120th Boston Marathon qualifier: 2 minutes 28 seconds under cutoff
Ethiopia completed the first sweep of both Boston titles in the race's 120-year history, and the 30,000-runner field oversubscribed enough that qualifiers needed to be 2 minutes 28 seconds inside their standard to get in.
What made 2016 notable
The 120th Boston Marathon is remembered for the first Ethiopian sweep of both open titles in the race's history. Lemi Berhanu Hayle won the men's race in 2:12:45, leading an Ethiopian top three, while Atsede Baysa staged a remarkable comeback, erasing a 37-second deficit after the Newton hills to win the women's race in 2:29:19. Patriots Day was sunny and warm, near 21C with a light wind. Behind the elites, the qualifier squeeze tightened again. The BAA held the field at 30,000, and demand pushed the acceptance cutoff to 2 minutes 28 seconds faster than each age-group standard. That left 4,562 runners who had cleared a Boston Qualifying time still shut out of the start in Hopkinton.
Qualifier pool over time
Age-group qualifying times
View full age-group BQ standards
| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 03:05:00 | 03:35:00 |
| 35-39 | 03:10:00 | 03:40:00 |
| 40-44 | 03:15:00 | 03:45:00 |
| 45-49 | 03:25:00 | 03:55:00 |
| 50-54 | 03:30:00 | 04:00:00 |
| 55-59 | 03:40:00 | 04:10:00 |
| 60-64 | 03:55:00 | 04:25:00 |
| 65-69 | 04:10:00 | 04:40:00 |
| 70-74 | 04:25:00 | 04:55:00 |
| 75-79 | 04:40:00 | 05:10:00 |
| 80+ | 04:55:00 | 05:25:00 |
Questions about the 2016 qualifier
What was the 2016 Boston Marathon qualifier cutoff?
2 minutes 28 seconds under each age-group standard. Demand for the 30,000-runner field outstripped supply, so simply hitting a Boston Qualifying time was not enough to get in.
How many qualifiers missed out on the 120th Boston?
4,562 runners who had cleared a valid Boston Qualifying time were turned away because the number of eligible applicants exceeded the 30,000 field size.
When was the 2016 Boston registration window?
Rolling registration opened on 14 September 2015, starting with the fastest qualifiers and stepping down by qualifying margin through that first week, then opening to all qualifiers before the window closed on 25 September 2015.
Who won the 2016 Boston Marathon?
Lemi Berhanu Hayle won the men's race in 2:12:45 and Atsede Baysa won the women's race in 2:29:19, the first time Ethiopia swept both open titles in the race's history.