Apr 26, 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 - 2024
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 2024? 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 - 2024
Note: Partial Year Results (2024 is ongoing)The marathons below had the highest percent of Boston qualifying finishers in 2024 (year-to-date). 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 | 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon (2/3/24 - Orlando, FL) | 117 | 100.0% |
| 2 | 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon (2/3/24 - Orlando, FL) | 150 | 100.0% |
| 3 | REVEL Mt Charleston (4/6/24 - Las Vegas, NV) | 703 | 41.6% |
| 4 | Boston Marathon (4/15/24 - Boston, MA) | 9,814 | 38.8% |
| 5 | The Cheap Marathon (4/20/24 - Derry, NH) | 139 | 35.5% |
| 6 | Ventura Marathon (2/25/24 - Ventura, CA) | 260 | 27.1% |
| 7 | Albany Marathon (formerly the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Marathon) (3/2/24 - Albany, GA) | 62 | 24.9% |
| 8 | Phoenix Marathon (2/10/24 - Mesa, AZ) | 626 | 24.6% |
| 9 | B&A Trail Marathon (3/24/24 - Severna Park, MD) | 63 | 22.1% |
| 10 | Jersey City Marathon (4/14/24 - Jersey City, NJ) | 437 | 21.9% |
| 11 | Carmel Marathon (4/13/24 - Carmel, IN) | 306 | 21.4% |
| 12 | One City Marathon (3/3/24 - Newport News, VA) | 80 | 17.7% |
| 13 | Houston Marathon (1/14/24 - Houston, TX) | 1,252 | 17.5% |
| 14 | Modesto Marathon (3/24/24 - Modesto, CA) | 50 | 15.8% |
| 15 | Napa Valley Marathon (3/3/24 - Napa, CA) | 206 | 14.4% |
| 16 | The Woodlands Marathon (3/2/24 - The Woodlands, TX) | 118 | 14.3% |
| 17 | Salisbury Marathon (4/6/24 - Salisbury, MD) | 36 | 14.1% |
| 18 | Tobacco Road Marathon (3/17/24 - Cary, NC) | 116 | 13.8% |
| 19 | Delaware Marathon (4/21/24 - Wilmington, DE) | 60 | 13.6% |
| 20 | Rhode Races Newport Marathon (4/13/24 - Newport, RI) | 122 | 13.0% |
| 21 | Louisiana Marathon (1/14/24 - Baton Rouge, LA) | 121 | 12.3% |
| 22 | Wilmington Marathon (2/24/24 - Wilmington, NC) | 102 | 11.6% |
| 23 | Town of Celebration Marathon (1/28/24 - Celebration, FL) | 40 | 11.0% |
| 24 | Myrtle Beach Marathon (3/2/24 - Myrtle Beach, SC) | 129 | 10.9% |
| 25 | Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon (3/17/24 - Virginia Beach, VA) | 201 | 10.8% |
| 26 | Asheville Marathon (3/16/24 - Asheville, NC) | 56 | 10.2% |
| 27 | Coastal Delaware Running Festival (4/14/24 - Rehoboth Beach, DE) | 67 | 10.0% |
| 28 | Carlsbad Marathon (1/14/24 - Carlsbad, CA) | 90 | 9.7% |
*This list is limited to marathons with 250 or more finishers, or 100 or more qualifiers regardless of size. Percentages calculated ignore finishers over 6:00.
Boston Marathon Qualifying Races - Most Qualifiers 2024
Note: Partial Year Results (2024 is ongoing)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 2024.
| Rank | Marathon | Finishers | Boston Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Marathon (4/15/24 - Boston, MA) | 25,530 | 9,814 |
| 2 | Houston Marathon (1/14/24 - Houston, TX) | 7,164 | 1,252 |
| 3 | REVEL Mt Charleston (4/6/24 - Las Vegas, NV) | 1,707 | 703 |
| 4 | Phoenix Marathon (2/10/24 - Mesa, AZ) | 2,633 | 626 |
| 5 | City of Los Angeles Marathon (L.A. Marathon) (3/17/24 - Los Angeles, CA) | 20,450 | 491 |
| 6 | Jersey City Marathon (4/14/24 - Jersey City, NJ) | 2,000 | 437 |
| 7 | Carmel Marathon (4/13/24 - Carmel, IN) | 1,450 | 306 |
| 8 | Ventura Marathon (2/25/24 - Ventura, CA) | 979 | 260 |
| 9 | Austin Marathon (2/18/24 - Austin, TX) | 4,047 | 230 |
| 10 | Napa Valley Marathon (3/3/24 - Napa, CA) | 1,435 | 206 |
| 11 | Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon (3/17/24 - Virginia Beach, VA) | 2,004 | 201 |
| 12 | 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon (2/3/24 - Orlando, FL) | 150 | 150 |
| 13 | Disney World Marathon (1/7/24 - Orlando, FL) | 12,694 | 149 |
| 14 | The Cheap Marathon (4/20/24 - Derry, NH) | 394 | 139 |
| 15 | Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) (2/4/24 - Huntington Beach, CA) | 1,542 | 129 |
| 16 | Myrtle Beach Marathon (3/2/24 - Myrtle Beach, SC) | 1,260 | 129 |
| 17 | Rhode Races Newport Marathon (4/13/24 - Newport, RI) | 955 | 122 |
| 18 | Louisiana Marathon (1/14/24 - Baton Rouge, LA) | 997 | 121 |
| 19 | The Woodlands Marathon (3/2/24 - The Woodlands, TX) | 854 | 118 |
| 20 | 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon (2/3/24 - Orlando, FL) | 117 | 117 |
| 21 | Tobacco Road Marathon (3/17/24 - Cary, NC) | 869 | 116 |
| 22 | Wilmington Marathon (2/24/24 - Wilmington, NC) | 899 | 102 |
| 23 | Carlsbad Marathon (1/14/24 - Carlsbad, CA) | 945 | 90 |
| 24 | One City Marathon (3/3/24 - Newport News, VA) | 471 | 80 |
| 25 | Salt Lake City Marathon (4/20/24 - Salt Lake City, UT) | 1,339 | 71 |
| 26 | Coastal Delaware Running Festival (4/14/24 - Rehoboth Beach, DE) | 699 | 67 |
| 27 | B&A Trail Marathon (3/24/24 - Severna Park, MD) | 285 | 63 |
| 28 | Miami Marathon (1/28/24 - Miami and Miami Beach, FL) | 2,623 | 62 |
Trying to qualify for Boston in 2024? 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.
