Oct 18, 2024
Boston Marathon Qualifiers - Most Common and Most Popular Qualifying Marathons
Boston Marathon Qualifying Races - Most Likely and Largest Qualifiers
Year: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
Boston Qualifiers in the USA/Canada - 2023
The Boston Marathon is the only mass-participation marathon that requires qualifying times and those times become goal times for many runners. The times are, to some extent, age-graded, with those 35 and over given easier standards.
See: Boston Marathon Qualifying Times
We're often asked what courses are good Boston qualifying courses and where do people qualify for the Boston Marathon. While there is no specific answer for each individual, and while different races may be easier or harder in any given year due to weather or other factors - following is a factual list of those marathons that have the highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in their field and those with the largest overall number of qualifiers.
Note that different years may show different results as weather, course changes and other factors can affect the performance of a race from year to year.
Trying to qualify for Boston in 2025? We have your back! We partnered with Runzy to help. Train 1:1 with an elite running coach for just $39/month. Mention "MarathonGuide" for a special discount. Learn more.
Boston Marathon Qualifying Races - Most Likely To Qualify - 2023
The marathons below had the highest percent of Boston qualifying finishers in 2023. These courses will undoubtedly be among those ranked the fastest of all courses - but there are other factors that might cause a marathon to appear on this list or to cause a race to fall off this list. For a point-to-point course, a tailwind or headwind might make the difference from one year to the next. Some races (such as Boston itself) simply attracts faster runners, so the fact that a marathon is on this list might be an indication of the type of runner it attracts even more than the quality of its course. But, you can be sure that any marathon on this is not slow.
| Rank | Marathon | Boston Qualifiers |
Qualifying Percent* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McKirdy Micro Marathon - NY II (10/14/23 - Clarkstown, NY) | 106 | 100.0% |
| 2 | Last Chance BQ.2 Chicagoland Marathon (9/9/23 - Geneva, IL) | 121 | 56.0% |
| 3 | Last Chance BQ.2 Grand Rapids Marathon (9/10/23 - Grand Rapids, MI) | 61 | 55.1% |
| 4 | Boston Marathon (4/17/23 - Boston, MA) | 13,741 | 51.9% |
| 5 | REVEL Big Bear and Half Marathon (11/18/23 - Big Bear, CA) | 742 | 41.2% |
| 6 | Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon (6/11/23 - North Bend, WA) | 297 | 39.9% |
| 7 | REVEL Mt Charleston (4/1/23 - Las Vegas, NV) | 555 | 37.5% |
| 8 | The Tunnel Lite Marathon (9/10/23 - North Bend, WA) | 226 | 34.3% |
| 9 | California International Marathon (12/3/23 - Sacramento, CA) | 2,852 | 31.9% |
| 10 | Jack and Jill's Downhill Marathon (7/30/23 - Hyak to Tanner, WA) | 156 | 31.0% |
| 11 | Sugarloaf Marathon (5/14/23 - Carrabassett Valley, ME) | 153 | 30.8% |
| 12 | The Cheap Marathon (4/16/23 - Derry, NH) | 117 | 29.0% |
