As runners across the United States set their sights on qualifying for the prestigious Boston Marathon again in 2025, FindMyMarathon.com is excited to reveal its annual list of the 50 Best Marathons to Qualify for Boston. With Boston Marathon qualifying (BQ) times becoming more stringent, this essential list provides invaluable guidance for runners aiming to achieve their Boston Marathon dreams.
In the last two years, earning acceptance into the Boston Marathon has become increasingly competitive. To secure a spot, runners had to exceed their BQ times by more than five minutes—5:29 faster for the 2024 marathon and a remarkable 6:51 faster for the 2025 event. Responding to these trends, the Boston Athletic Association tightened BQ standards by five minutes for most age groups, effective for the 2026 race. This means runners need to strategically select the best races to achieve the new qualifying times.
As the path to Boston becomes more competitive, runners will need to run fast, quality races to achieve their qualifying times. To assist runners, FindMyMarathon has compiled the 50 Best Marathons to Qualify for Boston in 2025. These races not only offer great opportunities to earn a BQ but are also well-organized and PR-worthy marathons.
“With qualifying for Boston becoming even more challenging, we wanted to provide runners with a data-driven resource to help them achieve their goals,” said Greg Hosier, founder of FindMyMarathon.com and 12-time Boston finisher. “These 50 races offer marathoners a great opportunity to run a qualifying time and experience a well-organized and potentially PR-worthy marathon.”
Top 10 Marathons to Qualify for Boston in 2025:
- Revel Big Bear Marathon
- Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon
- California International Marathon
- Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon
- Revel White Mountains Marathon
- Mesa Marathon
- Mountains 2 Beach Marathon
- Tunnel Vision Marathon
- Tunnel Light Marathon
- Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
This year’s list is dominated by downhill marathons, highlighting the growing popularity of these types of races, with more than half of the races and nine of the top ten featuring significant net downhill courses. For runners who prefer flat or rolling terrains, FindMyMarathon also provides a separate list of the 50 Best Non-Downhill Boston Qualifiers.
The full list of the “50 Best Boston Marathon Qualifying Races for 2025” and the “50 Best Non-Downhill Boston Qualifiers” can be found at www.findmymarathon.com/50-best-boston-marathon-qualifiers-for-2025.php