Runners hoping to qualify for the 2026 Boston Marathon will need to pick up the pace.
The Boston Athletic Association has updated the qualifying times for the world's oldest annual marathon, asking most hopefuls to run the 42.195 kilometers five minutes faster than in recent years to earn a starting number.
“Every time the BAA adjusts the qualifying standards — most recently in 2019 — we see athletes continue to raise the bar and reach new heights,” said Jack Fleming, BAA president and CEO, in a statement published Monday.
“In recent years, we have rejected athletes in this age range (18-59) at the highest level, and this adjustment reflects the depth of participation and speed of athlete running.”
The BAA introduced qualifying times in 1970 and has expanded and adapted the requirements over the decades.
Runners participating in events to raise funds for charity do not have to meet qualifying standards.
All age groups up to 60 will be required to run five minutes faster than in previous years. That means men aged 18 to 34 will have to run a marathon during the qualifying period in two hours, 55 minutes or faster to earn a place in the 2026 race.
Female and nonbinary applicants aged 18-34 must complete the distance in three hours, 25 minutes.
The BAA said it decided to tighten the time after rejecting “thousands of runners” in the past who had met the qualifying time. In his statement, Fleming said athletes are getting faster, the sport of marathon running is growing and so is the demand for participation in the Boston Marathon.
More and more Canadians are taking up running for exercise and its increasing popularity may be due to the rising cost of living.
Athletes become faster
Qualifying times for runners aged 60 to 80 and older remain unchanged. The slowest entrants who can qualify are those aged 80 and older. Men in that category must complete the marathon in four hours, 50 minutes, while women and nonbinary entrants must complete it in five hours, 20 minutes.
The BAA said it had 36,406 qualifying entry applications for next year's race, more than ever before.
“The record number of registrants demonstrates the growth trend of our sport and shows that athletes continue to get faster,” Fleming said.
The qualifying window for the 2026 race began on September 1 and will run through the end of the race's registration period next September.
Next year's Boston Marathon will take place on April 21.