Is hitting the Boston qualifying standard enough to get in?

Usually not. In most recent years the field has filled past the standard, and the BAA has applied a cutoff, accepting the fastest applicants relative to their standard. Plan for three to five minutes under.

What are the current Boston qualifying times?

They are set by age group and gender and were cut by five minutes for the 2026 race. Because they change and because the cutoff moves separately, check the BAA site rather than any third party, including this one.

How many marathons does it take to qualify?

For runners who are close, one or two well-executed attempts in the right conditions. For runners more than ten minutes away, it is a multi-season project and the marathon itself is rarely the limiting factor.

Does the course matter?

A great deal. Course profile, weather, and having pacers to sit behind are worth minutes. Choosing a fast, cool, flat race is the cheapest time you will ever find.

Train for

Chasing a Boston qualifier

Boston is the only major marathon most amateurs can enter on merit, which is why the qualifier means what it does. It is also the goal most often missed by under two minutes, because runners train for the standard rather than for the cutoff.

Train for the cutoff, not the standard

This is the whole strategic point. In most recent years, hitting the published standard exactly has not been enough to get in. The BAA accepts the fastest applicants relative to their standard until the field is full, and the margin required has moved around by several minutes depending on the year.

The practical implication: build a block targeting your standard minus three to five minutes, and treat the standard itself as the failure case rather than the goal. A runner who trains for the standard and has an average day misses. A runner who trains for standard minus four and has an average day gets in.

The three things that decide a BQ attempt

Picking the right race. A flat, cool, well-organised course with pacers is worth more than any single training block. Late autumn and early spring races in temperate conditions. Avoid anything with a hill profile you have not trained for and anything likely to be over about 12°C at the start.
Building margin into the block. Your marathon-pace sessions should be run at your target, which is standard minus four, not at the standard. If you only ever rehearse the exact pace you need, race day variance kills you.
Having more than one attempt. The qualifying window is long enough for two marathons. Runners who plan a single attempt put everything on one weather forecast. Plan the block so a second race eight to ten weeks later is possible.

The block

A BQ block is a marathon block with the margin engineered in. The structure is the same as any serious marathon build: 16 to 18 weeks, mileage peaking where your history says you can absorb it, two quality sessions a week, and the long run carrying progressively more goal-pace running.

The distinguishing feature is specificity late. In the final six weeks, the majority of your quality work should be at or just under goal marathon pace rather than at threshold or above. You are not trying to raise your ceiling at that point. You are trying to make the ceiling you have feel comfortable for three hours.

The other distinguishing feature is that you rehearse the race, not just the fitness. Same shoes, same fuelling, same start time, same breakfast, on at least two long runs. A BQ lost to a stomach that had never seen that gel before is a bad way to lose one.

Frequently asked

Is hitting the Boston qualifying standard enough to get in?: Usually not. In most recent years the field has filled past the standard, and the BAA has applied a cutoff, accepting the fastest applicants relative to their standard. Plan for three to five minutes under.
What are the current Boston qualifying times?: They are set by age group and gender and were cut by five minutes for the 2026 race. Because they change and because the cutoff moves separately, check the BAA site rather than any third party, including this one.
How many marathons does it take to qualify?: For runners who are close, one or two well-executed attempts in the right conditions. For runners more than ten minutes away, it is a multi-season project and the marathon itself is rarely the limiting factor.
Does the course matter?: A great deal. Course profile, weather, and having pacers to sit behind are worth minutes. Choosing a fast, cool, flat race is the cheapest time you will ever find.

Your block, written

Put a date on it and Shed builds the weeks.

Shed takes your goal, your race date, and the days you can actually run, then writes every session between here and the start line. It reads each run off your Apple Watch the same day and moves what needs moving. No spreadsheet, no guessing at paces.

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