Now that many of the fall marathons have passed, does anyone have a prediction/model for the 2026 cutoff time taking those into account?

I just ran the Philadelphia marathon and achieved a -6min buffer under the new qualifying standards (I ran 3:19:00; 33 yr old female/3:25 qualifying time). Trying to gauge if I need to run a fast spring marathon to increase my buffer

Hey guys please take a couple minutes to fill out this quick survey geared toward creating a travel bag for marathoners. It would really help out in my masters program.

https://oregon.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5sYiCPrRYh1fMIm

I'm running the Boston Marathon this year for charity! I plan on having some fundraising events with raffle items around the city. I'm trying to think of some other ideas to get money. Any suggestions? Anyone know of bars that will sponsor a drink for my charity? Any places that will allow proceeds of sales for a couple of hours to go to my charity?

Hi all - looking forward to toeing the line in April. Wondering if anyone in this sub has actually diligently completed the official Boston Marathon 20-week level 4 training plan before. Here is the link for reference: https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/train/levelfour

I’ve never followed a strict marathon training plan and I’m looking forward to trying it. I’m a 35 mpw runner and this plan gets into the 55-60 range so I am aware of the demanding nature of this program. If you’ve tried it before and had success or if you didn’t I would love to hear some insights. 20 weeks means it starts in 2 weeks for BM25!

I am running the marathon and also interested in volunteering at the expo on Saturday or Sunday. Looking at the volunteer registration website, it looks like it's actually competitive to get spots. Does that apply to the expo or just race day positions? How much of a chance do I have to get a spot? I have experience volunteering at packet pickups at several other races.

Do I need to find a way to apply immediately once the portal opens? I board a cruise to a low-internet location that day and don't know how much time I will have to apply.

Boston will be my second running star after Chicago and I would like to add a second volunteering star as well. Thanks.

Hi! I’m hoping to run my first Boston marathon this year, but I’ll have to do it through a charity. Does anyone know if there’s problems with applying to more than one? I haven’t had much luck so far, but if I happen to get into more than one, is that a huge problem? I’ve wanted to run this forever, but I’m getting a little worried that a charity won’t accept me.

Looking on figuring out travel back after the race this year, does much occur on Tuesday and do they typically have medal engraving somewhere like NYC and Chicago? Or does everything wrap up by Monday night?

Thanks!

I have run 9 consecutive Bostons. Missed this year by a few seconds. If I run with a charity bib will my streak of 10 be achieved AND will I then receive the future benefits as a streaker?

Hello! I have not ran the Boston Marathon before, but it has been a goal of mine for a very long time. I just applied to be part of Boston Childrens Hospital charity team. Does anyone know how difficult it is to be accepted? I am a patient there and so are my siblings, and I included that on the application as my reason to run. Thanks for any help:)

Dear people, Boston 25 will be my sixth major... with new annoucement of Sydney as 7th major... i need to be sure that in Boston will receive six star medal, is that correct?

Let me know if any one needs a runner to join their team and raise money for 2025!

I have someone keen to run and get their six star and is happy to raise $15,000 for an associated charity.

Hello. I'm running the Boston half marathon in ~2 weeks and am wondering if people that have run it before have suggestions for best method and time to get to the starting area, tips for the actual run, or anything else that may not be explicitly shared by the BAA. Thank you for your time :)

Hi r/running community!

I’m applying for a spot on Dougie’s Team for Autism to run the 2025 Boston Marathon, and I’d love some help reviewing my application. This race means a lot to me both as a runner and as someone with a personal connection to autism. I’m eager to make sure my application is compelling, authentic, and shows my passion for the cause and the sport.

If anyone has experience with charity team applications or would be willing to give it a look, I’d be incredibly grateful. I’m open to any feedback—whether it’s about the writing itself, how I’m framing my personal story, or any tips for making a strong case.

Thanks in advance for any guidance, and good luck with all your running goals!

I have completed 5 marathon majors except Boston. Need one more star but I can’t qualify to run Boston with my marathon finish time. One of my friend works for Bank of America. Does anyone know if BAA allows to run Boston Marathon through invitational entries from my friend ? Please advice. Thanks!

Apologies if this is a stupid question.

The website quite clearly states "The qualifying times below are based upon each athlete's age on the date of the 2026 Boston Marathon"

I'll be 40 by the time the marathon takes place but my current QT will be from age 39.

