Boston Marathon 2027: CutOff Times, the 1,000-Place Lottery and How to Qualify for 2028
Updated: Oct 20
Written by Andy Hood · Ultra runner, cancer survivor and Runna ambassador
Published 6 August 2026. Last updated 20 October 2026: 2027 cutoff and lottery results added, plus how to qualify for Boston 2028.
Article contains affiliate links that support this blog and my cancer charity work.
The 2027 Boston Marathon cutoff was 5 minutes 17 seconds under standard, a record 25,630 qualifiers got in, and 1,000 of them came through the new random draw. If you missed out, the qualifying window for Boston 2028 is already open.
Key takeaways
The 131st Boston Marathon is on Monday 19 April 2027.
The cutoff was 5:17 under each age-group standard. Men 18 to 34 needed 2:49:43, the first time that group has dipped under 2:50.
25,630 qualifiers were accepted, including 1,000 drawn at random in the new Boston Qualifier Selection. Around 8,000 who hit their standard still missed out.
The Boston 2028 qualifying window opened on 19 September 2026, with the same standards as 2027.
No BQ? A charity place or a B.A.A.-approved tour operator are the two guaranteed routes in.
Something is shifting in the world of the Majors. For 2027, London is staging its marathon over two days for the first time, and Boston, the race famous for its locked front door, has handed 1,000 qualifiers a second chance through a random draw. Read those two changes together and the signal is hard to miss: the biggest races on the planet are opening up, and interest in the World Marathon Majors is only heading one way.
You'll know where I stand on this. Events should be open to all, not just the fast or the elite. So a draw that rewards runners for hitting their standard, rather than beating it by five minutes? I'm all for it.
Boston still carries a little extra mystique. It's the world's oldest annual marathon, it's run on a Monday (Patriots' Day, a Massachusetts holiday), and it's the only Major where the front door has a time lock on it. You don't ballot your way into Boston. You earn it.
Or at least, that was the whole story until this year. If you've ever said the sport's cruellest sentence, "I qualified for Boston but didn't get in," this one's for you. The first half covers what happened for 2027 and every other way in. The second half is how to set yourself up for Boston 2028.
Contents
Boston Marathon 2027 Key Facts and Race Date
The 131st Boston Marathon takes place on Monday 19 April 2027, on the historic point-to-point route from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.
Race date | Monday 19 April 2027 (Patriots' Day) |
Edition | 131st Boston Marathon |
Route | Hopkinton to Boylston Street, Boston (point to point) |
Field size | Capped at 30,000 |
Qualifiers accepted | 25,630 (a record), including 1,000 by random draw |
2027 cut-off | 5:17 faster than your age-group standard |
Entry fee (qualifiers) | $270 |
First-time Boston runners | 10,745 |
Boston 2028 qualifying window | Opened 19 September 2026 |
Entry is built around qualifying times set by age group and gender, based on your age on race day. Your qualifying race must be a certified marathon run within the qualifying window.
Boston Marathon 2027 Registration and CutOff Time
Qualifier registration ran from Monday 14 to Friday 18 September 2026 through the B.A.A.'s online platform, Athletes' Village. It is not first come, first served: every application made in the five-day window gets equal consideration.
After registration closes, the B.A.A. verifies every qualifying time and ranks applicants by how far they beat their standard. The fastest fill the field, and the slowest accepted margin becomes that year's cut-off.
For 2027, more than 33,600 qualifiers applied. The cut-off landed at 5 minutes 17 seconds under standard. For men aged 18 to 34, that meant running 2:49:43 or faster, the first time this group's cutoff has dipped below 2:50. Around 8,000 runners who genuinely hit their qualifying time were still turned away.
Race year | Men 18–34 standard | Time needed to get in | Cut-off under standard |
2027 | 2:55:00 | 2:49:43 | 5:17 |
2026 | 2:55:00 | 2:50:26 | 4:34 |
2025 | 3:00:00 | 2:53:09 | 6:51 |
2024 | 3:00:00 | 2:54:31 | 5:29 |
Standards were tightened by five minutes from 2026, which is why the margin dipped that year while the actual time needed kept getting faster. A BQ alone stopped being a guarantee some time ago. Brutal, but there it is.
Boston Qualifier Selection 2027: 1,000-Place Lottery Results
New for 2027, the B.A.A. ran a Boston Qualifier Selection. Once the traditional process had filled the field, 1,000 runners who met their age-group standard but didn't beat the cut-off were randomly selected for entry.
Nobody had to do anything extra. Everyone who applied with a valid qualifying time and missed the cutoff was automatically in the draw. In total, 24,630 runners got in on time and 1,000 through the selection.
It didn't rescue all 8,000 heartbroken qualifiers, but it means hitting your standard finally counts for something again, even if you were seconds the wrong side of the line.
My take: it's the most runner-friendly thing Boston has done in years. If you've got a BQ, even by half a minute, apply. You're now in with a shout.
Missed the Boston Marathon Cut-Off: What Are Your Options?
