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Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers

It's here! Our annual list of the year's
best marathons to help you qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Fastest Marathons in October

This list ranks the fastest marathons in October based on the race's Personal Record (PR) Score. The PR Score for each marathon is created from an algorithm derived from research on how grade, elevation, and wet bulb temperature and ambient temperature affect marathon running performance. For more detailed information, please visit the FAQ.

The BQ % is the percentage of runners who qualified for the Boston Marathon according to the latest race results. Although it is not always indicative of a fast or slow course, the percent of Boston Marathon qualifiers can provide insight into the quality of the field and/or the speed of the course.

To see a ranking of marathons based only on the course (no weather impact), visit the Fastest Marathon Courses page.

The list only includes certified marathon courses. Keep in mind that PR Scores and ranking assume very good course management and pacing - especially for the extremely downhill races.

Fastest Marathons in October

	Race Name	PR Score	BQ %	Elevation
1	St. George Marathon St. George, UT	103.65	8.20%	Downhill Course
2	Rogue Marathon Medford, OR	101.07	17.81%	Downhill Course
3	Steamtown Marathon Scranton, PA	100.98	18.60%	Downhill Course
4	Leavenworth Marathon Leavenworth, WA	100.70	8.20%	Downhill Course
5	Greenbrier River Trail Marathon Cass, WV	100.49	6.42%	Downhill Course
6	Whistlestop Marathon Ashland, WI	100.44	9.09%	Downhill Course
7	P tit Train du Nord Marathon Saint-Jerome, QC	100.42	18.82%	Downhill Course
8	Chicago Marathon Chicago, IL	99.76	14.03%	Very Flat Course
9	Wineglass Marathon Corning, NY	99.76	14.15%	Downhill Course
10	Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon Albany, NY	99.60	15.79%	Downhill Course
11	Atlantic City Marathon Atlantic City, NJ	99.59	5.25%	Very Flat Course
12	Haunted Forest Marathon Canal Fulton, OH	99.51	16.48%	Mostly Flat Course
13	Suffolk County Marathon Babylon, NY	99.47	15.49%	Mostly Flat Course
14	Emerald Isle Marathon Emerald Isle, NC	99.46	2.97%	Very Flat Course
15	Little Apple Marathon Manhattan, KS	99.46	3.08%	Very Flat Course
16	McKirdy Micro Marathon Valley Cottage, NY	99.42	100.00%	Very Flat Course
17	Toronto Waterfront Marathon Toronto, ON	99.37	8.82%	Mostly Flat Course
18	Snohomish River Run Marathon Snohomish, WA	99.37	12.96%	Rolling Course
19	Niagara Falls International Marathon Niagara Falls, ON	99.30	5.12%	Mostly Flat Course
20	Amsterdam Marathon Amsterdam, NL	99.26		Very Flat Course
21	Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon Bemidji, MN	99.14	4.49%	Rolling Course
22	Detroit Free Press Marathon Detroit, MI	99.12	5.68%	Mostly Flat Course
23	Cape Cod Marathon Falmouth, MA	99.07	6.98%	Rolling Course
24	Melbourne Marathon Melbourne, AU	99.03		Mostly Flat Course
25	Des Plaines River Trail Marathon Lincolnshire, IL	98.99	1.78%	Mostly Flat Course
26	Baystate Marathon Lowell, MA	98.92	22.91%	Mostly Flat Course
27	Prince Edward Island Marathon Charlottetown, PE	98.91	7.21%	Rolling Course
28	Columbus Marathon Columbus, OH	98.89	9.15%	Mostly Flat Course
29	Twin Cities Marathon St. Paul, MN	98.85	6.56%	Rolling Course
30	Muskoka Marathon Bracebridge, ON	98.74	5.79%	Rolling Course
31	Prairie Fire Marathon Wichita, KS	98.54	7.45%	Mostly Flat Course
32	Rails to Trails Marathon Norwalk, WI	98.51	0.10%	Rolling Course
