124th Boston Marathon: virtual race
The 124th Boston Marathon became the first in the event's history to lose its in-person running, replaced by a Virtual Experience that drew 15,972 finishers from 84 countries.
The 124th Boston Marathon was first postponed from its scheduled Patriots Day date of April 20, 2020 to September 14, 2020, then cancelled as an in-person event and run as a Virtual Experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time in the race's 124-year history that the in-person event did not take place. Registered runners were offered a full refund of their entry fee and the option to complete the virtual race. The B.A.A. stated it was unable to offer deferral to 2021 given uncertainty over the next field size.
What made 2020 notable
The 124th Boston Marathon was the first edition in race history with no in-person running. The B.A.A. initially pushed the April 20 Patriots Day race to September 14, 2020, then on May 28 cancelled the road race entirely and replaced it with a Virtual Experience as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down mass gatherings. Runners completed 26.2 miles on their own and submitted times over a September 5 to 14 window. 15,972 of the 17,952 entrants finished, drawn from 84 countries, including 8,624 men and 7,348 women, averaging 4:11:41. Because the event was virtual, there was no acceptance cutoff. The B.A.A. issued full refunds to originally registered participants but could not offer deferral to 2021.
Qualifier pool over time
Questions about the 2020 qualifier
Was the 2020 Boston Marathon cancelled?
Yes. The 124th Boston Marathon was the first edition in 124 years to lose its in-person running. It was postponed from April 20 to September 14, 2020, then cancelled as a road race and held as a Virtual Experience due to COVID-19.
How many people ran the 2020 Virtual Boston Marathon?
15,972 of 17,952 entrants finished the Virtual Experience over the September 5 to 14 window, drawn from 84 countries. The field included 8,624 men and 7,348 women, averaging 4:11:41.
Was there a qualifier cutoff for the 2020 Boston Marathon?
No. Because the 124th edition was run virtually with no mass start, there was no acceptance cutoff in the normal sense.
What happened to runners registered for the 2020 Boston Marathon?
Registered runners received a full refund of their entry fee and the option to complete the virtual race. The B.A.A. was unable to offer deferral to 2021.