Boston Marathon

BAA announces qualifying standards for 2022 Boston Marathon

For the first time since 2013, runners will not have to exceed posted qualifying times.

By Gary Dzen

November 18, 2021

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All 24,000 applicants whose qualifying time met the initial standard will be granted entry into the 2022 Boston Marathon, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) said Thursday.

For the first time since 2013, runners who meet their respective qualifying time and whose times are verified by the BAA will be accepted into the race. That’s different from the 2021 race, for example, where, due to restrictions on the size of the race field, runners had to submit times that were 7 minutes and 47 seconds faster than the qualifying times posted by the BAA. That 7:47 margin was the biggest in the race’s history.

“I am delighted to share that everyone who applied with a valid qualifying time will be joining us for the 126th Boston Marathon,” Tom Grilk, president and CEO of the BAA, said in a statement. “It will be a historic return to Patriots’ Day and I am pleased to welcome this dedicated group of qualifiers.”

During a five-day window earlier in November, nearly 24,000 runners submitted times they said qualified themselves for the 2022 marathon. Those times are now being vetted by the BAA; applicants will receive official notice of their admission, and their credit cards will be charged, in early December.

The now-official qualifying standards for the 2022 Boston Marathon are below.

Men

• 18-34: 3 hrs 00 min 00 sec
• 35-39: 3 hrs 5 min 00 sec
• 40-44: 3 hrs 10 min 00 sec
• 45-49: 3 hrs 20 min 00 sec
• 50-54: 3 hrs 25 min 00 sec
• 55-59: 3 hrs 35 min 00 sec
• 60-64: 3 hrs 50 min 00 sec
• 65-69: 4 hrs 5 min 00 sec
• 70-74: 4 hrs 20 min 00 sec
• 75-79: 4 hrs 35 min 00 sec
• 80 & over: 4 hrs 50 min 00 sec

Women

• 18-34: 3 hrs 30 min 00 sec
• 35-39: 3 hrs 35 min 00 sec
• 40-44: 3 hrs 40 min 00 sec
• 45-49: 3 hrs 50 min 00 sec
• 50-54: 3 hrs 55 min 00 sec
• 55-59: 4 hrs 5 min 00 sec
• 60-64: 4 hrs 20 min 00 sec
• 65-69: 4 hrs 35 min 00 sec
• 70-74: 4 hrs 50 min 00 sec
• 75-79: 5 hrs 5 min 00 sec
• 80 & over: 5 hrs 20 min 00 sec

The next Boston Marathon is scheduled to take place on April 18, 2022.