Today the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) officially began notifying which qualified applicants have been accepted into the 130th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America, to be held on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Boston Athletic Association)

Here are the key details and takeaways:

What’s happening

• The B.A.A. is sending out acceptance and non-acceptance emails to those who applied as qualifiers.

• Some are already accepted (or in process) pending verification of their qualifying performance. (Boston Athletic Association)

• The race date remains April 20, 2026, and the event is expected to include 30,000 official entrants. (Boston Athletic Association)

Numbers, cut‐off, and field info

• During registration week (Sept. 8‑12, 2025), 33,249 applications from time‑qualifying athletes were submitted. (Boston Athletic Association)

• Of those, about 24,362 qualified applicants have so far been accepted (or are in process pending verification) to date. (Boston Athletic Association)

That means approximately 8,887 qualified applicants won’t be admitted. (Boston Athletic Association)

• The “cut‑off” for acceptance this year is those who beat their age/gender qualifying time by 4 minutes, 34 seconds (4:34) or faster. in other words, you had to exceed the base qualifying standard by at least 4:34 to secure a place. (Boston Athletic Association)

Demographics & other interesting stats

The accepted field includes 13,823 men, 10,429 women, and 110 non‑binary athletes so far. (Boston Athletic Association)

• 719 athletes are accepted based on having finished 10 or more consecutive Boston Marathons. (Boston Athletic Association)

• Accepted athletes come from 120 countries, and from all 50 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C. and U.S. territories. (Boston Athletic Association)

Ages span from 18 to 83 years old among those accepted. (Boston Athletic Association)

• About 10,710 entrants will be first‑time Boston Marathon runners. (Boston Athletic Association)

What this means & what to watch next

• If you applied as a qualifier, check your email. Acceptance or non‑acceptance notices are being sent now and over the next few days. (Boston Athletic Association)

Entry fees will only be charged if and when your entry is officially accepted. There may have been a preliminary authorization, but actual charges come after acceptance and verification. (Boston Athletic Association)

• If you weren’t accepted as a qualifier, there may still be options via charity entries, invitational spots (professional or para athletes), etc. (Boston Athletic Association)

The message is clear: qualifying for Boston is tougher than ever.

Even having met the qualifying time may not guarantee entry—what matters this year is how much under that standard you were.

The 4:34 buffer shows the high level of competition and the limited field size. For those accepted, congratulations.

For those who didn’t make it this year, it’s both a reflection of increased global interest in marathons, and a prompt to perhaps aim for a faster qualifying time next cycle.

If you like, I can break down the qualifying times by age‑group, so you can see what your race needed in comparison. Do you want that?