Marathon Majors Qualification Checker. Check your marathon PB against the qualifying standards of all eight World Marathon Majors.

the reference · updated jul 11, 2026

Marathon Majors Qualifying Times Calculator 2026

The calculator above checks your marathon PB against the published qualifying, good-for-age and priority standards of all eight World Marathon Majors, then applies each race's real entry rules: Boston counts your age on race day and its cutoff runs faster than the published BQ; London Good for Age is UK residents only and uses your age when the time was run; Chicago guarantees entry when the standard is met, while Berlin's fast-runner pool improves your odds without guaranteeing a bib. Below are the full standards for every race and age band.

Qualifier entry · Boston, USA · Monday, April 19, 2027

Boston Marathon qualifying standards (2027)

Boston is qualifier-only. Your qualifying time must be run on a certified marathon course within the BAA's qualifying window, and cutoffs are typically faster than the published standard.

bq standards
age bandmenwomen
18-342:55:003:25:00
35-393:00:003:30:00
40-443:05:003:35:00
45-493:15:003:45:00
50-543:20:003:50:00
55-593:30:004:00:00
60-643:50:004:20:00
65-694:05:004:35:00
70-744:20:004:50:00
75-794:35:005:05:00
80+4:50:005:20:00

next entry window: sept 2026 · tba · no ballot: qualifier or charity only · Boston race hub →

Ballot entry · London, United Kingdom · Sunday, April 25, 2027

London Marathon qualifying standards (2026)

General entry is by ballot. Good-for-age times offer a separate, faster route in. A new 'double your chances' option enters you into a second draw at a reduced fee.

gfa standards
age bandmenwomen
18-392:52:003:38:00
40-442:57:003:43:00
45-493:02:003:46:00
50-543:07:003:53:00
55-593:12:003:58:00
60-643:34:004:23:00
65-693:52:004:53:00
70-744:52:005:53:00
75-795:07:006:13:00
80-845:27:006:38:00
85-896:10:007:10:00
90+7:20:007:45:00

next entry window: apr 2027 (est) · ballot odds ~1.3% · London race hub →

Lottery entry · Berlin, Germany · Sunday, September 27, 2026

Berlin Marathon qualifying standards (2026)

General entry is by lottery. Good-for-age times guarantee entry.

fast runner standards
age bandmenwomen
18-442:45:003:10:00
45-592:55:003:30:00
60+3:25:004:20:00

next entry window: late sep (est) · ballot odds ~20% · Berlin race hub →

Lottery entry · Chicago, USA · Sunday, October 11, 2026

Chicago Marathon qualifying standards (2026)

General entry is by lottery. Good-for-age times guarantee entry.

time qualifier standards
age bandmenwomen
16-342:50:003:20:00
35-392:55:003:25:00
40-443:00:003:30:00
45-493:10:003:40:00
50-543:15:003:50:00
55-593:25:003:55:00
60-643:40:004:15:00
65-693:55:004:30:00
70-744:15:004:45:00
75-794:30:005:00:00
80+4:50:005:20:00

next entry window: oct 2026 (est) · ballot odds ~25% · Chicago race hub →

Lottery entry · New York, USA · Sunday, November 1, 2026

New York Marathon qualifying standards (2027)

General entry is by lottery. Fifteen-plus-year NYRR members and 9+1 finishers get guaranteed entry.

time qualifier standards
age bandmenwomen
18-342:53:003:13:00
35-392:55:003:15:00
40-442:58:003:26:00
45-493:05:003:38:00
50-543:14:003:51:00
55-593:23:004:10:00
60-643:34:004:27:00
65-693:45:004:50:00
70-744:10:005:30:00
75-794:30:006:00:00
80+4:55:006:35:00

next entry window: feb 2027 (est) · ballot odds ~1% · New York race hub →

Lottery entry · Tokyo, Japan · Sunday, March 7, 2027

Tokyo Marathon qualifying standards (2026)

General entry is by lottery. Priority entry is available to runners with a sub-elite qualifying time.

semi-elite standards
age bandmenwomen
all ages2:28:002:54:00

next entry window: aug 14-28 · ballot odds ~10% · Tokyo race hub →

Ballot entry · Sydney, Australia · Sunday, August 30, 2026

Sydney Marathon qualifying standards (2026)

Random-draw ballot for general entry. Priority/Good-for-Age standards (sub-2:53 men open / sub-3:13 women open) bypass the ballot. Charity bibs from AU,500+ via official partners.

priority entry standards
age bandmenwomen
18-342:53:003:13:00
35-392:55:003:15:00
40-442:58:003:26:00
45-493:05:003:38:00
50-543:14:003:51:00
55-593:23:004:10:00
60-643:34:004:27:00
65-693:45:004:50:00
70-744:10:005:30:00
75-794:30:006:00:00
80+4:55:006:35:00

next entry window: late sep (est) · ballot odds ~33% · Sydney race hub →

Ballot entry · Cape Town, South Africa · Sunday, May 23, 2027

Cape Town Marathon qualifying standards (2027)

Cape Town joins the Majors at its 2027 edition and has not yet published time-qualifier or good-for-age standards. Every entry route is currently the ballot, charity, or tour operators. This page will carry the standards table the day one is published.

next entry window: jun 2027 (est) · ballot odds tbd · Cape Town race hub →

Qualifying questions, answered

Do I qualify for Boston with a 3:10?

A 3:10 clears the published BQ for men 45 and older and for women 34 and under. But a BQ only earns an application: recent cutoffs required roughly 4:30 to 7 minutes under the published standard (4:34 for 2026, 6:51 for 2025), so a 3:10 is only safe where the published BQ is meaningfully slower. Enter your age and category in the calculator above for the exact verdict.

What is London Good for Age?

Good for Age is London's time-based entry route: 3:38 for open-age women, 2:52 for open-age men, with age-graded bands. It is open to UK residents only, capped and filled fastest-first, and your band is set by your age when the qualifying time was run, not on race day. Non-UK runners with the same time go to the general ballot, which drew a record 1,338,544 applications for the 2027 race.

Is a Berlin fast-runner time guaranteed entry?

No. Berlin's own registration page states that registering as a fast runner is not a guarantee of a race entry: fast runners sit in a separate pool and are only accepted after proof is checked. It is still a far better route than the general lottery. Chicago, by contrast, does guarantee entry when its time-qualifier standard is met.

Which Major is easiest to get into by ballot?

Sydney, at roughly 33% for 2026 (123,000+ applications), followed by Chicago (~25%, estimated) and Berlin (~20%, estimated). Tokyo runs about 10%. The two long shots are New York (~1%, confirmed by NYRR: 240,000+ applications for the 2026 drawing) and London (~1.3%). If your time is close to any guaranteed standard, chasing the time is usually a better bet than the ballot.

Do qualifying times need to be from a certified course?

Yes. Every Major requires the qualifying time to come from a certified marathon course within that race's qualifying window. From 2027 Boston also indexes net-downhill courses: times from courses dropping 1,500 to 2,999 feet get 5:00 added, 3,000 to 5,999 feet get 10:00 added, and courses dropping 6,000+ feet no longer count. Check each race hub for the fine print.

Does Cape Town have qualifying times?

Not yet. Cape Town was confirmed as the eighth Abbott World Marathon Major in June 2026, with its first Major edition on May 23, 2027. No time-qualifier or good-for-age standards have been published; entry is by ballot (next window jun 2027 (est)), charity, or tour operators, with around two-thirds of entries reserved for African runners.

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