33	Dublin Marathon Dublin, IE	98.49		Rolling Course
34	LOCO Marathon Newmarket, NH	98.48	13.73%	Rolling Course
35	Marine Corps Marathon Arlington, VA	98.47	4.11%	Mostly Flat Course
36	Quebec City Marathon Quebec, QC	98.42	8.38%	Rolling Course
37	Great New York State Marathon Syracuse, NY	98.41	1.94%	Mostly Flat Course
38	Hartford Marathon Hartford, CT	98.39	9.54%	Rolling Course
39	Sleeping Bear Marathon Empire, MI	98.38	4.24%	Mostly Flat Course
40	Victoria Marathon Victoria, BC	98.36	8.02%	Rolling Course
41	Lakefront Marathon Milwaukee, WI	98.32	4.79%	Rolling Course
42	Grand Rapids Marathon Grand Rapids, MI	98.29	5.79%	Mostly Flat Course
43	Seven Bridges Marathon Chattanooga, TN	98.25	2.73%	Rolling Course
44	Champlain Islands Marathon South Hero, VT	98.23	5.47%	Rolling Course
45	Freedoms Run Marathon Shepherdstown, WV	98.20	1.92%	Hilly Course
46	Nashville Marathon Nashville, TN	98.16	2.28%	Rolling Course
47	RDC Marathon Durham, NC	98.14	8.43%	Rolling Course
48	Towpath Marathon Cleveland, OH	98.03	7.97%	Mostly Flat Course
49	Spinx Runfest Marathon Greenville, SC	98.03	4.47%	Rolling Course
50	Bizz Johnson Marathon Susanville, CA	98.02	2.50%	Downhill Course
51	Portland Marathon Portland, OR	98.00	5.04%	Rolling Course
52	Des Moines Marathon Des Moines, IA	98.00	5.46%	Rolling Course
53	MO Cowbell Marathon St. Charles, MO	98.00	2.40%	Mostly Flat Course
54	Maine Marathon Portland, ME	97.97	7.91%	Rolling Course
55	Spokane Marathon Spokane, WA	97.85	6.13%	Hilly Course
56	Original Las Vegas Marathon Henderson, NV	97.84	1.33%	Hilly Course
57	Mankato Marathon Mankato, MN	97.81	4.91%	Rolling Course
58	Cape Breton Fiddlers Run Marathon Sydney, NS	97.81	12.50%	Rolling Course
59	Newport Marathon (RI) Newport, RI	97.74	5.40%	Rolling Course
60	Baltimore Marathon Baltimore, MD	97.72	4.16%	Hilly Course
61	Silver Comet Marathon Mableton, GA	97.69	5.65%	Rolling Course
62	Lubbock Marathon Lubbock, TX	97.58	6.90%	Rolling Course
63	Humboldt Redwoods Marathon Weott, CA	97.52		Rolling Course
64	Potomac River Run Marathon (October) Washington, DC	97.41	6.54%	Mostly Flat Course
65	Ann Arbor Marathon Ann Arbor, MI	97.36	5.41%	Rolling Course
66	Valley Harvest Marathon Wolfville, NS	97.35	5.56%	Rolling Course
67	Ocean State Rhode Races Marathon Narragansett, RI	97.32	7.53%	Rolling Course
68	Kansas City Marathon Kansas City, MO	97.12	4.49%	Hilly Course
69	Mount Desert Island Marathon Bar Harbor, ME	96.85	3.81%	Hilly Course
70	Long Beach Marathon Long Beach, CA	96.79	3.75%	Mostly Flat Course
71	Cape Town Marathon Cape Town, ZA	96.73		Rolling Course
72	Cannonball Marathon Greensboro, NC	96.48	5.84%	Rolling Course
73	Marathon 2 Marathon Marathon, TX	96.31	2.74%	Hilly Course
74	BHM 26.2 Marathon Birmingham, AL	96.12	1.28%	Hilly Course
75	Columbia Gorge Marathon Hood River, OR	95.57		Very Hilly Course
76	New Hampshire Marathon Bristol, NH	95.06	2.48%	Hilly Course
77	Arkansas Marathon Booneville, AR	94.88		Rolling Course
78	Marathon de Magog Magog, QC	94.48	3.03%	Hilly Course
79	Duke City Marathon Albuquerque, NM	94.45	3.93%	Mostly Flat Course
80	Run Crazy Horse Marathon Hill City, SD	94.37	3.15%	Very Hilly Course
81	Long View Marathon Loveland, CO	93.72	8.20%	Rolling Course
82	Snowdonia Marathon Llanberis, UK	92.45		Very Hilly Course
83	Escalante Canyons Marathon Escalante, UT	89.45	3.70%	Hilly Course
84	Lake Tahoe Marathon South Lake Tahoe, CA	87.70	2.38%	Very Hilly Course
85	Whiskey Row Marathon Prescott, AZ	87.02		Very Hilly Course
86	Breckenridge Road Marathon Breckenridge, CO	83.98		Hilly Course