If you applied and weren't accepted, you still have three routes to a Boston start line:
A charity place for 2027. Official charities are recruiting now, with many deadlines in December. More below.
A tour operator package. B.A.A.-approved international operators, including UK companies, have entries for 2027.
Get faster for 2028. The 2028 qualifying window is already open, so any certified marathon from 19 September 2026 onwards counts.
Boston Marathon 2028 Qualifying Times and Window
The 2028 qualifying window opened on Saturday 19 September 2026, the day after 2027 registration closed, and runs until 2028 registration week in September 2027. The standards are the same as for 2027.
Age on race day | Men | Women and non-binary |
18–34 | 2:55:00 | 3:25:00 |
35–39 | 3:00:00 | 3:30:00 |
40–44 | 3:05:00 | 3:35:00 |
45–49 | 3:15:00 | 3:45:00 |
50–54 | 3:20:00 | 3:50:00 |
55–59 | 3:30:00 | 4:00:00 |
60–64 | 3:50:00 | 4:20:00 |
65–69 | 4:05:00 | 4:35:00 |
70–74 | 4:20:00 | 4:50:00 |
75–79 | 4:35:00 | 5:05:00 |
80+ | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 |
Always check your exact standard on the B.A.A. qualifying page before you race.
Watch out for downhill courses. Since the 2027 qualifying window, times from courses with a net drop of 1,500 feet or more carry a time adjustment, and very steep courses can't be used at all. That fast, downhill BQ race may not be the shortcut it used to be.
Aim well under your standard. Cutoffs have run between four and a half and seven minutes in recent years. Target at least six minutes under, on a certified, legitimate course. The random draw is a welcome safety net, not a plan.
Running the London Marathon on Sunday 25 April 2027, like me? A UK spring marathon is a great place to chase a 2028 BQ. London 2026 alone got 610 runners into Boston 2027. Looking for something closer to home? My Brighton and Manchester Marathon 2027 guide has the dates, entry status and when to start training.
How to Run the Boston Marathon Without a Qualifying Time
No BQ, no problem. Well, almost. There are two official routes in without a qualifying time, and both cost considerably more than a standard entry.
Boston Marathon Charity Places
For 2027 the B.A.A. has named a record 215 official charities. You apply to the charity, not the race, and each sets its own deadline and fundraising minimum. As a guide, minimums for 2027 range from around $12,000 to $20,000, and some deadlines fall in mid-December 2026. You'll also pay the race entry fee on top. Browse the list on the B.A.A. Official Charity Program page.
Boston Marathon Tour Operators in the UK
International runners can secure entry through an official tour operator as part of a travel package. In the UK, the B.A.A.'s International Tour Program list includes Sports Tours International and 2:09 Events. Only book Boston entry through an operator on that list. Sports Tours advise 2027 is sold out and 2028 will open once the 2027 marathon has taken place.
My take: if I wanted Boston 2027 from North Devon, I'd be speaking to a charity this week, not next month. The deadlines are close, and the good teams fill fast.
Run a Faster Boston Qualifying Time
And if you're within touching distance of your standard, the third option is to spend the next year getting quicker. More on training below.
Looking for a Major with better odds? Take a look at my guides to the Berlin and Chicago 2027 ballots and every way into the New York Marathon 2027.
Boston Marathon Course: Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill
On paper Boston looks fast: a net downhill of around 140 metres from Hopkinton to the finish. Don't be fooled. The first four miles drop steeply and shred the quads of anyone who charges them. Then, just as fatigue bites, the Newton hills arrive between miles 16 and 21, finishing with the infamous Heartbreak Hill.
No single climb is monstrous. It's where they sit in the race that hurts. If you follow this blog, you'll know I adore a hill, but a hill at mile 20 on quads already battered by the downhill start is a different animal. Boston punishes runners who train for a flat marathon and rewards those who've prepared their legs for downhill pounding early and climbing late.
I've visited Boston a couple of times and always loved it, especially the waterside and Faneuil Hall. For a runner looking to carb up in the days before a race, there really couldn't be a better city. I hope to run Boston myself one day, representing Team Runna as one of their ambassadors. One day.
When to Start Boston Marathon 2027 Training
For a race on 19 April 2027, a 16-week marathon block starts in the week of 28 December 2026. So the real question isn't January onwards. It's what you do between now and then, and that window matters more than most runners realise.
I'm in exactly this position myself. I'll be on the start line of the London Marathon on Sunday 25 April 2027, six days after Boston, running for The Robin Cancer Trust. So my marathon block starts at the turn of the year too.
First, though, there's the small matter of the Krispy Kreme London 50 on Saturday 7 November: 50K across the capital, 20 Krispy Kreme shops and plenty of doughnuts, all raising money for cancer charity ChemoHero.
That leaves me mid-November to the end of December. I'll likely use the Runna Run to Maintain plan for that stretch. It keeps a base level of fitness ticking over, gives the body proper time to recover after a long season, and means I start the marathon block refreshed rather than ragged. Fitness maintained, batteries recharged. That's the whole game for late autumn. My guide to the running off-season covers this gap in more detail, and you can follow my road to London 2027 on the blog.
