2025 Boston Marathon Registration and Cutoff Time: Everything You Need to Know

Registration for the 2025 Boston Marathon is drawing to a close, and over the past week I’ve seen a lot of the same questions come up over and over again.

It will still be another week or two before acceptances and rejections go out, and it’s likely these same questions will continue to circulate. So I’m going to collect as many of those questions as I can and include answers below.

Here’s everything you need to know about the registration process itself, the potential cut-off time, and historical data about the Boston Marathon.

1. What Is the Cut Off Time and How Is It Calculated?
2. Is the Cut Off Time applied Equally to Each Age Group?
3. What Has the Range of Cut Off Times Been Historically?
4. What Has the Field Size Been Over the Years?
5. How Many Applicants Were There This Year?
6. What Will the Cut Off Time Be This Year?
7. When Will BAA Announce the Cut Off Time?
8. I See a Charge On My Credit Card. Am I Accepted?
9. When Will the BAA Announce if Qualifying Times Are Changing?

What Is the Cut Off Time and How Is It Calculated?

The Boston Athletic Association has established qualifying times to apply for the Boston Marathon. Once upon a time, if you met the qualifying time, you were guaranteed the ability to apply for the race until the field was full.

There are, however, a limited number of spaces available for qualifiers to enter the race. The first come, first serve model no longer works. So if the number of applicants exceeds the number of seats, the BAA has chosen to select the fastest runners in each age group.

To do this, they first calculate the difference between each person’s finish time and their qualifying time.

For example, I’m a man and I will be 41 on the date of the 2025 Boston Marathon. My qualifying time is 3:10:00. I ran a 3:08:32 at the Jersey City Marathon in April.

I beat my qualifying time by 1:28. This is also colloquially known as my ‘buffer.’

The goal of the cut-off time is to reduce the size of the applicant pool to planned size of the field. So if there are 22,000 spaces available for runners, they are looking for the cut-off time that reduces the applicant pool to 22,000 qualified runners.

Another way to think about this is to sort runners into buckets.

How many runners were 10 minutes faster than their qualifying times? If that doesn’t fill up the field, move on to 9 minutes. Then 8, and so on. Until you get to a full field. But you move from the fastest runners – all of whom are accepted – and move towards the slower runners until things fill up.

Is the Cut Off Time Applied Equally To Each Age Group?

Yes.

Although the individual qualifying times vary by age and gender, the cut-off time is applied in a standard way across the board.

So if the cut-off time is 5 minutes, that means every age group has 5 minutes deducted from its qualifying time. A 34 year old man would have to run 2:55, a 45 year old woman would have to run 3:45, and a 67 year old man would have to run 4:00. So on and so forth.

Is this fair? That’s a loaded question.

But it’s generally true that this system favors older runners and women. If you apply the same cut-off time to a broad range of qualifying times, it’s more meaningful for runners with the fastest qualifying times.

To consider the two extreme examples, men 18-34 have a qualifying time of 3:00 and women 80 and over have a qualifying time of 5:20.

For a 25 year old man, a 5 minute cut-off time represents a 2.78% reduction in their qualifying time.

For an 80 year old woman, a 5 minute cut-off time represents a 1.5% reduction in their qualifying time.

This is less of an issue with small cut off times. But as the cut off time approaches ten minutes, it becomes more apparent.

For more on this topic, check out this analysis on Medium.

What Has the Range of Cut-Off Times Been Historically?

Prior to 2012, there were no cut-off times.

A limit was established for the field size, and qualified runners were able to enter until it was filled up. In 2011, these spots were taken in just eight hours – necessitating a change to the qualifying process.

Since 2012, most years have had at least a small cut-off time. You can see the individual cut-off times below.

In many of the other years, the cut-off times have varied between one and three minutes.

Three years are notably higher than the others, though: 2019, 2021, and 2024.

In 2019, there was a surge in qualified applicants and the cut off time was nearly 5 minutes. That year, the Boston Marathon announced that it would reduce the qualifying times beginning in 2020. This brought the cut-off time back to a reasonable level the following year.

In 2021, the cut-off time was at it’s highest: 7:47. However, this was driven by unique factors. The field size was severely limited as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown. When the field size returned to normal in 2022 and 2023, there was no cut-off time.

In 2024, there was again a large cut-off time: 5:29. This was driven by the rebound in participation in marathons post-COVID. Since then, the overall number of runners and qualifiers has continued to increase.

What Has the Field Size Been Over the Years?

In recent years, the overall field for the marathon has been capped at 30,000 runners. Around 22,000 to 23,000 of these spots are reserved for time qualifiers.

