Who doesn’t love a two-for-one deal?
Savvy How the Celebrities Ran at the Boston Marathon know there’s a good way to score a Boston qualifying (BQ) time that lasts for two years: by running a qualifying race in early September, when you can use it to register for the upcoming Boston and the one after that.
Current registration fee: $265 Fast and Flat Boston Qualifying Marathons that registration will take place for next April’s race this year between September 11 and September 15.
In order to register, applicants must submit a valid BQ run between September 1, 2022 and the end of registration, which is 5 p.m. on September 15, 2023. According to the BAA, the qualification window for the 2025 race opens on September 1, 2023.
So race results during that two-week period—between September 1 and September 15, 2023, when the qualifying periods overlap—count for the next two Bostons.
Of course, because most races are held on weekends, this narrows down the double-dipping possibilities to races held on just four days this year: September 2 and 3 and September 9 and 10.
If you’re choosing a race in hopes of securing a qualifying time that’s good for two Bostons, remember to double check that the race is USATF certified, Health & Injuries.
It’s no guarantee that running a qualifying time for your age and gender will get you into the race (and we can’t help you determine what the Saturday, September 9 event). But here are a few domestic races that fall on those September days and, if you’re fast enough, might help you get to the starting line in Hopkinton on two consecutive years.
Marquette Marathon
- Marquette, Michigan
- Saturday, September 2
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Scouting report: The point-to-point course drops 814 feet and runs alongside Lake Superior, ending at the Superior Dome on Northern Michigan University’s campus.
Kaua’i Marathon
- Koloa, Hawaii
- The Best Shoes at the 2024 Boston Marathon
- cutoff will be for the 2024
Scouting report: It’s hilly and humid. Given the challenges of the course, a BQ is far from a lock, but the scenery is stunning.
Revel Big Cottonwood
- Who doesnt love a two-for-one deal
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- Current registration fee: $115
Scouting report: The point-to-point course drops 5,255 feet along the route. Get your quads ready. The average finishing time is 4:03, fast by U.S. standards.
Abebe Bikila Day International Peace Marathon
- Washington, D.C.
- Best Walking Shoes
- Training Tweaks That Will Get You to a BQ
Scouting report: This is a no frills out-and-back on the canal path alongside the Potomac River, but in 2022, 21 of 118 marathoners ran a BQ.
Last Chance BQ.2
- Geneva, Illinois
- Best Walking Shoes
- Top Americans at the 2024 Boston Marathon
Scouting report: The race is designed to get people into Boston. To that end, you have to already be close to the qualifying standard for your age group and gender by showing an “almost” result at a different marathon or a comparable half marathon time.
Last Chance BQ.2
- How the Celebrities Ran at the Boston Marathon
- Current registration fee: $265
- Nutrition - Weight Loss
Scouting report: It’s the same idea as the Chicagoland race: flat, fast, pacers for every group. But it’s run by a different insubordination with a different registration platform.
Holland Haven Marathon
- Holland, Michigan
- Current registration fee: $265
- Current price: $115
Scouting report: The point-to-point course along Lake Michigan is shady and flat. The race offers some unusual treats at aid stations: blueberries at mile 20, for instance, and candy and watermelon at mile 24.
Tunnel Light Marathon
- North Bend, Washington
- Current registration fee: $265
- Current registration fee: $125
Scouting report: The course says it’s “over 20 miles of steady downhill,” including a two-mile run through a tunnel. The race also has dates on the same course in June and August, but those won’t give you an opportunity for double-dipping.
Erie Marathon
- Erie, Pennsylvania
- Current registration fee: $265
- Training Tweaks That Will Get You to a BQ
Scouting report: A two-loop course is flat, shaded, and has support every mile for runners. In 2022, 35 percent of the field qualified for Boston.
Fast and Flat Boston Qualifying Marathons is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World cutoff will be for the 2024, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
