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In what some might call shocking and others might say is overdue, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) announced that it will give Boston Marathon qualifiers who missed the notorious, ever-changing cutoff time a second chance to receive a coveted bib for the 2027 race.
What You Need to Know About the Lottery Process
Registration for time qualifiers for the 2027 Boston Marathon will open September 14 and remain open through September 18. Anyone who achieved a Boston Marathon qualifying time can apply during this window. Once registration closes, the BAA will review applications, as usual, and determine a cutoff time based on the fastest qualifiers by age group, according to a statement from the BAA.
“The number of athletes accepted will be consistent with recent years,” according to the BAA. Those who did not make the cut-off time will be automatically entered into a lottery, in which about 1,000 qualifiers will be randomly selected.
Where Will Those Extra 1,000 Bibs Come From?
“These are additional entries. [The 1,000 bibs] are not taken away from any other allocation,” Chris Lotsbom, BAA director of race communications and media, told Outside Run by e-mail. “We annually review the Boston Marathon qualifying standards and registration process. With this update, we were focused on recognizing all athletes who earned a Boston qualifying time and providing a chance to reach the starting line in Hopkinton.”
For the 2026 Boston Marathon, which had a 4:34 cut-off time (meaning runners had to run at least that under the stated qualifying time), nearly 9,000 qualifiers did not make the cut. For the 2025 race, more than 12,000 runners were not accepted; that prompted the organization to drop the qualifying times for runners younger than 60 years old by five minutes.
