The 129th Boston Marathon, scheduled for April 21, 2025, has set a new bar for qualifiers, with a record-breaking cutoff time of 6 minutes and 51 seconds faster than the standard qualifying times for age and gender categories. Despite a surge in qualified applicants, more than 12,000 runners were unable to secure a spot in the prestigious race.
The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) reported that 36,393 qualified runners applied for the 2025 marathon, the largest number ever. Out of these, only 24,069 were accepted, leaving 12,324 applicants disappointed despite meeting their official qualifying times. This year’s cutoff time is the largest seen since the pandemic, except for the 2021 race, which had a cutoff of 7:47 due to a smaller field size.
“The sport of marathoning is reaching record levels from both a participation and speed standpoint,” said Jack Fleming, CEO of the B.A.A. “Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept all athletes into the field, though we want to recognize, thank, and applaud all whose goal was to be part of the 2025 event.”
While the total field size remains at 30,000 runners, 80 percent of the spots were allocated to qualifiers, which is an increase from 2024, where only 22,019 qualifiers were admitted, or 73.4 percent of the field. The B.A.A. says this shift reflects the growing demand and competitiveness to participate in one of the world’s most famous marathons.
The post-pandemic demand for Boston Marathon spots has been steadily rising. After two years of no cutoff times in 2022 and 2023, 2024 saw a cutoff of 5:29, and now 2025’s record-setting 6:51 has raised the bar further.
Additionally, in response to the growing number of runners hitting qualifying times, the B.A.A. recently tightened the qualifying times for the 2026 Boston Marathon by five minutes for most age groups.
This year’s qualified field includes participants from all 50 U.S. states and 118 countries, including 13,740 men, 10,260 women, and 69 non-binary athletes. Additionally, 709 runners were accepted based on having completed 10 or more consecutive Boston Marathons, and 26 athletes achieved their respective Para Athletics Division qualifying standards.
