The Boston Athletic Association revealed on Tuesday that 25,630 time qualifier applicants have been chosen for the 2027 Boston Marathon, with those picked making it past the 5 minute and 17 second cutoff.
The BAA said that 33,649 time applications were submitted during registration week in early September, while 8,019 runners missed the cutoff in an overall field that is set at 30,000 for next year’s race on April 19, 2027.
“To earn a spot into this race takes dedication and resiliency, and the number of marathoners world-wide only continues to grow,” Jack Fleming, president and CEO of the BAA said. “Although we are unable to accept all applicants, we want to recognize each and every athlete who trains and aspires to participate in the Boston Marathon.”
An additional 1,000 time qualifier applicants will be admitted under the Boston Qualifier Selection, where a random ballot will be held to serve as a second chance for those who were not chosen in the initial group.
Those chosen will be notified this week in addition to runners who were not picked.
Meanwhile, the BAA said that next year’s field includes 13,898 men, 10,641 women and 91 non-binary athletes to date with 120 countries represented and runners from all 50 U.S. states.
Among the top qualifying races that will fill the field in April, this year’s Boston Marathon (4,448), 2025 Chicago Marathon (2,043), 2025 New York City Marathon (826), 2025 California International Marathon (812) and 2026 London Marathon (610).
More than 10,000 participants, representing a third of the field, will be racing in their first Boston Marathon.
Aside from the usual time cutoff, every runner accepted for the 2027 will be subjected to the BAA’s new policy on qualifying races with steep downhill courses. The organization said in June that races with 1,500 feet or more of net elevation loss gives runners a major advantage and will adjust those submitted finish times with a five-minute increase once results are reviewed.
Meanwhile, ten minutes will be tacked onto times from qualifier races with 3,000 to 5,999 feet and any race with more than 6,000 feet of elevation drop will not be considered as a Boston qualifier.
