Boston to adjust downhill BQ times

Boston Marathon will introduce time adjustments for any qualifying times run on courses that are deemed to be net-downhill by 1,500 feet (457.2 meters) or more.

As part of their annual review into qualifying times and procedures, the Boston Athletic Association, the non-profit who organize the world’s oldest continuously-held marathon, worked with data scientists to review all qualifying times since 2022.

They found that athletes qualifying at courses with at least 1,500 feet of net-elevation drop between start and finish receive a substantial advantage.

To ensure parity for the 2027 Boston Marathon, a time adjustment will be added to all qualifying results from any course with a net-downhill of 1,500 feet or more.

This will come into effect when the qualifying window opens on September 13, 2025.

Verified qualifying times from any course with a net-downhill of between 1,500 and 2,999 feet (457.2 meters and 914.1 meters) will incur a five-minute time adjustment to results once submitted to the B.A.A. for review.

Verified qualifying times from any course with a net-downhill of between 3,000 and 5,999 feet (914.2 meters and 1,828.5 meters) will incur a ten-minute time adjustment.

Any course with a net-downhill of 6,000 feet (1,828.6 meters) or greater will not be allowed for Boston Marathon qualifying purposes.

These indexes will be in places for at least two years.

“As the sport of marathoning has increased in popularity and the demand for a place in the Boston Marathon has reached record levels, the B.A.A. has continued to analyze race results from events across the world,” said Jack Fleming, B.A.A. President and Chief Executive Officer.

“The new downhill course adjustments are the next step in our evolving Boston Marathon registration process. We wanted to give athletes and events ample time to prepare in advance of the 2027 Boston Marathon registration period. We know athletes plan their qualifying marathons well in advance.”

Registrations for the 2026 race are unaffected by the changes and will open on September 8, 2025, closing on September 12 at 5.00pm Eastern Time.

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