Boston Marathon qualifying standards to remain the same for 2025

After much speculation, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) says marathon qualifying times will not change.

On Monday, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced that it will not raise the entry standards for the 2025 Boston Marathon. This news will be a sigh of relief for many runners who have already achieved a Boston qualifying time for next year.

According to the B.A.A., the qualifying standards across all age brackets will remain the same as they were for the 2024 Boston Marathon. However, achieving a qualifying standard does not guarantee entry into the marathon. If applications exceed capacity, those applicants who exceed their qualifying time standards by the smallest margins may not be accepted.

At the 2024 Boston Marathon, there was a cutoff time of five minutes and 29 seconds per age group, one of the largest since time cutoffs were introduced in 2012. There were more than 33,000 applicants last year, with more than 11,000 athletes turned down despite hitting qualifying times.

Due to the large number of athletes being turned down in 2024, there was much speculation about whether the B.A.A. would raise the entry standards for 2025. The field size for the 129th Boston Marathon will remain at 30,000 participants and the race will take place on Monday, April 21, 2025.

For those who have hit a qualifying time for 2025, mark your calendars and set a reminder. Registration will open on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. ET, and will close on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. ET. The 2025 Boston Marathon qualifying window opened on Sept. 1, 2023, and will close at 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. Any athlete who has achieved a qualifying time in this window may submit a registration application.

The qualifying window for the 130th Boston Marathon, scheduled for April 20, 2026, will open on Sept. 1, 2024. Registration details for the 2026 race will be announced following the 2025 Boston Marathon.

posted Wednesday June 12th
by Marley Dickinson