Boston Qualifying Times 2027: Standards by Age, Pace and Cutoff
The 2027 Boston Marathon qualifying times for men, women and non-binary runners by age, the pace per mile and km each one needs, and the 5:17 cutoff.
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Fictional sample data. Race Predictions in Kinoku Pro puts this runner's marathon at 3:51:07, with a range of 3:13:49 to 4:28:24, based on three models. An estimate can guide training, while Boston counts only a time from a certified race.
The 2027 Boston Marathon qualifying time is 2:55:00 for men aged 18 to 34 and 3:25:00 for women and non-binary runners that age, with more time for each older group.
Boston qualifying times 2027 by age
| Age group | Men | Women | Non-binary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 | 2:55:00 | 3:25:00 | 3:25:00 |
| 35 to 39 | 3:00:00 | 3:30:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 40 to 44 | 3:05:00 | 3:35:00 | 3:35:00 |
| 45 to 49 | 3:15:00 | 3:45:00 | 3:45:00 |
| 50 to 54 | 3:20:00 | 3:50:00 | 3:50:00 |
| 55 to 59 | 3:30:00 | 4:00:00 | 4:00:00 |
| 60 to 64 | 3:50:00 | 4:20:00 | 4:20:00 |
| 65 to 69 | 4:05:00 | 4:35:00 | 4:35:00 |
| 70 to 74 | 4:20:00 | 4:50:00 | 4:50:00 |
| 75 to 79 | 4:35:00 | 5:05:00 | 5:05:00 |
| 80 and over | 4:50:00 | 5:20:00 | 5:20:00 |
Every time in this table comes from the qualifying page of the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), which we read on October 27, 2026. Your age group is your age on race day, April 19, 2027, and the youngest runners in the race are 18. The standard is checked against your official chip time from a certified full marathon.
The women’s and non-binary standards are the same in every row, and each one is exactly 30 minutes slower than the men’s standard for the same age group. Meeting a standard gives a runner the right to apply, and the BAA says it “does not guarantee entry into the event”.
Boston qualifying times 2027 for men, with pace
| Age group | Standard | Pace per mile | Pace per km | 5:17 under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 | 2:55:00 | 6:40 | 4:09 | 2:49:43 |
| 35 to 39 | 3:00:00 | 6:52 | 4:16 | 2:54:43 |
| 40 to 44 | 3:05:00 | 7:03 | 4:23 | 2:59:43 |
| 45 to 49 | 3:15:00 | 7:26 | 4:37 | 3:09:43 |
| 50 to 54 | 3:20:00 | 7:38 | 4:44 | 3:14:43 |
| 55 to 59 | 3:30:00 | 8:01 | 4:59 | 3:24:43 |
| 60 to 64 | 3:50:00 | 8:46 | 5:27 | 3:44:43 |
| 65 to 69 | 4:05:00 | 9:21 | 5:48 | 3:59:43 |
| 70 to 74 | 4:20:00 | 9:55 | 6:10 | 4:14:43 |
| 75 to 79 | 4:35:00 | 10:29 | 6:31 | 4:29:43 |
| 80 and over | 4:50:00 | 11:04 | 6:52 | 4:44:43 |
Each pace is the even pace that finishes the 42.195 km course, about 26.2 miles, right on the standard. The last column is the standard minus 5 minutes and 17 seconds, which was the 2027 cutoff for acceptance on time alone. A man aged 40 to 44, for example, needed 2:59:43 or faster to get in on time, which is about 6:51 per mile.
