Breaking into the 2025 Boston Marathon has become more challenging than ever, with runners needing to finish 6 minutes and 51 seconds faster than the qualifying standard for their age and gender. 

According to the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), this unprecedented cutoff is the highest ever in the history of the competition, as qualifying for the race has become more intensified due to a rush of applicants. 

More than 12,000 runners who met the qualifying standard for the 2025 Boston Marathon did not find a place for the event. Out of 36,393 runners who had qualified and applied for entry, only 24,069 were accepted, leaving 12,324 of them without a spot in the race. 

“The sport of marathoning is seeing record participation and increasingly faster performances,” said Jack Fleming, CEO of the BAA. “We can’t accommodate everyone, but we extend our gratitude and respect to all who pursued their dream of being part of the 2025 race.”

“Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept all athletes into the field, though we do want to recognize, thank, and applaud all whose goal was to be part of the 2025 event.”

Boston is considered a coveted rite of passage for marathoning enthusiasts. It is one of the few marathons requiring amateurs to meet a qualifying time to compete. Runners each year hope to “Boston qualify” based on their age and gender.  

The BAA has already announced stricter qualifying standards for future marathons, signaling an ongoing trend towards more exclusive entry.

Although the field size remains capped at 30,000 participants, the BAA has hiked the percentage of spots for qualifiers to 80%, an increase from 73.4% in 2024. In the previous edition, only 22,019 qualifiers were accepted.

This year’s 6:51 cutoff was only surpassed by the 2021 marathon, when a reduced field size due to COVID-19 guidelines led to a stricter 7:47 cutoff. The use of cutoffs began in 2014, with the smallest being 1:02 in 2015 and the largest, before 2021, being 4:52 in 2019. In 2018, the BAA lowered qualifying standards by 5 minutes across the board in response to rising demand for spots in the race.

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For the 2020 marathon, which was ultimately canceled due to the pandemic, runners needed to be 1:39 faster than their age-group standards to make the cut. The pandemic also resulted in no cutoffs for the 2022 and 2023 editions, as fewer qualifying races were on the cards during that period. However, in 2024, demand surged again, with a cutoff of 5:29 and more than 11,000 runners missing out on entry.

The increasing competitiveness in qualifying signals the Boston Marathon’s continued status as one of the most prestigious and competitive marathons in the world. For many runners, just making it to the start line is big an achievement in itself.

The 2025 Boston Marathon is set for April 21.