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Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers for 2026

Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers

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

2026 IS HERE!


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Super Hyak Marathon

North Bend, WA
Saturday, June 13, 2026


  3.5 Stars from 4 Reviews
Top 50 Best Boston Qualifying Marathon for 2026

Course Description
** The 2026 Super Hyak Marathon will be under 1500' net downhill resulting in no penalty time for Boston Marathon qualifying. **

The Super Marathon course is one of the fastest in the country. The low starting elevation of 2,550' and gentle decent makes the courses great for fast times. It is the perfect race to set a PR, snag a BQ and have a great time. Don't let "trail" in the description deter you. The courses are smooth and runnable much like road events. You can expect fast feet with ~1,200' of net elevation loss at a consistent grade (no Boston downhill time penalty).

The Super Marathon course starts at Snoqualmie Pass, makes a 10 mile out and back on the Iron Horse trail before entering the 2.4 mile Snoqualmie Tunnel. The first 10 miles of the course are relatively flat with minimal elevation gain or loss. The course becomes downhill after running through the tunnel to the finish.

With 1,247 feet of net downhill, this course blends flat, runnable miles with sustained gradual descent--perfect for negative splits, PRs, and Boston Qualifying performances.

The Cascade Express Marathon is held on the same course in late September.

June Other Marathons in June Other Marathons in Washington Marathons near North Bend, WA



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Race Information

Race Dates

2027: TBD
2026: Saturday, June 13, 2026

Course Information

Profile: Downhill
Type: Point to Point
Surface: Trail

Boston Qualifier?: Yes
World Marathon Major Qualifier?: No

Race Day Weather

Mean Temp.: 60°F (15°C)
Average High: 68°F (20°C)
Average Low: 52° F (11°C)




PR Score & Course Score

PR Score: 101.84
Course Score: 102.58

Race Size

2026: No Results
2025: 410 Finishers
2024: 384 Finishers
2023: 292 Finishers
2022: 295 Finishers
2021: 339 Finishers

BQ Percentages

2026: N/A
2025: 19%
2024: 20.8%
2023: 17.1%
2022: 16.6%
2021: 12.4%

Miscellaneous Information

Pace Groups?: Yes

Weather Averages for Last 9 Years


Race Day Temperatures

High: 73°F  (23°C)
Low: 54°F  (12°C)

Race Start Conditions

58°F  (14°C)
Humidity: 75%

Clear
ESE 4 mph

PR Score

101.92

Course Score

103.6






Super Hyak Marathon Rankings, Course Speed & Boston Qualifier Statistics

The Super Hyak Marathon was the 163rd largest marathon in the U.S. in 2025 based on the number of finishers. In 2024, it ranked as the 159th largest marathon in the U.S..

In 2025, 19% of Super Hyak Marathon finishers achieved Boston Marathon qualifying times. In 2024, 20.8% of finishers qualified for Boston.

Based on its percentage of Boston Qualifiers (BQs), the Super Hyak Marathon ranked 42nd among marathons in the U.S. in 2025 and 45th in 2024. In Washington, it ranked 6th in 2025 and 7th in 2024. These rankings provide a useful benchmark for runners comparing Boston Marathon qualifying potential across different races.

The Super Hyak Marathon has a Course Score of 102.58, ranking it as the 10th fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 2nd fastest marathon course in Washington.

Typical race-time temperature and humidity levels are slightly above the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. Combined with the course profile, this gives the Super Hyak Marathon a PR Score of 101.84. The PR Score ranks the Super Hyak Marathon as the 13th best marathon in the U.S. for running a Personal Record (PR) and the 3rd best marathon for a PR in Washington.

Together, these rankings provide a quick snapshot of how the Super Hyak Marathon compares with other marathons in the U.S. and Washington for speed, PR potential, Boston Marathon qualifying success, and overall participation.

