Do Marathons Outside the US Qualify for Boston?

Published November 6, 2026 · Estimates, updated each registration cycle

Short answer: yes. The Boston Marathon accepts qualifying times from races all over the world, not only from the United States. What matters is the course, not the country. The B.A.A. requires a full marathon on a course certified by USA Track and Field (USATF), by AIMS (the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races), or by the national governing body for distance running in the country where the race is held. If your race in Germany, Spain, Japan or Mexico has that certification and you beat your age group standard, it is a valid Boston qualifier.

Which races count

Almost every established city marathon abroad is certified, and many of the races that send the most runners to Boston every year are outside the US. Berlin, London, Valencia, Toronto and Tokyo all produce large numbers of accepted qualifiers. Smaller races can count too, as long as the course was measured and certified by one of the recognized bodies. The B.A.A. does not publish a complete list of every certified course worldwide, so for a smaller event the safest step is to ask the race organizer directly before you sign up. Our explainer on the certified course requirement covers what certification means and why a lovely but unmeasured local race will not work.

What does not change abroad

The rules are the same as for a race in Ohio. Your official net time from the published results is what counts, which our guide to gun time versus chip time explains. The race must fall inside the qualifying window: for Boston 2028 that window opened on September 19, 2026 and runs through registration week in September 2027. Your age on Boston race day sets your standard, and the 2028 standards are the same as for 2027. A course with a large net drop can also be affected by the new downhill procedures, wherever it is; see which marathons are too downhill.

Practical tips for a qualifier abroad

Register under exactly the name you will use on your Boston application, because the B.A.A. checks your time against the official results. Transliterated names and missing middle names can make that match harder, so keep it simple and consistent. Save a screenshot or PDF of your result page and certificate in case a results site changes later. Plan for travel too: jet lag, an unfamiliar breakfast and a long walk to the start can cost more minutes than a gentle hill. Many runners arrive three or four days early for a big race in Europe or Asia.

Pacing in kilometers

Outside the US the course markers are in kilometers, so it helps to convert your plan before race day. Take a 38 year old woman with a standard of 3:30:00. The 2027 race cut at 5:17 under the standard, and the 2028 cutoff is not known yet, so any target is a planning number, not a forecast. With a planning buffer of 6:00 she would aim for about 3:24:00. That is 7:47 per mile, or 4:50 per kilometer. Write the kilometer pace on your hand or set your watch to metric so you are not doing math at kilometer 30. Targets for every age group are in what time you need for Boston 2028.

Is it worth flying for a BQ?

Sometimes. A flat, cool race like Berlin or Valencia can be worth a few minutes compared with a warm or hilly local option, and a trip can make the training block feel worth it. But the fastest course in the world will not help if travel leaves you flat. Choose the race where you can arrive rested and run even splits. Then put your age, gender and goal time into the cutoff predictor to see how your buffer would have done against every real Boston cutoff since 2014.