The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has released important registration and policy updates that will impact thousands of runners aiming for a bib in the 2026 and 2027 Boston Marathons.
Among the biggest changes: starting next year, runners who qualify on net downhill courses will face time penalties, known as “indexing,” designed to curb the advantage offered by gravity-assisted races.
The changes come as the race continues to grow in popularity, with record-breaking numbers of qualifiers vying for limited spots and the B.A.A. under increasing pressure to ensure fairness in its entry process.
New Penalties for Downhill Qualifying Times
Beginning with the 2027 race, qualifying results from courses with at least 1,500 feet (457 meters) of net elevation loss will no longer be accepted at face value. Instead, runners will see their submitted times adjusted depending on the steepness of the course.
A five-minute penalty will be added to times from courses with a net descent between 1,500 and 2,999 feet, and a 10-minute penalty for those between 3,000 and 5,999 feet. Courses with more than 6,000 feet of net drop will be outright ineligible for Boston qualification.
This shift could have major consequences for runners targeting popular downhill marathons like Revel Mt. Charleston, St. George, or Big Cottonwood, which are frequently used to secure Boston qualifying times.
For example, a 35-year-old male runner who clocks a 2:58:00 at a marathon with a 2,500-foot drop would have that result indexed to 3:03:00, three minutes over his qualifying standard of 3:00:00, and thus would not be eligible to apply.
Jack Fleming, President and CEO of the B.A.A., framed the change as a necessary evolution:
“As the sport of marathoning has increased in popularity and the demand for a place in the Boston Marathon has reached record levels, the B.A.A. has continued to analyze race results from events across the world. The new downhill course adjustments are the next step in our evolving Boston Marathon registration process.”
The B.A.A. worked with data scientists and reviewed performance data from 2022 through 2025 before implementing the new guidelines.
Their analysis aligned with a 2023 study published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, which found that runners can gain between 3 to 6 minutes on net-downhill courses, depending on gradient and athlete pace.
The indexing system is intended to be applied automatically when runners submit results for Boston registration starting in September 2025. For now, the penalties are locked in for at least two years, though the B.A.A. says it reserves the right to make further adjustments as needed.
What to Know About 2026 and 2027 Boston Marathon Registration
The B.A.A. also confirmed registration dates and qualifying windows for the next two editions of the race.
Registration for the 2026 Boston Marathon, which will be the 130th running of the iconic event, will be held from Sept. 8 to 12, 2025. As in recent years, registration is not first-come, first-served. Instead, all applications submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET on Sept. 12 will be ranked based on how far under the qualifying time each applicant ran.
To be eligible, runners must hit a qualifying standard at a certified full marathon between Sept. 1, 2024, and Sept. 12, 2025.
2026 Boston Marathon Qualifying Times
| Age Group | MEN | WOMEN | NON-BINARY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 2hrs 55min 00sec | 3hrs 25min 00sec | 3hrs 25min 00sec |
| 35-39 | 3hrs 00min 00sec | 3hrs 30min 00sec | 3hrs 30min 00sec |
| 40-44 | 3hrs 05min 00sec | 3hrs 35min 00sec | 3hrs 35min 00sec |
| 45-49 | 3hrs 15min 00sec | 3hrs 45min 00sec | 3hrs 45min 00sec |
| 50-54 | 3hrs 20min 00sec | 3hrs 50min 00sec | 3hrs 50min 00sec |
| 55-59 | 3hrs 30min 00sec | 4hrs 00min 00sec | 4hrs 00min 00sec |
| 60-64 | 3hrs 50min 00sec | 4hrs 20min 00sec | 4hrs 20min 00sec |
| 65-69 | 4hrs 05min 00sec | 4hrs 35min 00sec | 4hrs 35min 00sec |
| 70-74 | 4hrs 20min 00sec | 4hrs 50min 00sec | 4hrs 50min 00sec |
| 75-79 | 4hrs 35min 00sec | 5hrs 05min 00sec | 5hrs 05min 00sec |
| 80 and over | 4hrs 50min 00sec | 5hrs 20min 00sec | 5hrs 20min 00sec |
The qualifying window for the 2027 race opens immediately after the 2026 registration closes, on Sept. 13, 2025, and will continue until registration for the 2027 race begins in September 2026.
Despite meeting the qualifying times, not every applicant will get in.