Super Hyak Marathon Marathon Rankings Summary
Course Speed10th fastest marathon course in the U.S.
Ranked 2nd fastest marathon course in Washington
Top 3% Nationally#2 of 25 in Washington
PR Potential13th best marathon for a Personal Record in the U.S.
Ranked 3rd best marathon for a PR in Washington
Top 3% Nationally#3 of 25 in Washington
Boston Qualifier Rate42nd highest BQ percentage in the U.S.
Ranked 6th highest BQ percentage in Washington
Based on 2025 Boston Marathon qualifying results
Top 9% Nationally#6 of 24 in Washington
Race Size163rd largest marathon in the U.S.
Ranked 8th largest marathon in Washington
Based on 2025 results
Top 28% Nationally#8 of 32 in Washington

Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.



Elevation Chart


Max Elevation: 2578 feet (785m)
Min Elevation: 1409 feet (429m)

Elevation Gain: 190 feet (57m)
Elevation Loss: 1339 feet (408m)


Super

Course updated 05/13/2026




Hotel & VRBO Accommodations for the Super Hyak Marathon

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Compare the Super Hyak Marathon to other Marathons

Use tools below to compare races and convert times across courses.

Do you want to see how the Super Hyak Marathon stacks up against other marathons?

Compare the details of the Super Hyak Marathon side-by-side with other marathons with our Comparison Tool.


Comparison Tool

If you ran the Super Hyak Marathon in 3:44:00, what would your time in other marathons be?

See how your finish time would compare on other marathon courses with our Time Conversion Tool.


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Race Reviews


3.5
Based on 4 reviews
Write Your Own Review

Just okay

Full Review:

It was in the low 40s and raining this year, which really put a damper on things

Pros - fast course (although it was a rougher surface than I expected), scenic

Cons - not many nice hotel options near the start, below average aid support (although I guess I am used to big races), only 1x spot for cheering at mile 18 (besides start/finish)

Race Tips:

The tunnel is very dark, bring a good light/headlamp!
Reviewed by NG About 2025

Beautiful Scenery- Lots of Slippery Rocks on a very wet day Look Out!This course had beautiful scene

Full Review:

Carry Food and Liquid - there were not many aide stations as were noted. This is for the Marathon Run.
Reviewed by LMW About 2025

Scenic Course, Small Race with No Fanfare

Full Review:

Beautiful Course, especially the first five mile loop along the Iron Horse Trail along Keechelus Lake. The tunnel was a unique experience and the descent was gradual and easy on the legs.

The race was small, so there was no "Expo" or packet pick-up event. Bibs were given out on race morning, which turned out okay. The return buses to the start seemed to be a logistical challenge for the race organizers. I think there were supposed to run every 20-30 mins, but I waited at least 30 mins and others were there before me for at least 15 mins.

Race Tips:

Unless you have exceptional night vision, I would suggest carrying a bright light for the tunnel. The gravel surface in the tunnel is rutted in many places and you could easily turn an ankle if not careful. Also, it was very warm for the marathon this June, so I would suggest carrying a water bottle for the miles in-between aid stations in similar conditions. This really helped my in the later miles when everyone else was overheating.

While the gravel course was generally okay, please note you are essentially restricted to using two single track groves/lanes on the path during long stretches of the course (similar to car tires creating two hard packed lines on a dirt road). This sometimes posed a problem with oncoming mountain bike or hiker traffic as you would have to move back a forth between to the tracks and cross over the uneven center section with larger rocks.

Travel/Logistics Tips:

I stayed at the Summit Inn, which made for a very short drive to the start. Even so, the Hyak Trail parking lot was full when I arrived an hour before the race start.
Reviewed by SoCalB About 2022

Great cpurse, but I never received my medal

Full Review:

I have run this course twice. Its a great course. - nice gentle decline, typically a cool temp to start, very scenic. Be sure to wear shoes appropriate for rocky trails - slipped on a rock and slid on the gravel on my back at mile 12 in vaporflys.

I placed first in my age group both times I ran this race. The second time I tried 4 times to contact the organizers after never receiving an age group first place medal. No response.
Reviewed by Anonymous About 2021