50 Best Boston Qualifying Marathons in 2019

1/1/21 Update: Since so few Boston qualifying marathons took place in 2020, we won’t have a 2020 Top Boston Qualifying Races. Most of the 2019 races on our list remain top qualifiers for 2021.

Each year it’s getting more difficult to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Even with the B.A.A. tightening qualifying standards by five minutes for the 2020 race, runners still needed to run 1:39 under their BQ to earn the right to run Boston.

In order to be able to qualify for the 2021 Boston Marathon, runners are going to need to run even faster. Qualifying rates are trending to be faster than they were last year (see our 2020/2021 Boston Qualifier Comparison). Boston hopefuls are going to need to train harder and choose a marathon that gives them the best chance to qualify.

We’ve helped runners out by compiling 2019’s 50 Best Marathons to qualify for Boston. These races will give you a great chance to earn your 2021 BQ. And if the Boston Marathon is not your goal, the races on our list are all quality, well-organized PR-worthy marathons.

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50 Best Boston Qualifying Races in 2019

RACE NAME (Last Year’s Rank)	RACE NAME (Last Year’s Rank)
1. REVEL Big Bear Marathon (2)	26. Chicago Marathon (NR)
2. REVEL Mt. Hood Marathon (7)	27. Cascade Express Marathon (NR)
3. Mountains 2 Beach Marathon (4)	28. Providence Rhode Races Marathon (30)
4. California International Marathon (1)	29. New Jersey Marathon (31)
5. Tunnel Marathon (5)	30. Santa Rosa Marathon (16)
6. REVEL Mt. Charleston Marathon (6)	31. Huntsville Marathon (NR)
7. Jack and Jill’s Downhill Marathon (WA) (18)	32. Peak to Creek Marathon (37)
8. Mesa Marathon (9)	33. Houston Marathon (NR)
9. Tunnel Vision Marathon (8)	34. REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon (13)
10. Tunnel Light Marathon (10)	35. Wineglass Marathon (28)
11. Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (15)	36. New England Green River Marathon (NR)
12. Eugene Marathon (14)	37. Shamrock Marathon (NR)
13. Baystate Marathon (11)	38. Jack & Jill’s Downhill Marathon (ID) (NR)
14. Erie Marathon at Presque Isle (3)	39. Cape Cod Marathon (NR)
15. St. George Marathon (19)	40. Tobacco Road Marathon (47)
16. Grandma’s Marathon (32)	41. Lakefront Marathon (NR)
17. Glass City Marathon (20)	42. REVEL Kulia Marathon (NR)
18. Sugarloaf Marathon (23)	43. Beantown Marathon (35)
19. Super Marathon (27)	44. REVEL Mt. Lemmon Marathon (17)
20. Steamtown Marathon (NR)	45. Philadelphia Marathon (48)
21. Spring Chance BQ.2 Marathon (24)	46. Hartford Marathon (NR)
22. Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon (NR)	47. Carmel Marathon (21)
23. Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon (Michigan) (22)	48. REVEL Rockies Marathon (26)
24. Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon (Illinois) (25)	49. Charles River Marathon (NR)
25. Via Marathon (12)	50. Newport Marathon (OR) (NR)

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More Resources

Want to view which marathons have the highest percentage or most Boston Marathon Qualifiers?
Best Boston Qualifiers (2019)
Best Boston Qualifiers (2018)

Number and Percentage of Runners who have Qualified for the 2021 Boston Marathon compared to 2020.

Last year’s 50 Best Boston Marathon Qualifying Races

View the current Boston Marathon Qualifying Times and the historical cut-off times.

Our Criteria for the Top 50

The criteria used to determine our list of the best Boston qualifying races is a combination of:

• The percentage of finishers who ran Boston Marathon qualifying times for their age group,
• The total number of finishers achieving BQ standards, and
• Our PR Score** for the 2018 race.
• We did not include the Boston Marathon in our rankings.

**The Personal Record (PR) Score utilizes the course profile, elevation, and race time weather to create a score that can be compared to other marathons to determine at which race you could expect to run faster. The higher the score, the faster the race.