Boston Marathon Qualifiers Notified of Acceptance

More than 24,000 qualified athletes have been accepted into April’s Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America

BOSTON—Today, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) began notifying qualified applicants of their acceptance into the 130th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America. The race will be run on Monday, April 20, 2026.

Qualifiers who were four minutes, thirty-four seconds (4:34) or faster than the qualifying time for their age group and gender have been accepted into the 130th Boston Marathon. A total of 24,362 qualified applicants have been admitted to date or are in the process of being accepted, pending final verification of their qualifying performance. Email notices to accepted athletes and those not accepted have begun being sent by the B.A.A. and will continue to be sent through the coming days.

A total of 33,249 qualifier applications were received during registration week (September 8-12). The Boston Marathon field size is set at 30,000 official entrants.

“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 and CEO 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 20th, on their racing 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.”

Registration facts and statistics are available below. The remainder of the Boston Marathon field will consist of invitational entrants, including runners participating as part of the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program, as well as invited professional athletes and Paralympic athletes.

A history of qualifying times and past registration acceptance information can be found here.

130th BOSTON MARATHON QUALIFIER REGISTRATION BY THE NUMBERS:

• 33,249 applications were received during the registration period for qualifiers
• 24,362 qualified applicants have been accepted, or are in the process of being accepted, pending verification of their qualifying performance.
• 8,887 qualifier applicants were unable to be accepted into the 130th Boston Marathon.
• This year’s ‘Cut-Off’ time needed to gain acceptance into the Boston Marathon was four minutes, thirty-four seconds or faster (4:34) than the qualifying time for each respective age group and gender.
• 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.
• Citizens of 120 countries were accepted into the 130th Boston Marathon.
• Residents of all 50 U.S. states (plus Washington, DC, and additional U.S. territories) 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)
  • 2024 California International Marathon (675 entrants)

• Approximately 10,710 athletes will be racing their first Boston Marathon.
• The youngest and oldest accepted athletes are 18 and 83 years old, respectively.
• 1,373 Massachusetts residents are entered in the Boston Marathon.

During the registration period, the breakdown of accepted Qualifiers was as follows:

• 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 4 minutes and 34 seconds and 9 minutes and 59 seconds.
• 195 athletes achieved their respective qualifying standards in the Para Athletics Division to gain entry.

The next B.A.A. event

The 2025 Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund is on Sunday, November 9.

A list of frequently asked registration questions is provided below. Please note that all statistics above are preliminary and may change slightly during the verification process.

Frequently Asked Questions for Athletes

When will official notices of acceptances and non-acceptances be emailed? Notices of acceptance or non-acceptance have begun to be issued and will continue to be issued through the coming days.

When will credit cards be charged? My credit card has been charged/it appears that entry fees have been withdrawn from my bank account. What does this mean? Credit cards will be charged upon acceptance. Upon submission of an athlete’s application, their credit card has been authorized for payment. If an application is accepted, the credit card will only be charged the non-refundable, non-transferable, and non-deferrable entry fee.

Athletes may notice a preauthorization draft on a credit card statement. The actual charge will not appear on the credit card until the entry has been verified and accepted. Only athletes who are accepted into the Boston Marathon will be charged the entry fee.

Will the 130th Boston Marathon registration reopen to qualifiers? Registration for the 130th Boston Marathon was open from September 8 to 12 for all qualified athletes and will not reopen. Registration information for the 131st Boston Marathon will be announced after the 2026 event concludes.

When does registration for the 131st Boston Marathon open? Registration information for the 131st Boston Marathon will be announced following the conclusion of the 130th race. The 2027 qualifying window began on September 13, 2025, and qualifying standards can be found here.

I still want to participate in the 130th Boston Marathon. What can I do? Organizations that are part of the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program will begin accepting applications for next April’s race later this fall. Athletes interested in fundraising as part of a charity program are encouraged to contact the non-profit or charity organization directly for more information.

ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.)

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote a healthy lifestyle through sports, particularly running. The B.A.A. manages the Boston Marathon and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The economic impact of the 2024 Boston Marathon, presented by Bank of America, generated $509 million in state and local economic activity. The 130th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will be held on Monday, April 20, 2026.

The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York City, and Sydney. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.