What you need to know if you want to run the Boston Marathon in 2024
It's never too early to start planning.
So you want to run the Boston Marathon.
You’d be in good company: Will Ferrell has run Boston; Tedy Bruschi, too. The historic course has drawn Olympians, NASCAR drivers, a “Bachelor” star, and even a few politicians (former Gov. Michael Dukakis famously ran the marathon in low-top Keds as a teenager).
While the Boston Athletic Association hasn’t yet released registration details for next year’s Boston Marathon, here’s what to know if you’re looking to get a spot at the Hopkinton starting line on April 15, 2024.
Qualifying for the Boston Marathon
For many marathoners, a Boston qualifying (BQ) time is both a bucket list item and a golden ticket.
The qualifying times can change from year to year, with the BAA most recently shaving a few minutes off of its standards in 2020. As of April 2023, qualifying times start at 3 hours for men and 3 hours, 30 minutes for women and nonbinary athletes in the 18-34 age range — the older you are, the more time you’ll get.
The Boston Marathon’s Para Athletics Divisions and Adaptive Programs have their own eligibility criteria. Qualifying times for the wheelchair, handcycle, adaptive, and para divisions are available online.
The Boston Marathon:
The qualifying window for the 2024 marathon began on Sept. 1, 2022. While the BAA hasn’t announced next year’s registration dates, this year’s registration was open from Sept. 12-16, 2022.
Showing off your Strava PR won’t be enough to notch a BQ, though; the BAA stipulates that a qualifying time must be run at a certified event.
A qualifying time is also no guarantee that an athlete will be able to run the Boston Marathon. In years past, the BAA has had to turn qualified marathoners away because of high demand.
“Due to field size limitations, achieving one’s qualifying standard does not guarantee entry into the event, but simply the opportunity to submit a registration application,” the BAA explains on its website. “If the total amount of submissions surpasses the allotted field size for qualified athletes, then those who are the fastest among the pool of applicants in their age and gender group will be accepted.”
More than 23,000 qualified athletes applied to run in 2023, and the BAA announced that it would accept all whose times it could verify. The remainder of the roughly 30,000 participants include professional athletes, marathoners representing the BAA’s charity partners and sponsors, and those who received invitational entries.
Running with a charity or tour group
Qualifying isn’t the only option for would-be marathoners. Athletes can also run on behalf of one of the nonprofit organizations participating in the BAA’s Official Charity Program. The BAA stipulates a fundraising minimum of $5,000 per athlete, but individual nonprofits can set the bar higher.
For the 2023 marathon, the BAA’s official charities began accepting registration submissions on Sept. 12.
Separately, Boston Marathon sponsor John Hancock has historically donated race entries to select nonprofit organizations, though Bank of America will replace John Hancock as primary sponsor in 2024. Boston.com has reached out to Bank of America and the BAA to ask whether the change of sponsorship will impact the Non-Profit Program.
Some tour operators also offer a limited number of invitational marathon entries through the BAA’s International Tour Program.
However you secure that coveted spot in the Boston Marathon, the world-famous course is sure to deliver.
“For those who are in shape and can run this thing, I think it’s the greatest race in the world,” legendary Boston Marathon champion Johnny Kelley once said. “I hope it goes on forever.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com