After two years of accepting all qualified applicants to the Boston Marathon, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has once again begun turning away some athletes despite running a qualifying time.
This year, 33,058 applicants met the qualifying time for the Boston Marathon 2024. Only a total of 22,019 of those applicants will be accepted to run in the event.
11,039 runners will not be accepted into the event.
David Tyrie, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Marketing Officer for Bank of America, states that this year’s number of applicants was historic:
“This year’s registration week resulted in the highest number of qualifier applicants in race history, a testament to the strength of the marathon community.”
The B.A.A. announced on September 28th that the cutoff time for entry into the event was 5:29.
Boston Marathon 2024 Cutoff Explained
What this means for those hoping to toe the line at the event is that running the qualifying time was not enough to be accepted into the event.
With a cutoff time of 5:29, Boston hopefuls had to run 5 minutes and 29 seconds faster than the qualifying time for their respective gender and age group.
There was no cutoff time in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Boston Marathon, coming out of the pandemic. Everyone who achieved a qualifying time was accepted into the race.
In 2024, the field remains the same as the previous two editions, with 30,000 participants.
With about 75% of entries awarded to individuals who run a qualifying time, the remainder of the race entries will comprise invitational entries. This includes charity entries and select professional and para-athletes.
In a press release by the B.A.A., President and CEO Jack Fleming applauds all runners who achieved a qualifying time:
“While we’re unable to accept all into the field, we applaud and recognize the many athletes who circled the 128th Boston Marathon on their calendar as a goal race to strive towards. Boston Marathon qualifiers are among the most dedicated athletes in sports and are always pushing to achieve their goals and personal bests.”
The field of accepted athletes will consist of 12,535 men, 9,440 women, and 44 non-binary athletes. The youngest accepted athlete was 18 and the oldest accepted athlete was 82. For 11,391 runners from the qualified field, this will be their first Boston Marathon.
The 2024 Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will be the event’s 128th edition and will take place on Monday, April 15, 2024. The qualifying period for the 2024 event ran from September 1, 2022, until September 15, 2023.
Did you get into Boston?
Or did you miss the new cut-off?
Let us know below!