I'm obviously not complaining if I get an additional 5 minutes grace by having my time judged against the 40-44 group but just making sure that that's right?

Any ideas?

Hey there - I certain I'm too late to run the 2025 marathon - is that accurate? I've run Chicago 3x by partnering with the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and because I'm around a 4:50 finisher, I will never qualify. What other options do I have... for either 2025 or 2026?

Hello! Has anyone stayed at the Sheraton before? I am hearing mixed reviews. Since it's Easter weekend, I am traveling with my family. I have a room booked at the Sheraton by the finish. Any thoughts or better options? Thank you!

Should I be proud I qualified first marathon as a senior runner or do most people think getting a BQ at 60 is easy.

Hi!

If you ran the marathon in April, you probably saw 3 dudes dressed up as unicorns (I can attach a picture if necessary!). It was my husband and his 2 best friends. They live on 3 different continents but they try to meet every year to run a marathon together.

As you can imagine, the Boston Marathon meant a lot to them.

Well, I fucked up. I gave away his tee-shirt to an association. It was a beige tee shirt, super light, with the boston marathon logo in blue. An adidas shirt, I think. I can't find it anywhere. I tried to contact the boston marathon organization on Instagram, but so far no reply.

So... Mayyyybe one of you has two of them? We live in the US so I can venmo you! Im looking for a medium size.

Please, help me making my unicorn happy again.

I (32F) qualified for Boston in 2023 with a time of 3:22:37 and have deferred from the 2024 marathon to run the 2025 marathon since my son was born in February 2024. I got an email in August saying to not register using the normal application in September, but to wait for an email in October since I deferred. Anybody in a similar situation? I’m just kind of getting anxious since I haven’t received an email yet (I know we’re only halfway through October), and was wondering if anyone has gone through this process and knows what to expect?

M age 27 (will be 28 at time of 2026 Boston Marathon). Just ran a Boston qualifier in 2:45:32. That’s a 9:28 buffer under the new standards. Will that be enough?

I know this is a repetitive kind of post, but I didn't see one that quite matched my question and data...

I'm not afraid of dedicating more days and time. I have no health issues and maintain a healthy lifestyle. I do strength training twice a week. My VO2 max was 53 when last professionally measured.

I have run three marathons over the last 3 years. My first marathon was a dreadful 4:42 in muggy, abnormally hot conditions and I was still drinking alcohol socially at the time. Ran/walked the last 4 miles. This most recent marathon, I trained consistently for 18 weeks, cut out alcohol, and ran a 3:45. Peak weekly mileage was right around 40-45 miles. I am signed up for another marathon in 20 weeks from now that is a "high percentage" BQ event due to the flatness of the course.

So 2026 M 40-44 cutoff is 3:05, so I'll go ahead and assume I'd need 2:58, which translates to 6m:45s mile pace. When I think about running that pace for that long, I assume that my heart will explode. 6:45 is what I am currently running for my 400m intervals and sometimes my 800m intervals if I'm going all-out. I feel like I still have some fitness to improve on, but the thought of running that kind of pace just seems IMPOSSIBLE to me.

Has anyone else been down this road and been successful? What are any tips or bits of wisdom?

Hey all,

I'm from out of town and will be running next year. For people who have already run, what's Bib Pickup usually like? Do we have to pick it up the weekend before, or are we able to pick it up the day of? (I have Easter that Sunday, so I didn't know if I needed to drive up to Boston on Saturday and drive back, or if I could just come in late Sunday night and get everything Monday morning.)

Thanks!

I’m not that athletic (unfortunately) and currently can only run a half-marathon at like a 2 hours 30 min pace. However, I do want to get more into running and want to aim high. If I devote let’s say 10 hours a week to running, how long would it take me to reach this goal (or would it even be feasible)?

FWIW I’m male early 20’s

Thanks!

I am looking at the Godfrey Hotel and the citizenM hotels right now. Has anyone stayed at these hotels? Was planning on walking from the hotel to the buses, however I'm not certain how close to the official finish line the shuttles park. Thanks for any info.

I have family who are planning to stay in Newton for the marathon. Is it feasible for them to be able to catch me on the course in Newton and then again at the finish line? What's the best way for them to get from point A to point B?

I find myself qualified and excited for the 2025 Boston Marathon and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for books regarding the marathon. I see there are several online, I was hoping for something as recent and relevant as possible.