2026 Boston Marathon Cutoff Time Tracker and Prediction

The BAA announced the cutoff time for 2026 would be 4:34. Here’s a reflection on their announcement, along with my latest prediction and my original prediction. The Tableau dashboard below collects data from marathons, tracks the number of finishers who meet their Boston qualifying time, and projects an estimated cutoff time for the 2026 Boston … Read more

The 2026 Grandma’s Marathon Sold Out In Less Than 24 Hours

Lately, I’ve been tracking which marathons are selling out and how early they’ve reached capacity. Last week, another race joined that list in record time. The 2026 Grandma’s Marathon sold out in less than twenty four hours. Over the summer, I noted that the race had been selling out more quickly in each of the … Read more

The 2025 Hartford Marathon Is Sold Out

Lately, I’ve been tracking which marathons are selling out and how early they’ve reached capacity. Last week, another race joined that list: the 2025 Eversource Hartford Marathon. Like many races, the Hartford Marathon peaked over a decade ago. But after declining for a few years before COVID, it’s definitely on the rebound. The field is … Read more

Will Eliminating the Double Dipping Period Impact the Boston Cutoff?

The BAA announced two changes for registration for the 2027 Boston Marathon. The big headline was the downhill results index. The subtler change was the beginning of the qualifying period for the 2027 Boston Marathon – and the elimination of the double dipping period. For the last several years, the start of the next qualifying … Read more

2026 Boston Marathon Cutoff Announced: How Close Was the Prediction?

Today’s the day we’ve all been waiting for. The Boston Athletic Association announced the cutoff time for the 2026 Boston Marathon: 4:34. If you made it in, congrats! The outcome was slightly lower than I predicted, so I’m sure there are some happy and relieved runners out there who made it through by a hair. … Read more

The 2025 St. Jude Memphis Marathon is Sold Out

Lately, I’ve been tracking which marathons are selling out and how early they’re reaching capacity. This week, another race joined that list: the 2025 St. Jude Memphis Marathon. At the beginning of the month, race organizers noted that the race was at 95% capacity. This week, it officially sold out. This was after selling out … Read more

What Do the Number of Applicants for the 2026 Boston Marathon Mean for the Cutoff?

This morning, BAA announced the cutoff for the 2026 Boston Marathon: 4:34. Read a preliminary analysis of the data they released here. This morning, the Boston Athletic Association released the number of qualified applicants for the 2026 Boston Marathon: 33,267. Which begs the immediate question – what does this mean for the cutoff time? Throughout … Read more

Frequently Asked Questions and Responses to the 2026 Boston Marathon Cutoff Time Prediction

The BAA released the number of applicants for the 2026 Boston Marathon: 33,267. Here’s a revised prediction that takes this new data into account. This evening, the registration period for the 2026 Boston Marathon comes to a close. After tracking data to project the likely cutoff time throughout the year, I published my final prediction … Read more