The past decade has seen significant growth in the number of people running marathons as well as the number of marathons held each year. Each of the of the 50 most populous cities in the United States hosts at least one marathon each year with several of these cities holding multiple marathons. If you look at our marathon calendar , there will be more than 700 marathons held this year in the United States and Canada with an estimated 600,000 finishers.
As more people run marathons, the allure of the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon, has also increased. First held in 1897, Boston is the goal for thou
sands of runners each year attempting to achieve the elusive BQ (Boston Qualifying time). Last year more than 57,000 marathon finishers (10.2% of all finishers) ran under the Boston Qualifying standards for their age group in certified marathons.
Race organizers have taken notice of runner’s obsessions with chasing BQ’s and created races specifically to attract Boston-seeking runners. We have listed five of these races developed with this segment of runners in mind.
Chasing the Unicorn Marathon
Washington Crossing, PA
August 16, 2015
As the name implies, this race is aimed at runners pursuing the iconic symbol of the Boston Athletic Association, the organization behind the Boston Marathon. The very flat, double out-and-b
ack marathon is scheduled for August 16th, approximately one month before the opening of registration for the 2016 Boston Marathon. Last year 22% of the 211 finishers ran under Boston Marathon qualifying standards for their age groups.*
Last Chance BQ2 Marathon (Chicagoland)
Geneva, IL
September 12, 2015
Last Chance for BQ2 Marathon (Grand Rapids)
Grand Rapids, MI
September 12, 2015
Organized by the same group that hosts the Fox Valley Marathon, the two
Last Chance BQ2 Marathons truly offer runners a last chance to qualify for Boston. Both races, one held in Geneva, IL and the other in Grand Rapids, MI, are scheduled for September 12th – two days before the Boston Marathon registration starts.
Both races boast a high percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers. Last year over 60% of runners ran BQs at the Chicagoland edition and 57% qualified at the Grand Rapids race. The marathons had the highest two BQ percentages of all marathons held in the U.S. and Canada in 2014.
The Chicagoland course is eight repetitions of a flat 3+ mile loop while th
e Grand Rapids course is six loops of a 4.1 mile route (plus start/finish, and first loop spurs). The spectator-friendly courses also features two aid stations per loop with an Elite Water Bottle table where runners can stock their own fluids just like elites at major road races.
Rivanna Greenbelt Marathon
Charlottesville, VA
September 12, 2015
The Rivanna Greenbelt Marathon is a very small race with a limit of 30 runners 
and was created to help runners achieve Boston Marathon qualifying times. The race is purposely scheduled on September 12th, just before Boston registration opens. Like the other races on the list, the marathon consists of several repeats of a short route. The very flat course is six repetitions of a four mile out-and-back route (plus a shortened seventh out-and-back).
Last Chance for Boston Marathon
Dublin, OH
February 2016
Held at the end of February, the Last Chance for Bosto
n Marathon was first run in 2002. At that time, runners were still able to register for Boston as late as the end of February. No longer a ‘last chance’ race, the race still maintains a high percentage of runners qualifying on the one mile loop course. In 2014, 20% of finishers qualified and 30% booked their ticket to Boston the previous year.
* BQ percentages are based on the runner’s age at the time of the race. Actual percentages may be be higher due to some runners moving into new age groups prior to the Boston Marathon.