Boston Marathon Training Sessions for Downhills and Hills
Once your block starts, these make the biggest difference on this course:
Downhill running. Controlled downhill repeats and hilly long runs condition your quads for the opening four miles.
Late-run hills. Put climbs into the final third of your long runs to rehearse the Newton hills on tired legs.
Strength work. Lunges, step-downs and calf raises help your legs absorb the pounding.
Pacing discipline. Practise starting your long runs slower than goal pace; Boston rewards a patient first half.
Boston Marathon Training Plan with Runna
Regular readers will know why I trust Runna with this. The World Marathon Majors plans are built into the app, course profiles included. Runna knows about those quad-punishing early descents and the Newton hills from mile 16, and builds them into your plan, so you arrive in Hopkinton prepared for the race Boston actually is.
If you're chasing a 2028 qualifying time, the same applies. Runna meets you where you are today and builds you up in a measured, personalised way, whether that's toward a BQ attempt or your first start line in Hopkinton.
Or download the app and use promo code ANDY2. That's two full weeks of Runna Premium instead of the standard trial, enough to set up your Boston or BQ plan and see how it adapts before you commit. The code works worldwide.
So, did you get in? Or are you one of the 8,000 heading back to the drawing board for 2028? Let me know in the comments, or over on Instagram at @runningwestwardho.
Happy running
Andy
Boston Marathon 2027 FAQ
What was the Boston Marathon 2027 cutoff time?
The 2027 cutoff was 5 minutes 17 seconds faster than each age-group qualifying standard. For men aged 18 to 34, that meant 2:49:43 or quicker, the first time this group's cut-off has fallen below 2:50.
How many runners got into Boston 2027 with a qualifying time?
A record 25,630 qualifiers got into Boston 2027. That includes 24,630 accepted on time and 1,000 chosen in the new random Boston Qualifier Selection. Around 8,000 qualifiers missed out.
What was the Boston Qualifier Selection?
The Boston Qualifier Selection was a random draw for 1,000 runners who met their standard but missed the cut-off. It was new for 2027, and everyone in that group was entered automatically; nobody had to apply separately.
When was registration for the Boston Marathon 2027?
Qualifier registration ran from Monday 14 to Friday 18 September 2026, and it is now closed. Applications were made through the B.A.A.'s Athletes' Village platform, and it was not first come, first served.
What can I do if I qualified for Boston but didn't get in?
You can still run Boston 2027 through a charity place or a B.A.A.-approved tour operator. Otherwise, aim for a faster qualifying time in the 2028 window, which is already open.
When does the Boston Marathon 2028 qualifying window open?
The Boston 2028 qualifying window opened on 19 September 2026. It stays open until 2028 registration week in September 2027, and the qualifying standards are the same as for 2027.
What are the Boston Marathon qualifying times?
Men aged 18 to 34 need 2:55:00 and women 3:25:00, with times easing through the older age groups. Standards are set by age group and gender, based on your age on race day. See the full table above or the B.A.A. website.
How much does it cost to enter the Boston Marathon?
Accepted qualifiers paid a $270 entry fee for 2027. Charity runners pay the entry fee and commit to a fundraising minimum, typically $12,000 to $20,000.
Can I run Boston without a qualifying time?
Yes, through an official charity or a B.A.A.-approved international tour operator. Both offer entries without a qualifying time, at a higher cost.
Is the Boston Marathon course hard?
Yes. It's a net downhill course, but a deceptive one. Steep early descents batter the quads, and the Newton hills, including Heartbreak Hill, arrive between miles 16 and 21 when legs are already tired.
When should I start training for the Boston Marathon 2027?
A 16-week block for Boston 2027 starts in the week of 28 December 2026. Use the weeks before that for maintenance and base fitness, so you begin the block rested, healthy and ready to absorb the training.
About the Author: Andy Hood
I'm Andy Hood, an ultra and endurance runner from North Devon, a cancer survivor, and an official Runna Ambassador.
Running took on a whole new meaning for me in 2021, when I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. After surgery and chemotherapy, I came back to running more determined than ever to make a difference. In 2022 I ran 170 miles from Westward Ho! to Land's End along the South West Coast Path, seven days back to back.
Since then I've taken on:
100K ultras, including London 2 Brighton and Race to the Stones
24 hours on a treadmill
The Tour du Mont Blanc, twice
50K runs across London, powered by Krispy Kreme doughnuts
Along the way I've raised more than £28,000 (and counting) for charities including the Alzheimer's Society, Macmillan Cancer Support, YoungMinds and ChemoHero. You can see them all on my completed ultras page.
I'm also the founder of Check Ya Balls, a menswear range designed to remind men to check themselves. It was a check after a run that led to my own diagnosis, and now I want to pass that on to as many men as possible.
Follow my training: Instagram · More articles on the blog · Runna free trial
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