To qualify for the 112th Boston Marathon, athletes must meet the designated time standard which corresponds to their age group. Qualifying times must be run on or after September 23, 2006. Seeding is based on qualifying times, which are subject to review and verification. All participants must adhere to the guidelines set forth by the B.A.A., USA Track and Field or foreign equivalent, International Paralympic Committee, Wheelchair Sports, USA, Disabled Sports, USA, and the United States Association for Blind Athletes. Qualifying times must be met in competitions observing these same rules. Proof of qualification must accompany the application. Participants must be 18 years or older on race day.

The qualifying window for the 2009 Boston Marathon will begin on September 29, 2007.

Qualifying times are based upon your age on the date of the Boston Marathon in which you will be participating.

BLIND/VISUALLY IMPAIRED DIVISION The qualifying time is 5:00 hours for visually impaired athletes (men and women) classified B1, B2, and B3.

MOBILITY IMPAIRED PROGRAM Individuals with permanent physical impairments that affect their ability to ambulate and would not otherwise qualify for entry in other divisions may be granted the following extended qualifying times:

• The qualifying time is 6:00 hours for individuals who, because of the nature of their disability, have difficulty ambulating.
  
• The qualifying time is 8:00 hours for individuals who, because of the nature of their disability, need mobility aids such as prosthetics, leg braces or crutches to ambulate.

All other individuals with disabilities must follow entry procedures and qualifying standards of either the B.A.A. or the established qualifying standard from the recognized disability sports organization.

For more information about the B.A.A.'s history of inclusion please go to our
Athletes with Disabilities page.

Listed below are additional sources for obtaining information about qualifying marathons.

• www.coolrunning.com
• www.runnersworld.com
• www.runningnetwork.com
• www.nerunner.com
• www.marathonguide.com
• June & December issues of Running Times (www.runningtimes.com)
• January issue of Runner's World

For a complete list of certified courses in the U.S.A. check USA Track & Field.
In Canada check Athletics Canada.
For international races check Association of International Marathon and Road Races.

The qualifying races most frequently used are listed below.
Please note: This is not an all inclusive list. All qualifying races must be certified.