| 13 | Mountains 2 Beach Marathon (5/21/23 - Ojai, CA) | 401 | 28.7% |
| 14 | Tunnel Vision Marathon (8/13/23 - North Bend, WA) | 137 | 28.4% |
| 15 | Glass City Marathon (4/23/23 - Toledo, OH) | 320 | 28.0% |
| 16 | Georgina Marathon (9/10/23 - Georgina, ON) | 68 | 27.9% |
| 17 | Erie Marathon at Presque Isle (9/10/23 - Erie, PA) | 258 | 27.6% |
| 18 | Ventura Marathon (2/26/23 - Ventura, CA) | 188 | 25.2% |
| 19 | Baystate Marathon (10/15/23 - Lowell, MA) | 232 | 25.1% |
| 20 | Jack and Jill's Downhill Saturday Marathon (7/29/23 - Hyak to Tanner, WA) | 175 | 23.6% |
| 21 | Phoenix Marathon (2/4/23 - Mesa, AZ) | 434 | 23.3% |
| 22 | Eugene Marathon (4/30/23 - Eugene, OR) | 469 | 23.0% |
| 23 | Road2Hope Hamilton Marathon (11/5/23 - Hamilton, ON) | 105 | 22.8% |
| 24 | Carmel Marathon (4/8/23 - Carmel, IN) | 208 | 22.7% |
| 25 | Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (10/28/23 - Indianapolis, IN) | 927 | 22.7% |
| 26 | Harrisburg Marathon (11/12/23 - Harrisburg, PA) | 98 | 22.4% |
| 27 | Rockies Marathon (6/3/23 - Denver, CO) | 157 | 22.2% |
| 28 | Big Cottonwood Marathon (9/9/23 - Salt Lake City, UT) | 335 | 21.9% |
| 29 | Grandma's Marathon (6/17/23 - Duluth, MN) | 1,462 | 21.4% |
| 30 | Bayshore Marathon (5/27/23 - Traverse City, MI) | 288 | 21.2% |
| 31 | Chicago Marathon (10/8/23 - Chicago, IL) | 9,402 | 20.9% |
| 32 | North Central Trail Marathon (11/25/23 - Sparks, MD) | 57 | 20.8% |
| 33 | Charlevoix Marathon (6/17/23 - Charlevoix, MI) | 83 | 20.8% |
| 34 | Steamtown Marathon (10/8/23 - Scranton, PA) | 158 | 18.9% |
| 35 | New England Green River Marathon (8/27/23 - Greenfield, MA) | 63 | 18.9% |
| 36 | Tobacco Road Marathon (3/19/23 - Cary, NC) | 142 | 18.8% |
| 37 | Foot Traffic Flat Marathon (7/4/23 - Portland, OR) | 47 | 18.3% |
| 38 | Marathon P'tit Train du Nord (10/1/23 - Saint-Jerome, QC) | 328 | 18.1% |
| 39 | One City Marathon (3/5/23 - Newport News, VA) | 64 | 18.0% |
| 40 | Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon (10/8/23 - Albany, NY) | 78 | 17.8% |
| 41 | The Woodlands Marathon (3/4/23 - The Woodlands, TX) | 141 | 17.7% |
| 42 | Cape Cod Marathon (10/8/23 - Falmouth, MA) | 156 | 17.6% |
| 43 | Marathon de Longueuil (5/21/23 - Longueuil, QC) | 49 | 17.6% |
| 44 | Super Marathon (6/17/23 - North Bend, WA) | 50 | 17.5% |
| 45 | Utah Valley Marathon (6/3/23 - Provo, UT) | 166 | 17.2% |
| 46 | Wineglass Marathon (10/1/23 - Corning, NY) | 266 | 17.0% |
| 47 | Newport Marathon (6/3/23 - Newport, OR) | 51 | 16.7% |
| 48 | Jersey City Marathon (4/23/23 - Jersey City, NJ) | 309 | 16.5% |
| 49 | Deseret News Classic Marathon (7/24/23 - Salt Lake City, UT) | 49 | 16.3% |
| 50 | Marathon de Rimouski (9/10/23 - Rimouski, QC) | 38 | 16.2% |
*This list is limited to marathons with 250 or more finishers, or 60 or more qualifiers regardless of size. Percentages calculated ignore finishers over 6:00.
Boston Marathon Qualifying Races - Most Qualifiers 2023
The races that have the most Boston Marathon qualifiers are, obviously, going to be skewed to those that have the most participants. Below is a list of the races that qualified the most people for Boston in 2023.