For the 2025 Boston Marathon, more than 12,000 qualifiers were rejected, with a required cutoff of 6 minutes and 51 seconds below the posted standard. It marked the largest exclusion to date, signaling just how competitive Boston has become.
| YEAR | FIELD SIZE | CUT-OFF TIME | QUALIFIERS NOT ACCEPTED |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 27,000 | 1:14 | 3,228 |
| 2014 | 36,000 | 1:38 | 2,976 |
| 2015 | 30,000 | 1:02 | 1,947 |
| 2016 | 30,000 | 2:28 | 4,562 |
| 2017 | 30,000 | 2:09 | 2,957 |
| 2018 | 30,000 | 3:23 | 5,062 |
| 2019 | 30,000 | 4:52 | 7,384 |
| 2020 | 31,500 | 1:39 | 3,161 |
| 2021 | 20,000 | 7:47 | 9,215 |
| 2022 | 30,000 | 0:00 | 0 |
| 2023 | 30,000 | 0:00 | 0 |
| 2024 | 30,000 | 5:29 | 11,039 |
| 2025 | 30,000 | 6:51 | 12,324 |
In an effort to streamline the process, the B.A.A. will again offer a pre-verification period beginning in July 2025. This lets runners upload and verify their times in advance, although it does not replace the need to officially register during September.
Runners with a streak of 10 or more Boston finishes will still have access to early registration options.
The B.A.A. has also reaffirmed its rules that only officially certified courses will be accepted for qualification. Marathons must be certified by USATF, World Athletics, AIMS, or international equivalents. Events that lack certification or don’t submit elevation proof by July 1 may be excluded from Boston eligibility.
Which Marathons Are Affected
If you’re planning to try and BQ on one of these popular downhill courses, the new rule could change your odds.
Several well-known marathons that have long been favored for their fast, gravity-aided profiles will now come with a time penalty, or be disqualified entirely, from Boston Marathon consideration starting with the 2027 race.
Here’s a look at a group of popular American BQ races that may be impacted by the new rule, based on their listed net downhill profile:
- Bears Ears Marathon
- Cascade Express Marathon
- Deseret News Marathon
- East Canyon Marathon
- Hawaii Bird Conservation Marathon
- Huntsville Marathon
- Jack and Jills Downhill (Mont.) Marathon
- Jack and Jills Downhill (Penn.) Marathon
- Jack and Jills Downhill (Wash) Marathon
- Las Vegas Marathon
- Leading Ladies Marathon
- Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon
- Pocatello Marathon
- REVEL Big Bear Marathon
- REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon
- REVEL Mt. Charleston Marathon
- REVEL White Mountains Marathon (listed as “retired” by REVEL)
- Runtastic NEBO Marathon
- St. George Marathon
- Sun Marathon
- Sundance to Spearfish Marathon
- Super Marathon
- Tucson Marathon
- Tunnel Light Marathon
- Tunnel Vision Marathon
- Utah Valley Marathon
Data via downhillmarathons.com
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story included marathons with “total elevation loss,” and not net elevation loss. These marathons are now removed from the above potentially non-compliant list, leaving only courses with a net downhill of more than 1,500 ft.
What This Means for Runners
The new indexing system sends a clear message, Boston wants to reward athletic performance on courses that test a runner’s ability, not just their ability to chase elevation. While many runners have long recognized the benefit of downhill qualifiers, this is the first time the B.A.A. has taken measurable action to address the imbalance.
Planning a qualifying race for Boston will now require more than just targeting the fastest course on paper. Runners will need to evaluate course profiles, verify certification status, and calculate how time indexing may affect their odds of acceptance.
For some, that may mean pivoting away from steep descents and instead targeting fast but fair races, which have long been considered BQ-friendly without dramatic elevation loss.
As with all things Boston, preparation and precision matter. Whether you’re a first-time hopeful or a long-time streaker, these new rules are a reminder, the path to Boylston Street just got a little steeper, unless, of course, you’re running uphill.
This is a good development, but I think it should go much further:
If a 1500m net loss in elevation costs 5:00, then a 300m loss cost 1:00, and each 5m costs 1 second. Every marathon that has or applies for BQ certification, must also submit its net elevation loss (if any) and these races will automatically have a time handicap applied. But even this does not go far enough as net loss is not the only factor; a Hilly loop is considerably harder than a flat one. Thus, even a very accurately graduated net down penalty is not really fair as, for example, it would give the Boston Marathon a time handicap of -02:20 when compared to Chicago, and everyone knows Boston is the harder race.
If the BAA really wants to level the playing field, so to speak, then it should apply a “grade adjustment factor” to every race applying to be a qualifier. In sailing, a different factor is applied to every boat (called a Portsmouth Yardstick) so the quality of the sailor, not the quality of the boat is what wins mixed-boat races. I have no doubt that there is a pretty straight forward way to calculate this, as Strava has already done something similar. Runners would know that they are just as likely to BQ at their local race as any other, even if it is an uphill course, and everyone that has earned a BQ time can be equally proud of their own and each other’s achievement.