Boston qualifying times 2027 for women and non-binary runners, with pace
| Age group | Standard | Pace per mile | Pace per km | 5:17 under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 | 3:25:00 | 7:49 | 4:52 | 3:19:43 |
| 35 to 39 | 3:30:00 | 8:01 | 4:59 | 3:24:43 |
| 40 to 44 | 3:35:00 | 8:12 | 5:06 | 3:29:43 |
| 45 to 49 | 3:45:00 | 8:35 | 5:20 | 3:39:43 |
| 50 to 54 | 3:50:00 | 8:46 | 5:27 | 3:44:43 |
| 55 to 59 | 4:00:00 | 9:09 | 5:41 | 3:54:43 |
| 60 to 64 | 4:20:00 | 9:55 | 6:10 | 4:14:43 |
| 65 to 69 | 4:35:00 | 10:29 | 6:31 | 4:29:43 |
| 70 to 74 | 4:50:00 | 11:04 | 6:52 | 4:44:43 |
| 75 to 79 | 5:05:00 | 11:38 | 7:14 | 4:59:43 |
| 80 and over | 5:20:00 | 12:12 | 7:35 | 5:14:43 |
Women and non-binary runners share one set of standards, so this table covers both. A woman aged 18 to 34 needed 3:19:43 or faster to get in on time for 2027, which works out to about 7:37 per mile.
Every pace on this page is rounded to the nearest second, worked out the same way as our free pace calculator. For any finish time between the standards, our marathon pace chart lists the pace and the splits at 5 km, 10 km, halfway, 30 km and 20 miles.
What was the Boston Marathon cutoff for 2027?
The cutoff for the 2027 Boston Marathon was 5 minutes and 17 seconds. The BAA’s update of September 29, 2026 says that qualifiers who were “5 minutes, 17 seconds (5:17) or faster than the qualifying time for their age group and gender have been accepted”.
Runners often call that gap the buffer, and the BAA sets it only after registration closes. Its July 2026 announcement says it ranks athletes “based on how much they surpassed their qualifying standard”. The fastest in each age group get a place, and their times decide where the cutoff falls.
Here are the BAA’s numbers for the 2027 race, which it says may still change while times are checked:
- 33,649 qualifiers applied during registration week, September 14 to 18, 2026.
- 24,630 were accepted with a time faster than 5:17 under their standard.
- 1,000 more places were going to qualifiers slower than the cutoff, by random draw.
- 8,019 qualifiers who applied could not be accepted.
- The field holds 30,000 runners, and the rest of it goes to charity runners and invited athletes.
Of the qualifiers accepted on time, the BAA counted 13,898 men, 10,641 women and 91 non-binary athletes so far.
Boston Qualifier Selection: the 2027 random draw
The Boston Qualifier Selection is a random draw, new for 2027, for runners who applied with a time that did not beat the cutoff. About 1,000 of them are picked, and every qualifier who missed the cutoff goes into the draw without having to ask. The BAA says the chance of being picked depends on how many runners apply in September, and it expects some of them to miss out.
Boston Marathon cutoff times by year
| Race year | Field size | Cutoff | Qualifiers not accepted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 27,000 | 1:14 | 3,228 |
| 2014 | 36,000 | 1:38 | 2,976 |
| 2015 | 30,000 | 1:02 | 1,947 |
| 2016 | 30,000 | 2:28 | 4,562 |
| 2017 | 30,000 | 2:09 | 2,957 |
| 2018 | 30,000 | 3:23 | 5,062 |
| 2019 | 30,000 | 4:52 | 7,248 |
| 2020 | 31,500 | 1:39 | 3,161 |
| 2021 | 20,000 | 7:47 | 9,215 |
| 2022 | 30,000 | 0:00 | 0 |
| 2023 | 30,000 | 0:00 | 0 |
| 2024 | 30,000 | 5:29 | 11,039 |
| 2025 | 30,000 | 6:51 | 12,324 |
| 2026 | 30,000 | 4:34 | 8,887 |
| 2027 | 30,000 | 5:17 | 8,019 |
The BAA lists these cutoffs on its qualifying page. They range from none at all in 2022 and 2023 to 7:47 in 2021, a year with a field of 20,000 runners.
The standards also moved over these years, so one year’s cutoff does not line up exactly with another’s. Every standard became 5 minutes faster for 2020. The standards for ages 18 to 59 then became 5 minutes faster again for 2026, so a man aged 18 to 34 needed 3:00:00 from 2020 to 2025 and has needed 2:55:00 since.
