On Tuesday, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced the cut-off time for the 131st Boston Marathon, set for Monday, April 19, 2027. The announcement says 33,649 athletes applied, and 25,630 have been accepted so far. Despite an age-group cut-off of 5:17 (43 seconds longer than in 2026), the marathon still accepted a record number of athletes who met the BQ standard.
Although 382 more athletes applied than in 2026 (when 24,362 runners were accepted), the B.A.A. accepted more applicants than ever before for the 2027 race. This was due to the additional selection pathway the B.A.A. introduced in July, which provides 1,000 more entries to applicants who met the BQ standard but missed the cut-off. A key reason for introducing the pathway was to increase the number of qualified athletes in the race.
“To earn a spot into this race takes dedication and resiliency, and the number of marathoners worldwide only continues to grow,” CEO of the B.A.A. Jack Fleming said. “Although we are unable to accept all applicants, we want to recognize each and every athlete who trains and aspires to participate in the Boston Marathon.”
The Boston Marathon’s overall field size remains capped at 30,000 official entrants, including both qualifiers and invited participants. The remainder of the field will consist of runners participating through charity programs, invited professionals and Para athletes.
A breakdown of the 2027 numbers
- This year’s qualified field includes 13,898 men, 10,641 women, and 91 non-binary athletes so far.
- Citizens of 120 countries have been accepted into the 131st Boston Marathon.
- Residents of all 50 U.S. states (plus Washington, DC and additional U.S. territories) were accepted into the 131st Boston Marathon.
- The top five most popular qualifying races were the 2026 Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America (4,448 entrants), 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon (2,043 entrants), 2025 TCS New York City Marathon (826 entrants), 2025 California International Marathon (812 entrants) and 2026 TCS London Marathon (610 entrants).
- Approximately 10,745 athletes will be racing their first Boston Marathon.
- 215 athletes achieved their respective Para Athletics Division qualifying standards to gain entry.
- 849 athletes were accepted for completing at least 10 consecutive Boston Marathons or qualifying through the B.A.A. Running Club.
- 240 qualifying times were accepted from events that incurred a net-downhill index.
Registration information for the 132nd Boston Marathon will be announced after the 131st race concludes. The 2028 qualifying window began on September 19, 2026, and you can find the qualifying standards here.