22,019 qualified athletes accepted into 2024 Boston Marathon

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has begun notifying qualified applicants of their acceptance into the 128th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America. The race will be run on Monday, April 15, 2024, and will mark the centennial anniversary of the event beginning in the town of Hopkinton. Bank of America will serve as presenting partner for the first time.

Qualifiers who were 5 minutes, 29 seconds (5:29) or faster than the qualifying time for their age group and gender have been accepted into the 128th Boston Marathon. A total of 22,019 qualified applicants have been accepted to date or are in the process of being accepted, pending final verification of their qualifying performance.

Email notices to athletes accepted and not accepted have begun being issued by the B.A.A. and will continue through the coming days.

A total of 33,058 qualifier applications were received during registration week (September 11-15, 2023), a race record. The Boston Marathon field size is set at 30,000 official entrants.

Alongside the qualifiers, the remainder of the field will consist of invitational entrants, including runners participating as part of the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program, as well as invited professional athletes and para athletes.

During the registration period, the breakdown of accepted qualifiers was:

• 6,182 qualifiers met their qualifying time by 20 minutes, 00 seconds or more.
• 8,858 qualifiers met their qualifying time by between 10 minutes, 00 seconds and 19 minutes, 59 seconds.
• 6,979 qualifiers met their qualifying time by between 05 minutes, 29 seconds and 9 minutes, 59 seconds.

“Just four years after we adjusted the race’s qualifying standards by five minutes for all ages and divisions, more than 33,000 athletes earned Boston Marathon qualifying times,” said Jack Fleming, President and CEO of the B.A.A.

“While we’re unable to accept all into the field, we applaud and recognize the many athletes who circled the 128th Boston Marathon on their calendar as a goal race to strive towards. Boston Marathon qualifiers are among the most dedicated athletes in sports and are always pushing to achieve their goals and personal bests.”

David Tyrie, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Marketing Officer for Bank of America, said “With April’s race nearly six months away, we look forward to welcoming athletes from around the globe to the 128th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America.

“This year’s registration week resulted in the highest number of qualifier applicants in race history, a testament to the strength of the marathon community.”

128th Boston Marathon qualifier registration by the numbers

• 33,058 applications were received during the registration period for qualifiers.
• 22,019 qualified applicants have been accepted to date or are in the process of being accepted, pending verification of their qualifying performance.
• 11,039 qualifier applicants were unable to be accepted into the 128th Boston Marathon.
• This year’s ‘cut-off’ time needed to gain acceptance into the Boston Marathon was 5 minutes, 29 seconds or faster (5:29) than the qualifying time for each respective age group and gender.
• This year’s qualified field includes 12,535 men, 9,440 women, and 44 non-binary athletes to date.
• 660 qualifiers were accepted based on finishing 10 or more consecutive Boston Marathons.
• Citizens of 127 countries applied for entry into the 128th Boston Marathon.
• Residents of all 50 US states (plus Washington, DC) applied for entry into the 128th Boston Marathon.
• More than 528 qualifying marathons were utilized by athletes entering the Boston Marathon.
• The top five most popular qualifying races were 2023 Boston Marathon, 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, 2023 TCS London Marathon, 2022 BMW Berlin Marathon, and 2022 California International Marathon.
• Approximately 11,391 athletes will be racing their first Boston Marathon in 2024.
• The youngest and oldest accepted athletes are 18 and 82 years old, respectively.
• 287 athletes residing in Hopkinton are entered in this year’s race, which will start in the town of Hopkinton for the 100th time.
• 1,222 Massachusetts residents are entered in the Boston Marathon.
• 250 cities and towns within Massachusetts are represented in the field.

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