Boston Marathon qualifiers left out amid running boom

NEW YORK : Some 12,000 runners who met the qualifying standard for the 2025 Boston Marathon will not have a place at the starting line, organisers said on Tuesday, after a rush of applications.

Boston is one of the few marathons requiring amateurs to meet a qualifying time to compete and runners each year hope to "Boston qualify" based on their age and gender, considered a coveted rite of passage for marathoning enthusiasts.

But a speedy pool of applicants meant entrants had to exceed their qualifying time by six minutes 51 seconds to get a spot, the largest cut-off in the race's history with the exception of the COVID-reduced 2021 edition.

The 36,393 qualifier applications reflected the booming popularity of distance running, according to Boston Athletic Association President and CEO Jack Fleming.

"Boston Marathon qualifiers have trained thousands of miles with the hopes of lining up in Hopkinton on Patriots’ Day," Fleming said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept all athletes into the field, though we do want to recognise, thank, and applaud all whose goal was to be part of the 2025 event."

Earlier this month, organisers of the marathon major adjusted the qualifying standard for the 2026 race, with runners aged under 60 asked to run five minutes faster to enter.

The 2025 Boston Marathon is set for April 21.