The B.A.A. sets standards in five-year age bands from 18-34 upward, using your age on race day. The current base standards are 2:55:00 for men 18-34 and 3:25:00 for women 18-34, easing with each band. These are the tightened standards introduced for the 2026 race, five minutes tougher than before across the 18 to 59 bands.
A 2:55:00 marathon is about 4:09 per kilometer, or 6:41 per mile. A 3:25:00 is about 4:52 per kilometer, or 7:49 per mile. The tool shows the exact required pace for your own age group and division.
No. A BQ lets you apply; when more qualifiers apply than the field holds, the B.A.A. accepts the fastest first. For the 2026 race the cutoff was 4 minutes 34 seconds under standard, and cutoffs have reached 6:51 in recent full-field years. That is why the tool also shows a projected cutoff-safe target.
No, and the routes differ. Boston is qualifier-only. London offers Good for Age to UK residents. Berlin has fast-runner entry, Chicago and New York have time-qualifier routes, Tokyo has a small semi-elite program, and Sydney runs priority entry standards. Cape Town has not published time standards yet.
Your age on race day. If you qualify at 44 but turn 45 before the Boston you are entering, the 45-49 standard applies, which is ten minutes softer than 40-44.
Registration for the 2027 race runs September 8 to 12, 2026, with race day on Patriots' Day, April 19, 2027. Qualifying times must come from a certified marathon; the B.A.A. announces the cutoff after the window closes.