The Boston Marathon is getting harder to qualify for with more marathoners running faster and the Boston Athletic Association tightening the qualifying standards by five minutes. It’s now more important than ever for aspiring Boston runners to choose a marathon which gives them the best chance to qualify – especially those on the qualifying bubble.
We’ve helped you out by compiling 2018’s 50 best marathons to qualify for Boston. These races will give you a great chance to earn your BQ.
And this list is not just for runners with a goal of a BQ. If you are looking for a PR race or to find a quality, well-organized marathon, you’ll find it on our list too.
Top 50 Best Boston Qualifying Races in 2018
More Resources
Want to view which marathons have the highest percentage or most Boston Marathon Qualifiers?
Boston Qualifiers – 2018
Boston Qualifiers – 2017
Number and Percentage of Runners who have Qualified for the 2020 Boston Marathon.
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.
*In order to accurately compare races, the time standards used for comparisons are the previous Boston qualifying times since most 2018 races were run under those standards.
**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.
