If you’ve ever stood at the start line of the Boston Marathon, you know the electricity in the air is like nowhere else.
It’s not just another race — it’s Boston.
Whether you’re chasing a PR or simply chasing a dream, you’re lining up to cover the exact same 26.2 miles as the fastest runners on earth.
And while that shared challenge bonds every runner, there’s no denying that the way pros and amateurs tackle the course looks very different.
Thanks to Ashley Mateo’s deep dive at Runner’s World — plus a little extra research — we’ve unpacked exactly how the average runner stacks up against the elites. Here’s what we found.
The Finish Line Reality Check
The numbers are pretty staggering when you lay them side by side.
In 2024, the top elite men averaged 2:08:33, clicking off 4:54 miles as if they were jogging through the park. Elite women weren’t far behind, finishing in an average of 2:24:07, holding a 5:30 pace.
Meanwhile, among the 25,640 finishers in the amateur field, the average finish time was 3:53:04. And while that’s a solid marathon by any measure, it highlights just how much ground separates elites from the rest of us.
Even among amateur runners on Strava — a community that trends faster than the general field — median times were 3:23:32 for men and 3:47:30 for women.
Compare that to the global median marathon times, which hover around 4:30 for men and 4:50 for women, and it’s clear: just qualifying for Boston puts you among some of the world’s fastest amateur runners.
But speed isn’t everything. The beauty of Boston is that it’s as much about grit and strategy as it is about raw pace.
Why Negative Splits Are a Boston Unicorn
Running a negative split — pacing the second half faster than the first — is often held up as the Holy Grail of marathon racing.
And it makes sense: studies consistently show that negative splitting leads to faster finish times and less late-race suffering. But on Boston’s famously brutal course? Easier said than done.
In 2024, none of the top five elite men managed a negative split. All five of the top women did, led by Hellen Obiri’s masterclass in patience and timing. For the amateurs, negative splits were almost mythical — only 1.4% of runners on Strava pulled it off.
Boston’s course punishes anyone who’s too aggressive early on. The initial miles are downhill, luring runners into faster-than-ideal pacing. Then come the Newton Hills between miles 16 and 21, testing the strength (and willpower) of even the best-prepared athletes. By the time you hit Heartbreak Hill, the idea of picking up the pace often goes out the window.
The Second-Half Struggle Is Real
Boston isn’t just hilly — it’s deceptively cruel. After tempting you with an easy downhill start, the course saves its most vicious elevation changes for the later miles when fatigue is already setting in.
Strava’s data shows just how much the course takes its toll: 39% of amateur runners slowed by more than 10% over the final 10K, compared to just 18% of pros.
That’s a massive gap, but it’s not just about fitness. Elite runners have an edge because they prepare differently.
Many, like Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, spend weeks ahead of race day doing training runs on the course itself, fine-tuning their pacing strategies and dialing in their hill running form.
For the rest of us, unless you live in New England or plan a training trip to Boston, the first time you’ll face those Newton Hills might be on race day itself. And that’s a tough way to learn just how much they can hurt.
Heartbreak Hill Breaks Everyone (Almost)
Heartbreak Hill may not be the tallest or steepest climb in running, but in the context of the Boston Marathon, it’s absolutely brutal. Coming right after mile 20 — when glycogen stores are dwindling and the mental battle is raging — the hill feels almost personal.
In 2024, more than half of amateur runners (56%) slowed significantly on Heartbreak, while 47% of pros did the same. Even top American finishers weren’t immune: CJ Albertson posted his slowest mile of the race on Heartbreak, and Emma Bates notched her third slowest.
So if you’ve ever found yourself gasping your way up that infamous stretch, take heart: you’re in very good company.
Shoes and Fuel: Margins Matter
When you’re racing for the win, every second — and every ounce of energy — matters. That’s why the elites are armed with the latest super shoes and dialed-in fueling strategies.
In 2024, Sisay Lemma stormed to victory in Adidas’s Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 v2, while Hellen Obiri claimed her win in the On Cloudboom Strike LS. Among amateurs, brand loyalty leaned heavily toward Nike, Saucony, Brooks, Asics, and Hoka.
Studies have shown that carbon-plated super shoes can improve running economy by around 4% — which, over 26.2 miles, is huge. But the secret sauce isn’t just in the shoes. It’s also in how runners fuel.
Boston provides water and Gatorade at nearly every mile, with Maurten gels at select points for amateurs. Elites, however, get personal bottles every 5K, allowing them to stick to meticulously planned carb-loading strategies.
Top pros like Emma Bates aim for more than 60 grams of carbs per hour — the gold standard for endurance events lasting longer than 2.5 hours, according to the latest sports nutrition research.
If you’re an amateur aiming to make it through Boston strong, practicing race-day fueling in training isn’t optional. It’s essential.
At Boston, there’s a wide gulf between the finish times of pros and amateurs. But there’s no difference in the grit, the excitement, or the heartbreak.
We all tackle the same starting line, the same Newton Hills, and the same deafening cheers from Wellesley’s Scream Tunnel. We all wrestle with the same doubts somewhere along Commonwealth Avenue. And we all cross the same finish line in Copley Square, changed by the journey.
Big thanks again to Ashley Mateo and Runner’s World for pulling together the data that makes it clear: Boston isn’t just a marathon. It’s a proving ground for everyone brave enough to toe the line.
