Runners who have achieved a Boston marathon qualifying time and have submitted their application to the race can breathe a sigh of relief: for the second year in a row, every runner who met the qualifying standard for their age and sex and applied on time was accepted into the 2023 Boston Marathon will get to run.
On September 21, 2033, just a week or so after the registration window for the race closed, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced that there is no cutoff time for the 2023 Boston Marathon.
As was the case in 2022, all runners who register on time and submitted evidence to substantiate a verified qualifying time for their age group and sex during the qualifying window are accepted into 127th Boston Marathon.
The race will take place on April 17, 2023.
Like the 2022 race, the field size for the 2023 Boston Marathon is slated to be 30,000 runners, which approaches pre-pandemic levels.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a postponement of the 2020 Boston Marathon, the field size had been set at 31,500.
According to the BAA, a total of 23,267 athletes applied during the five-day registration window this year, which marked an increase of about 300 qualified athletes over last year.
Of this field of 2023 qualifiers, there are 13,315 men, 9,930 women, and 22 non-binary athletes.
The remainder of the field (up to the 30,000 participants) will be comprised of athletes representing official charity partners, sponsors, BAA professionals, and other invited individuals.
The fact that everyone who applied for the race with a verified qualifying time was accepted is noteworthy because historically, there have been fairly significant cutoff times for the Boston Marathon, meaning that runners had to be well under the qualifying standard for their division to be accepted into the race.
For example, for the 2019 Boston Marathon, more than 7,000 qualified runners were denied entry into the race.
However, the number of qualified athletes applying to the Boston Marathon has declined 14.7 percent from pre-pandemic levels, with many runners citing the high cost of entry fees and travel as a major deterrent to registering for the event, as well as lingering concerns about COVID-19.
Although registration for the 2023 Boston Marathon has ended, you can learn more about the registration process for the 2024 Boston Marathon here.