The visual below shows the number of qualified runners (blue) and the number of other runners (purple) per year. In some cases, the numbers are rounded based on reported estimates if the BAA didn’t release complete data.

In 2012 and 2013, the total field size was slightly below 30,000. In those years, there were also slightly fewer time qualifiers.

2014 is a huge outlier. This was the year following the terrorist attacks at the 2013 race. There was a surge in the number of runners who wanted to participate, including many runners who could not complete the race the year before. The only other year in the history of Boston with a similar number entrants was the centennial race in 1996.

Since then, the overall field size has been fairly stable at 30,000. They were going to increase that to 31,500 for the 2020 race, although that race was ultimately canceled due to COVID. The first race post-COVID (2021) had a reduced field size, but it has since returned to the usual levels.

In terms of time qualifiers, that number peaked at around 24,000 in several years. But it has decreased in the last two years to 23,267 (2023) and 22,019 (2024). It’s unlikely to go lower, but it’s unclear if BAA has any plans to increase it back to 23,000 or 24,000.

How Many Applicants Were There This Year?

A big part of predicting what the cutoff time will be is predicting how many applicants there will be. There are a lot more variables leading to that number, and once you know the number of applicants things get a little simpler.

More applicants means a higher cutoff time. Fewer applicants means a lower cutoff time.

Today, the BAA released the number of applicants for this year’s race: 36,406.

This is a record setting number of applicants, and it’s up about 10% from last year’s also record setting number of applicants.

This fact validates much of the math behind the modeling I’ve done, and it suggests that the original prediction – 7:03 – will be very close. You can read more in this article.

This eliminates some of the uncertainty over things like how much the Easter holiday will matter. It also eliminates some of the higher estimates – like 10 minutes. The math just doesn’t work out with this many applicants that the cutoff time could be that high.

What Will the Cut-Off Time Be This Year?

It’s impossible to say for sure, but my original prediction for the cut-off time is 7:03. I also explored some of the factors that could increase or decrease that cut-off time here, and I debunked one of the misconceptions about the weather at the 2024 Boston Marathon here.

There are several factors at play, and some of them are known. The number of finishers at marathons across the country (and the world) have increased substantially from last year to this year. Along with that, the number of qualifiers have also increased.

Simply put: There are far more runners out there today who have run a qualifying time compared to the qualifying period for the 2024 Boston Marathon. Assuming everything else remains the same, more qualifiers will mean more applicants – and that will mean a deeper cut-off time. It’s very simple math.

But there are also some factors at play that are unknown.

Not all qualifiers actually apply to run Boston, and we don’t know if runners will be more or less likely to apply this year. The Easter holiday is the day before the race, and that may or may not have an impact. It’s also possible that the BAA will increase the number of spots available to time qualifiers.

The number allocated last year (22,000) is low, and given the surge in applications last year it’s possible that they plan to increase that again. It’s also possibly that they could increase the field size to 31,500, as they planned to do in 2020. But there are no indications that either of these things are truly in the works, and it may just be wishful thinking.

I think the most likely outcome will be a cut-off time in the 6 to 8 minute range.

Update: With the release of the number of applicants, I’m more confident the likely outcome will be in the 6:30 to 7:30 range.

Given the number of qualifiers out there – and the increase over last year – it’s unlikely that the cut-off time will be below five minutes. Even if BAA increases the field size slightly or if fewer people apply because of the Easter holiday, that would still leave the time in the 5 to 6 minute range.

On the flip side, it’s incredibly unlikely that it goes much beyond eight minutes. Something would have to radically change about which runners are deciding to apply to Boston, and the number of applicants would have to increase by 15 to 20%.

When Will BAA Announce the Cut-off Time?

Based on previous years, the general timeline goes like this:

• The registration period is open for a certain amount of time
• Following the registration period, BAA will verify all qualifying times
• Once verification is complete, they will send acceptances and rejections and announce the cut-off time

The registration period this year is September 9 to September 13. It closed today at 5pm.

In the past, it has taken one to two weeks to complete the verification process and announce the field. That could put things as late as September 27.

However, BAA recently introduced a process to submit times for pre-verification. If more runners submitted their times early – a possibility given the increase in interest in the race – that could speed things up. So it’s possible that they’ll finish the process as early as next week and make an announcement by September 20.

My money is on the week of September 23 to 27.

For it’s part, BAA has officially said that the process will be complete in early October. It hasn’t taken this long historically, but they’re likely hedging their bets so as not to anger people by taking longer than expected. Better to under promise and over deliver than the other way around.

Either way, settle in for a short wait.

I See a Charge On My Credit Card. Am I Accepted?

I’ve seen this question a lot on various running forums and social media communities.

As part of the registration process, you must submit a payment method. This payment method will be charged if and when you are accepted.

