Starting with the 2027 qualifying window, the BAA will add on time to races with at least 1,500 feet of net-elevation drop between start and finish.

On Monday, June 16, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) announced a significant change in the qualifying procedures for the Boston Marathon.

Starting with the 2027 qualifying window, which will open on September 13 of this year, performances that are run on courses with 1,500 feet or more of elevation loss will be given an adjustment.

The organization, in a press release, explained its reasoning:

“Working with data scientists and reviewing applicable results data from 2022 through the present, the BAA has analyzed studies and findings which show that athletes qualifying at courses with at least 1,500 feet (457.2 meters) of net-elevation drop between start and finish receive a substantial time advantage over qualifiers from events with less than 1,500 feet (457.2 meters) net-elevation drop.”

Under the new rules, net-downhill performances will be adjusted in accordance with elevation loss once the time is submitted to the BAA for qualifying purposes.

For courses with 1,500 to 2,999 feet of elevation loss, five minutes will be added to qualifying times. Courses between 3,000 and 5,999 feet of loss will have 10 minutes added.

And any time run at a course with more than 6,000 feet of drop will not be eligible.

Each year, hundreds of runners qualify for the Boston Marathon on courses that feature substantial elevation loss.

The Revel race series, for example, hosts marathons in Salt Lake City, Utah, Big Bear, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada that are designed for fast times.

Each race drops over 5,000 feet in elevation from the start to end points.

In 2023, 40.5 percent of the 1,828 participants at Revel Big Bear qualified for Boston.

Other marathons that will be subject to these changes include the St. George Marathon (over 2,500 feet of drop), Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon (over 2,000 feet), and Jack and Jill’s Downhill Marathon in Washington (2,100 feet).

It’s important to note, though, that just because a course is considered “downhill” doesn’t mean it will be subject to adjustment.

For context, the Boston Marathon itself is about 460 feet net downhill, and the California International Marathon—a popular spot for BQers—has 304 feet of loss from start to finish.

In September, the BAA announced new qualifying standards, which take effect for the 2026 race.

Times for runners aged 18–59 were made five minutes quicker, while standards stayed the same for runners aged 60 and older.

On Monday, the BAA also announced that registration for the 2026 event will occur from September 8-12, 2025.

Next year’s race is scheduled for April 20, 2026, and following edition will take place on April 19, 2027.