With record-setting utility numbers for the 2024 Boston Marathon, 1000’s of certified athletes who hit Boston requirements are certain to have their hearts damaged when the cut-off time is launched later this yr. However what’s the cut-off time prone to be?
Whereas the Boston Marathon units a qualifying time, a rolling registration is obtainable first to these with the quickest occasions. As such, getting that coveted BQ (Boston Qualifier) doesn’t assure your entry. With greater than 33,000 candidates for the 2024 marathon, the race has, on common over the previous 5 years, solely accepted a discipline of round 23,300 runners, with the remainder reserved for invited athletes and charity runners. (The race has stated the sector measurement will stay at 30,000, which it has been since 2015, except for 2020.) Because of this almost 10,000 qualifiers’ occasions won’t be accepted.
The query is, how massive will the cut-off time be? In 2019, when the race set the earlier file for the best variety of candidates (simply over 30,000), the Boston Athletic Affiliation (B.A.A.) needed to flip down greater than 7,000 runners, with a cut-off time of 4 minutes and 52 seconds. Because of this each runner, no matter age or gender, needed to have run no less than 4 minutes and 52 seconds quicker than their qualifying time to be able to be accepted into the race.
| YEAR | FIELD SIZE | APPLICATIONS RECEIVED | ATHLETES ACCEPTED | ATHLETES UNABLE TO ACCEPT | CUT-OFF TIME |
| 2024 | 30,000 | 33,000+ (new file) | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2023 | 30,000 | 23,267 | all | 0 | 0:00 |
| 2022 | 30,000 | 22,936 | all | 0 | 0:00 |
| 2021 (COVID yr) | 20,000 (restricted discipline) | 23,824 | 14,609 | 9,215 | 7:47 |
| 2020 (digital/cancelled) | 31,500 | 27,288 | 24,127 | 3,161 | 1:39 |
| 2019 | 30,000 | 30,458 (previous file) | 23,074 | 7,384 | 4:52 |
| 2018 | 30,000 | 28,260 | 23,198 | 5,062 | 3:23 |
As a result of this yr’s excessive utility numbers, the 2024 cut-off time is imagined to be their largest cut-off time up to now. Judging by earlier years’ numbers, it’s anticipated that almost 30 per cent of candidates might be turned down; primarily based on previous cut-off occasions and the variety of athletes declined, the cut-off is prone to be seven to eight minutes. So for instance, if you happen to certified within the girls’s 40-44 age group with a time beneath 3:40, you’d probably must have run 3:32 or quicker to be accepted.
The B.A.A. stated in an announcement that they’re at present verifying all occasions and can notify candidates of their acceptance or non-acceptance throughout the subsequent three weeks.
For runners who don’t get accepted or who lack a Boston Marathon qualifying time, there’s nonetheless a possibility to take part within the marathon via the Financial institution of America charity program, which incorporates 160 non-profit and charitable organizations.