| Rank | Marathon | Finishers | Boston Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Marathon (4/17/23 - Boston, MA) | 26,600 | 13,741 |
| 2 | Chicago Marathon (10/8/23 - Chicago, IL) | 48,574 | 9,402 |
| 3 | New York City Marathon (11/5/23 - New York City, NY) | 51,295 | 4,302 |
| 4 | California International Marathon (12/3/23 - Sacramento, CA) | 9,183 | 2,852 |
| 5 | Philadelphia Marathon (11/19/23 - Philadelphia, PA) | 11,439 | 1,502 |
| 6 | Grandma's Marathon (6/17/23 - Duluth, MN) | 7,182 | 1,462 |
| 7 | Houston Marathon (1/15/23 - Houston, TX) | 6,105 | 945 |
| 8 | Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (10/28/23 - Indianapolis, IN) | 4,214 | 927 |
| 9 | REVEL Big Bear and Half Marathon (11/18/23 - Big Bear, CA) | 1,837 | 742 |
| 10 | Toronto Waterfront Marathon (10/15/23 - Toronto, ON) | 4,559 | 610 |
| 11 | REVEL Mt Charleston (4/1/23 - Las Vegas, NV) | 1,516 | 555 |
| 12 | St. George Marathon (10/7/23 - St. George, UT) | 3,815 | 527 |
| 13 | Richmond Marathon (11/11/23 - Richmond, VA) | 4,083 | 518 |
| 14 | Eugene Marathon (4/30/23 - Eugene, OR) | 2,088 | 469 |
| 15 | Marine Corps Marathon (10/29/23 - Washington, DC) | 13,662 | 439 |
| 16 | Phoenix Marathon (2/4/23 - Mesa, AZ) | 1,926 | 434 |
| 17 | Vancouver International Marathon (5/7/23 - Vancouver, BC) | 4,918 | 406 |
| 18 | Mountains 2 Beach Marathon (5/21/23 - Ojai, CA) | 1,423 | 401 |
| 19 | City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon) (3/19/23 - Los Angeles, CA) | 16,973 | 396 |
| 20 | Columbus Marathon (10/15/23 - Columbus, OH) | 3,006 | 373 |
| 21 | Ottawa Marathon (National Capital Race Weekend) (5/28/23 - Ottawa, ON) | 2,431 | 342 |
| 22 | Big Cottonwood Marathon (9/9/23 - Salt Lake City, UT) | 1,572 | 335 |
| 23 | Marathon P'tit Train du Nord (10/1/23 - Saint-Jerome, QC) | 1,817 | 328 |
| 24 | Glass City Marathon (4/23/23 - Toledo, OH) | 1,161 | 320 |
| 25 | Jersey City Marathon (4/23/23 - Jersey City, NJ) | 1,934 | 309 |
| 26 | Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon (6/11/23 - North Bend, WA) | 757 | 297 |
| 27 | Toronto Marathon (5/7/23 - Toronto, ON) | 2,417 | 295 |
| 28 | Bayshore Marathon (5/27/23 - Traverse City, MI) | 1,366 | 288 |
| 29 | Wineglass Marathon (10/1/23 - Corning, NY) | 1,647 | 266 |
| 30 | Erie Marathon at Presque Isle (9/10/23 - Erie, PA) | 944 | 258 |
| 31 | Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon (5/7/23 - Cincinnati, OH) | 4,489 | 253 |
| 32 | Baystate Marathon (10/15/23 - Lowell, MA) | 936 | 232 |
| 33 | Detroit International Marathon (10/15/23 - Detroit, MI) | 3,080 | 228 |
| 34 | The Tunnel Lite Marathon (9/10/23 - North Bend, WA) | 664 | 226 |
| 35 | Napa Valley Marathon (3/5/23 - Napa, CA) | 1,452 | 224 |
| 36 | Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon (3/19/23 - Virginia Beach, VA) | 1,689 | 210 |
| 37 | Carmel Marathon (4/8/23 - Carmel, IN) | 936 | 208 |
| 38 | Long Beach Marathon (10/15/23 - Long Beach, CA) | 2,516 | 204 |
| 39 | Hartford Marathon (10/14/23 - Hartford, CT) | 1,467 | 190 |
| 40 | Dallas Marathon (formerly the Dallas White Rock Marathon) (12/10/23 - Dallas, TX) | 3,377 | 190 |
| 41 | Ventura Marathon (2/26/23 - Ventura, CA) | 758 | 188 |
| 42 | The San Francisco Marathon (7/23/23 - San Francisco, CA) | 4,883 | 184 |
| 43 | Victoria Marathon (10/8/23 - Victoria, BC) | 1,443 | 184 |
| 44 | Pittsburgh Marathon (5/7/23 - Pittsburgh, PA) | 3,000 | 181 |
| 45 | Honolulu Marathon (12/10/23 - Honololu, HI) | 15,044 | 177 |
| 46 | Jack and Jill's Downhill Saturday Marathon (7/29/23 - Hyak to Tanner, WA) | 761 | 175 |
| 47 | Utah Valley Marathon (6/3/23 - Provo, UT) | 996 | 166 |
| 48 | Steamtown Marathon (10/8/23 - Scranton, PA) | 867 | 158 |
| 49 | Rockies Marathon (6/3/23 - Denver, CO) | 711 | 157 |
| 50 | Jack and Jill's Downhill Marathon (7/30/23 - Hyak to Tanner, WA) | 510 | 156 |
Trying to qualify for Boston in 2025? We have your back! We partnered with Runzy to help. Train 1:1 with an elite running coach for just $39/month. Mention "MarathonGuide" for a special discount. Learn more.
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