | 5:05:00 |
| 80 and older | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 |
How the Qualifying Window Actually Works
The Boston Marathon runs on roughly an 18 month cycle from qualifying to race day, which trips up a lot of runners planning their season around it. The qualifying window for the 2027 Boston Marathon opened September 13, 2025, qualifier registration runs September 14 through 18, 2026, and the race itself is April 19, 2027. Registration is not first come, first served. Every application submitted before the deadline gets equal consideration, and acceptances are ranked by how much each runner beat their standard.
In practice, that means the marathon you run to qualify happens well over a year before you actually stand on the start line in Hopkinton. If you are chasing a BQ for the 2028 race, you need to be thinking now about a qualifying marathon roughly a year and a half out, not a few months before registration opens.
A qualifying time also has to come from a certified event. The course has to be certified to the exact 26.2 mile distance, run outdoors, timed with a transponder system, and advertised publicly ahead of race day. Time trials, treadmill marathons, and indoor events do not count.
Why the Published Standard Is Not the Real Target
Because Boston’s field is capped, meeting your standard only gets you into the applicant pool. When more qualified runners apply than there are open spots, the BAA accepts the fastest applicants relative to their standard first, a process known as the cutoff. That cutoff has moved around significantly year to year.
| Boston Race Year | Field Size | Cutoff Time | Qualifiers Not Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 30,000 | 0:00 | 0 |
| 2023 | 30,000 | 0:00 | 0 |
| 2024 | 30,000 | 5:29 | 11,039 |
| 2025 | 30,000 | 6:51 | 12,324 |
| 2026 | 30,000 | 4:34 | 8,887 |
The pattern is clear even with the year to year swings. For the 2026 race, the BAA accepted 24,362 qualifiers, and runners needed to beat their standard by 4 minutes and 34 seconds to make the field. In three of the last five years, the cutoff has required runners to beat their standard by several minutes, not just meet it. The safest approach is to train for a real buffer, not the bare minimum. A cushion of five minutes or more under your standard has historically been a reasonable target, though nothing is guaranteed given how much the cutoff moves depending on how many people apply that year.
The New Boston Qualifier Selection
There is also a newer path worth knowing about. Starting with the 2027 race, the BAA is adding a random selection component called the Boston Qualifier Selection. Applicants who met their standard but did not beat the cutoff are automatically entered, and approximately 1,000 of them will be randomly selected for entry. It is a real second chance, but it is a lottery, not a plan. The odds depend entirely on how many qualifiers apply that year, so the buffer strategy above is still the reliable route in.
The Net Downhill Rule and Why Your Course Choice Matters
Starting with the 2027 qualifying window, the BAA introduced a net downhill adjustment that affects which courses can actually produce a usable qualifying time.
- A net downhill of 1,500 to 2,999 feet adds a 5 minute time adjustment to your submitted result
- A net downhill of 3,000 to 5,999 feet adds a 10 minute adjustment
- A net downhill of 6,000 feet or more disqualifies the course from Boston qualifying entirely
This rule exists specifically to stop runners from using a significantly downhill course to post an artificially fast time. In practice, it means the smartest BQ strategy is not just picking a flat sounding course. It is picking a course that is genuinely flat by net elevation, not one that is fast because of gravity. A course like the St. Pete Marathon™, built along flat waterfront terrain with minimal net elevation change, avoids this adjustment entirely, which matters more now than it did before this rule took effect.
Planning Your Timeline Around the Window
Given the roughly 18 month gap between running your qualifier and actually racing Boston, the smart move is to work backward from the registration window you are targeting, not forward from whenever you happen to feel ready. Figure out which registration period you are aiming for, then count back to find a marathon date that gives you enough training time and lands your qualifying attempt safely inside the window.
This is exactly the kind of planning where a longer training runway pays off. Our guide to how long it actually takes to train for a marathon covers how to size that timeline properly, and our breakdown of what makes a marathon a Boston Qualifier covers the course and certification requirements in more depth.
Chasing a BQ on a genuinely flat course?
December weather, waterfront terrain, and a course built for fast times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Boston Marathon qualifying times for 2027 and 2028?
The standards range from 2:55:00 for men aged 18 to 34 to 5:20:00 for women aged 80 and older, with non binary athletes using the women’s standard. The same standards apply to both the 2027 and 2028 races.
Does hitting the qualifying standard guarantee entry into Boston?
No. Because the field is capped, meeting your standard only lets you apply. When applications exceed available spots, the BAA accepts the fastest runners relative to their standard first, which creates the annual cutoff.
What is the Boston Qualifier Selection?
New for the 2027 race, it is a random selection that awards approximately 1,000 entries to applicants who met their qualifying standard but did not beat the cutoff time.
How far in advance do I need to run my Boston qualifier?
Plan on roughly 18 months between your qualifying marathon and Boston race day. The qualifying window opens well over a year before the race, and registration happens the September before each April race.
When is the 2028 Boston Marathon?
The Boston Marathon is run on Patriots’ Day, the third Monday in April, which falls on Monday, April 17, 2028. The B.A.A. has not yet formally announced the 2028 race date.
When did the 2028 Boston Marathon qualifying window open?
The 2028 qualifying window opened on Saturday, September 19, 2026, one day after Registration Week for the 2027 Boston Marathon closed. Marathons finished from that date forward can be submitted as 2028 qualifiers.
Do I have to qualify in 2027 to run Boston in 2028?
For most runners, yes. The 2028 window opened in September 2026 and registration is expected in September 2027, so the qualifying marathon that puts you on the 2028 start line is almost always one you run during 2027.
Related Reading
- Boston Marathon Qualifying Times: The Complete History
- What Is a Boston Qualifier Marathon?
- Which Florida Marathons Are Best for a Boston Qualifier?
- Why Northern Runners Are Booking This St. Pete Winter BQ Trip
- Flat vs. Hilly Marathon Courses: What the Research Says
- Explore the St. Pete Marathon™ Course