The Boston Marathon Will Look Different From Years Past, But Not Because It’s Being Held in October

Besides being the oldest annual marathon in the world, the Boston Marathon is also the most prestigious for everyday runners. Even though COVID-19 canceled the 2020 race and postponed the 2021 race from its normal April start date, the Boston Marathon will continue its tradition of prestigious elite fields, charitable donations, and historic finishes on April 18, 2022.

Here’s all that you need to know about the 2022 race, how to gain entry when you’re interested in racing, and how to train for the Boston Marathon.

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Field Size and Composition

Due to COVID-19, the field was shrunk to 20,000 for 2021, despite the 2020 announcement that the marathon would increase its field size to 31,500 runners. For the first time since 2013, everyone who ran a verified qualifying time for their age group and gender during the qualifying window will get to run Boston in 2022. The field size—which includes qualified, charity, and special-invitation runners—is 30,000 runners.

In 1996, for the 100th running, the race had just more than 38,000 entrants. In 2014, the year after bombings at the finish line, there was a one-time expansion to 36,000.

Although women weren’t officially allowed to register until 1972, the field is now almost evenly split between men and women. In 2018, 45 percent of entrants were women.

Each year, roughly 80 percent of participants are time qualifiers and roughly 20 percent are charity runners.

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2022 COVID-19 Precautions and Protocols

All Boston Marathon participants will be required to produce proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result. For more information, see these guidelines from the BAA.

How to Enter With a Qualifying Time

Since 1970, the primary way for runners to enter the Boston Marathon has been running a qualifying time in another marathon. The qualifying standards have changed over the years, and most recently they have been updated before the 2020 race (which was virtual), but they have always been considered a challenge for everyday runners. For many, getting a Boston qualifier (BQ) is a lifetime running achievement.

The current and updated standards (seen below) were put in place for the 2021 Boston Marathon. Standards dropped by five minutes across all age groups with the idea that fewer people will be cut off after they qualify for the race:

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Brian Cariaga

How to Register for the Boston Marathon

For the last few Boston Marathons (besides 2022), there have been more qualifiers seeking a bib than there are spots available for time qualifiers (roughly 16,000 for the 2021 race).

Registration for the April’s marathon usually opens in mid-September of the year before. Time qualifiers can register on a rolling admission schedule, beginning with the fastest qualifiers. First, starting on a Monday, runners who have met the qualifying standard for their age and gender by 20 minutes or more can register. Two days later, registration opens for those who have met their qualifying standard by 10 minutes or more—if space remains.

If more spots are left, registration opens on that Friday for those who met their qualifying standard by five minutes or more. If space remains after the first week of registration, registration opens for all qualifiers on the following Monday, and remains open for three days.

For the 2021 marathon, 9,215 runners who applied for the in-person race were shut out. Marathoners had to run 7 minutes and 47 seconds faster than the qualifying time for their age and gender to make the cut, showing once again that hitting your time standard isn’t always enough to secure a spot on the starting line.

How to Enter as a Charity Runner

Tim Bradbury//Getty Images

The BAA also sets aside a few thousand numbers for runners affiliated with one of the marathon’s official charities. These runners do not have to run a qualifying time.

The charities are given numbers to distribute to runners, who usually pledge to raise a substantial amount of money for the charity. These runners register through the charity they’re running for, rather than the qualifier registration system, to sign up for the marathon. In 2019, charity runners shattered the fundraising record by raising $38.7 million.

Find the guide to the charity program on the race website here.

A Brief Look at the Boston Marathon Course

preview for Boston Marathon Course Preview (2019)

The Boston Marathon is revered—and feared—as much for its course as its history. The quirky, point-to-point route passes through eight cities and towns.

Casual fans know about Heartbreak Hill, the last of the four hills found in the town of Newton, which fall between the 16- and 21-mile marks of the course. This series of climbs is considered among the most challenging in any popular marathon.

Boston Marathon veterans speak with equal concern about the race’s significant downhills. (Overall, the course has a net elevation drop of about 460 feet.) The first half is predominantly downhill, as are the last five miles. Participants have to be careful not to go out too fast on the downward slope to avoid the risk of ‘bonking’ later on. Training for Boston (see the following section) must therefore incorporate uphill and downhill running.

The rolling nature of the course also makes proper pacing challenging. Given the relative easiness of the first half, hitting 13.1 miles on pace for your goal time should mean that you won’t have pounded your quads into obscurity early on and that you’ll have plenty of fight left for the Newton Hills.

Read a detailed breakdown of the course here.

How to Train for the Boston Marathon Course

Because of Boston’s course, you’ll want to tailor your marathon training plan to its demands. For a typical marathon, you can succeed with a steady routine of long runs, tempo runs, intervals, and recovery days.

Use one of Runner’s World’s training plans to get the most out of every run in your buildup for Boston.

Race Date and History

The Boston Marathon is typically held on Patriots’ Day, the third Monday of April. Due to COVID-19, in 2021 it will take place on Monday, October 11.

The race was first run in 1897, and has been run every year since. Members of the Boston Athletic Association, which has been the race organizer from the outset, were inspired by the 1896 Olympics to put on a new running event, the marathon, that had debuted at those Olympic Games.

They established a 24.5-mile route from Ashland, Massachusetts, to downtown Boston. In 1924, when the marathon distance was standardized at 26 miles, 385 yards, the start line was moved farther west to Hopkinton. The finish line has always been in Boston, albeit in four different locations over the years.

Here’s a graphic representation of Boston Marathon history through 2015. For a more detailed history of the marathon, read this account by the Boston Athletic Association.

Recent Winners and Prize Money

Winning the Boston Marathon is one of the greatest achievements for a runner. As one of the six World Marathon Majors, it also comes with a nice prize purse. For 2022, the winner of the men’s and women’s open divisions will take home $150,000, and second place wins $75,000. Winners of the masters divisions (over 40 years old) win a nice $5,000. Winners of the wheelchair division win $25,000, and $27,500 in prize money is awarded to Para athletes across five Para Athletics Divisions.

Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot has won four total times, which puts him up there with Clarence DeMar, Gerard Cote, and Bill Rodgers as the only men to have won the footrace at least four times.

Below is a list of men’s and women’s winners over the past 30 years. For a full list of winners, check out the BAA’s website.