The Boston Athletic Association announced June 16 it’s making changes to how runners can qualify for a spot in the world’s oldest annual 26.2-mile race.
It’s already competitive for runners to reach the starting line: Boston hopefuls must race another marathon first and meet a time standard based on their age and gender.
And in the latest update to the rules, runners seeking to Boston qualify, or “BQ,” on a course that includes significant downhill sections will now need to complete those races five or 10 minutes faster than marathoners on mostly flat courses. The rules go into effect for the April 2027 race; registration opens in mid-September.
This comes just months after the BAA announced it’s slashing qualifying time cutoffs by five minutes for all runners ages 18-59.
The BAA says the change is to offset the advantage racers enjoy on downhill marathons. The Boston Globe reports nearly 10% of the competitors in the 2025 Boston Marathon qualified thanks to courses with at least 2,000 feet of net downhill.
In Utah, marathoners and race organizers are paying attention – including Jordan Bird, the race operations manager for the St. George Marathon.
“Obviously, it’s tough because we’re one of the original net downhill courses that was a Boston qualifier,” he said. “At the same time, because of how popular racing marathons is becoming now, it makes sense that a line had to be drawn somewhere.”
Under the new guidelines, runners who raced a course with a net downhill of between 1,500 and 2,999 feet will have five minutes added to their time when they apply for Boston. Courses with between 3,000 and 5,999 feet of downhill will incur a 10-minute adjustment. And if a course’s net downhill is over 6,000 feet, those runners can’t qualify at all.
The St. George Marathon is among several races in the Beehive State that pride themselves on courses designed for personal bests, with many routes starting at the top of a canyon and zigzagging down over the next 26 miles.
That includes REVEL Big Cottonwood, part of a race series that specifically bills itself as the place to BQ, with racers descending over 5,200 feet from start to finish. The magazine “Runner’s World” reports over 40% of finishers at a REVEL race in California BQ’ed in 2023. Now, those runners will need to finish 15 minutes faster than they did in 2024 for a chance at a coveted spot in the Boston Marathon.
In a statement to KPCW, REVEL race organizers said participants earn their BQs “through training, grit and determination.”
“While this particular change affects our races uniquely, the REVEL Race Series still remains one of the most competitive opportunities to qualify, especially to those who put in the correct training and effort to take advantage of our downhill courses,” marketing lead Austri Biddinger said.
The popular Deseret News Marathon in Utah County will be affected too, as will several smaller Utah races.
Deseret News Marathon race director Corbin Talley said he understands the changes, though he believes flat, sea level courses are still easier than downhill courses at altitude.
He said his course’s net downhill is barely over the 3,000-foot mark, so next year, organizers will consider moving the start line slightly down the road to save runners five minutes.
Some marathons are seizing a fresh advertising opportunity, like the Runtastic NEBO race in Payson, whose website beckons, “Race NEBO before the new net-downhill course standards take effect for Boston 2027!”
Online, some runners celebrated the changes with more than a little schadenfreude directed at Utahns and other downhill racers.
“RIP Utah runfluencers,” one commenter wrote on an Instagram account dedicated to running news.
“REVEL in shambles,” another said on Reddit.
Some marathoners felt the time penalties should be even stricter.
Bird, the St. George race organizer, said the Boston rule change is only a small piece of what the marathon is about.
“Not everybody races to qualify,” he said. “Some people race just to race and to have fun and to get a PR [personal record].”
He said he’s confident the southern Utah race will remain a favorite among distance runners, whether they’re chasing a BQ or not.