However, many runners have noticed that there is a charge visible in their online banking platform, and they then wonder if this is a sign that they’ve been accepted.

Unfortunately, that’s not what this means. Here’s a statement straight from the BAA website:

If your application is accepted, only then will your credit card be charged the non-refundable, non-transferable, and non-deferable entry fee. You may notice a preauthorization draft on your credit card statement. This authorization will be removed within seven to 10 business days. The actual charge will not appear on your credit card until your entry has been verified and accepted, and you’ve received a confirmation of acceptance email. The preauthorization does not constitute acceptance into the race. Only athletes who are accepted into the Boston Marathon will be charged the entry fee.

As BAA clearly states, a charge that you see today is just a pre-authorization. It will disappear, and it does not mean that you’ve been accepted. It’s totally normal, and many runners are seeing this.

The same holds true for when you see this pre-authorization hold disappear. That is not a sign that you’ve been rejected. It’s a normal thing that people are seeing the week of 9/16.

You’ll know you’ve been accepted because you’ve gotten an acceptance email – and they’ll announce the cut-off time at the same time.

If you used a debit card, then the money has likely been deducted from your bank account. So you may perceive this to be a “charge” and not a “preauthorization.”

But this is just the way debit cards work. Similarly, if you use a debit card at a hotel, you’ll be charged the full amount for the hold and it will be refunded later.

When Will BAA Announce If Qualifying Times Are Changing?

Between the record number of applicants last year and the likely record number of applicants this year, many people assume that the BAA will reduce its qualifying times starting in 2026. The recent change in the Chicago Marathon qualifying times has also contributed to this speculation.

If they do change the qualifying times, when will they announce that?

Most likely, they’ll announce it at the same time or right after they announce the cut-off time for the 2025 race.

The last time they changed the qualifying times was in 2019 – for the 2020 race. They made the announcement in late September 2018, in conjunction with their announcement of the cut-off time.

I’m sure that they have been having meetings to discuss the possibility of reducing the qualifying times. But ultimately, that decision will rest on a) how many people apply for this year’s race and b) how many people have to be eliminated by a cut-off time.

Until those numbers are known – which they won’t be until after the end of the registration period and verification process – it’s too early for them to make a final decision.

It’s also quite unlikely that they will wait to make any announcement. I’m sure that they want runners to have clear guidance about what the qualifying times are – and they’re unlikely to let the uncertainty linger over the field as the fall marathon season opens up.

I’m running Chicago in four weeks, and I fully expect to know what the qualifying times for the 2026 Boston Marathon will be by then.

Based on the data that I’ve analyzed, I think the most sensible and likely route would be to reduce the qualifying times by 5 minutes across the board. This wouldn’t eliminate the need for a cut-off time, but it would likely reduce a future cut-off time to below five minutes.

It’s unlikely that there will be fewer applicants next year, so if they don’t make any changes … things aren’t going to get better.

When Does the Qualification Period Start For the 2026 Boston Marathon?

In recent years, there has been a double dipping period in early September.

For example, the qualifying period for the 2024 Boston Marathon was September 1, 2022 to September 15, 2023. The qualifying period for the 2025 Boston Marathon was September 1, 2023 to September 13, 2024.

If you ran a race between September 1, 2023 and September 15, 2023 – like the 2023 Erie Marathon at Presque Isle – you could use those results in either or both the 2024 and 2025 Boston Marathons.

In all likelihood, the qualifying period for the 2026 Boston Marathon has already begun and any race after September 1, 2024 can be used to qualify.

However, until they announce the actual qualifying period this is not set in stone. Prior to the pandemic, there was no significant double dipping period.

For example, the qualifying period for the 2020 Boston Marathon was September 15, 2018 to September 18, 2019. The qualifying period for the 2019 Boston Marathon was September 16, 2017 and September 19, 2018.

Although they overlapped by several days, and there was one weekend in the double dipping period, neither race started its qualifying period on September 1.

That is a recent development, and there’s no guarantee it will continue. In fact, one way the BAA could (slightly) reduce the number of applicants is to eliminate the double dipping period and start the 2026 qualification period with this weekend.

Do You Have Any Other Questions About the 2025 Boston Marathon Cut-off Time?

That’s a lot of information, and hopefully it answered any questions you might have. It’s most of what I’ve seen people asking online.

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment below. I’ll answer it if I can, and I may revise this article to include your question.

In the meantime, sit tight and get ready to wait things out for a couple more weeks. Assuming your one of the thousands of runners who qualified for Boston, we’ll know soon enough whether we actually make it into this year’s race.

And if we don’t, there’s always next year. So keep running, and start planning for your next BQ attempt. Just plan to be a little faster.