What about the 2028 Boston qualifying times?
The 2028 standards are the same as those used for 2027 registration, according to the BAA’s July 2026 announcement. The qualifying window for 2028 opened on September 19, 2026, and the BAA will announce the 2028 registration details after the 2027 race. The same post says the time added for downhill courses, covered below, may change before then.
The 2028 cutoff will come from the applications the BAA receives, and none of the BAA pages we read gives a forecast for it, so this page leaves the guessing out.
Downhill courses and other qualifying rules
From the 2027 race on, a qualifying time from a course that drops 1,500 feet (457.2 meters) or more from start to finish has time added during review. The BAA measures the drop between the start and the finish only.
| Net drop from start to finish | Time added |
|---|---|
| 1,500 to 2,999 feet (457.2 to 914.1 m) | 5:00 |
| 3,000 to 5,999 feet (914.2 to 1,828.5 m) | 10:00 |
| 6,000 feet (1,828.6 m) or more | Course not allowed |
The BAA accepted 240 qualifying times for 2027 from races that had this time added. The time has to come from a certified full marathon run outdoors, and the BAA turns down times from indoor or virtual races. The qualifying window for the 2027 race began on September 13, 2025.
Training toward a qualifying time with Kinoku
A Boston time has to come from a certified race, so a training app can help only with the months of work before it. Kinoku records GPS runs on your phone for free, with live pace and splits, and Running Progress, also free, charts your pace over time and keeps your fastest 5K and 10K.
Race Predictions is part of Pro. It estimates a marathon time from the runs saved on your phone, with a range and a count of the models behind it, which can show whether a standard looks close or far away. An estimate is a guide for training rather than a result the BAA would accept. Kinoku runs on Android only, and it needs no account.
Common questions
What are the Boston qualifying times for 2027 by age?
For men, the 2027 standards run from 2:55:00 for ages 18 to 34 up to 4:50:00 for runners 80 and over. Women and non-binary runners share one set of standards, from 3:25:00 up to 5:20:00, and each is 30 minutes slower than the men's standard for the same age group. Your age group is your age on race day, April 19, 2027.
What is the Boston qualifying time for women in 2027?
A woman aged 18 to 34 needs 3:25:00, which is about 7:49 per mile or 4:52 per kilometre. The standard grows with age group, to 3:30:00 at 35 to 39 and 4:00:00 at 55 to 59, up to 5:20:00 for women 80 and over. Non-binary runners share the women's standards in every age group.
What was the Boston Marathon cutoff for 2027?
The 2027 cutoff was 5 minutes and 17 seconds, posted by the Boston Athletic Association on September 29, 2026. Qualifiers at least 5:17 under the standard for their age and gender were accepted, 24,630 of them in the BAA's preliminary count, while 8,019 qualifier applicants were not. About 1,000 more places go by random draw to qualifiers slower than the cutoff.
What pace do you need to qualify for Boston?
A man aged 18 to 34 needs an average of about 6:40 per mile, or 4:09 per kilometre, to run the 2:55:00 standard. A woman of the same age needs about 7:49 per mile, or 4:52 per kilometre, for 3:25:00. The tables on this page give the pace for every age group, and the time 5:17 under each standard.
Are the 2028 Boston qualifying times the same as 2027?
The 2028 standards are the same as the 2027 ones, according to a Boston Athletic Association post from July 22, 2026, and the window for 2028 times opened on September 19, 2026. The same post says the time added for downhill courses may change, and the 2028 sign-up dates come after the 2027 race.
What will the Boston cutoff be for 2028?
The Boston Athletic Association sets the cutoff only after sign-up week, by ranking runners on how far they beat their standard. None of its pages we read gives a forecast, so this page does not make one. Past cutoffs ran from none at all in 2022 and 2023 to 7:47 in 2021, and the cutoffs for 2026 and 2027 were 4:34 and 5:17.
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