Your Personal NEW YORK CITY MARATHON Weather Forecast LEARN MORE...

Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers for 2026

Best Boston Marathon Qualifiers

It's here! Our annual list of the year's
best marathons to help you qualify for the Boston Marathon.

2026 IS HERE!


Marathon Pace Bands

Marathon Pace Bands

Run the Right Pace in Your Next Marathon

Nearly 500 marathon courses.
Ships same or Next Day


Fastest Marathons in September


This list ranks the fastest marathons in September based on the race's Personal Record (PR) Score. The PR Score for each marathon is created from an algorithm derived from research on how grade, elevation, and wet bulb temperature and ambient temperature affect marathon running performance. For more detailed information, please visit the FAQ.

The BQ % is the percentage of runners who qualified for the Boston Marathon according to the latest race results. Although it is not always indicative of a fast or slow course, the percent of Boston Marathon qualifiers can provide insight into the quality of the field and/or the speed of the course.

To see a ranking of marathons based only on the course (no weather impact), visit the Fastest Marathon Courses page.

The list only includes certified marathon courses. Keep in mind that PR Scores and ranking assume very good course management and pacing - especially for the extremely downhill races.


 

Fastest Marathons in September

Race Name PR Score BQ % Elevation
1Huntsville Marathon
Huntsville, UT
104.22
0.00%
Downhill
Downhill Course
2REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon
Murray, UT
103.76
3.78%
Downhill
Downhill Course
3Sundance to Spearfish Marathon
Spearfish, SD
103.03
5.34%
Downhill
Downhill Course
4Mud Mountain Dam (Fall) Marathon
Enumclaw, WA
102.30
14.29%
Downhill
Downhill Course
5Cascade Express Marathon
North Bend, WA
101.84
23.98%
Downhill
Downhill Course
6Tunnel Light Marathon
North Bend, WA
100.30
16.38%
Downhill
Downhill Course
7Loch Ness Marathon
Inverness, UK
99.74
0.00%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
8Pacific Northwest Marathon
Harrisburg, OR
99.73
12.90%
Very Flat
Very Flat Course
9Pocatello Marathon
Pocatello, ID
99.57
12.68%
Downhill
Downhill Course
10Georgina Marathon
Georgina, ON
99.55
18.20%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
11Montana Marathon
Billings, MT
99.51
0.00%
Downhill
Downhill Course
12Hamptons Marathon
East Hampton, NY
99.48
0.00%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
13Skagit Flats Marathon
Burlington, WA
99.30
13.39%
Very Flat
Very Flat Course
14Queen City Marathon
Regina, SK
99.21
4.40%
Very Flat
Very Flat Course
15Buenos Aires Marathon
Buenos Aires, AG
99.17
0.00%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
16Wicked Fast (PA) Marathon
Jim Thorpe, PA
99.13
0.10%
Downhill
Downhill Course
17Clarence DeMar Marathon
Keene, NH
99.05
12.20%
Downhill
Downhill Course
18Bismarck Marathon
Bismarck, ND
99.02
2.92%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
19East Canyon Marathon
Morgan, UT
98.97
2.74%
Downhill
Downhill Course
20Kenai River Marathon
Kenai, AK
98.94
0.00%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
21Berlin Marathon
Berlin, GR
98.86
12.32%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
22Surfers Point Marathon
Ventura, CA
98.84
4.62%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
23Warsaw Marathon
Warsaw, PL
98.73
0.00%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
24Omaha Marathon
Omaha, NE
98.57
4.11%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
25Erie Marathon
Erie, PA
98.55
12.00%
Very Flat
Very Flat Course
26Fox Cities Marathon
Appleton, WI
98.45
6.60%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
27Salmon Marathon
Salmon, ID
98.44
0.00%
Downhill
Downhill Course
28Marquette Marathon
Marquette, MI
98.39
16.50%
Downhill
Downhill Course
29Bellingham Bay Marathon
Bellingham, WA
98.33
5.65%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
30Monument Marathon
Gering, NE
98.33
3.37%
Downhill
Downhill Course
31Mill Race Marathon
Columbus, IN
98.30
7.98%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
32Sioux Falls Marathon
Sioux Falls, SD
98.09
6.44%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
33Charles River Marathon Invitational
Boston, MA
97.95
73.17%
Very Flat
Very Flat Course
34Garmin Marathon - Toledo
Toledo, OH
97.94
10.66%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
35Fox Valley Marathon
St. Charles, IL
97.58
0.00%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
36Air Force Marathon
Dayton, OH
97.54
2.68%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
37Boring Marathon
Gresham, OR
97.51
7.50%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
38DoLittle Marathon
Waukesha, WI
97.51
3.33%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
39Sunbury Marathon
Sunbury, OH
97.27
20.83%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
40Big Apple Marathon
Brooklyn, NY
97.26
0.00%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
41Back Your Badge Marathon
Plainfield, IN
97.21
1.92%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
42Last Chance BQ.2 (Grand Rapids) Marathon
Grand Rapids, MI
97.20
59.84%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
43Last Chance BQ.2 Marathon
Geneva, IL
97.19
33.54%
Very Flat
Very Flat Course
44Beantown Marathon
Hingham, MA
97.09
33.33%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
45Akron Marathon
Akron, OH
97.04
5.60%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
46Minuteman BQ Marathon
Arlington, MA
97.02
0.00%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
47Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon
Shenandoah, IA
96.99
2.44%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
48Belleville Main Street Marathon
Belleville, IL
96.83
4.85%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
49Holland Haven Marathon
Holland, MI
96.50
3.12%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
50Adirondack Marathon
Schroon Lake, NY
96.21
4.76%
Hilly
Hilly Course
51Minocqua No Frills Marathon
Minocqua, WI
96.19
5.08%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
52Quad Cities Marathon
Moline, IL
96.15
7.12%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
53Sackets Harbor Marathon
Sackets Harbor, NY
96.11
16.47%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
54Abebe Bikila Day International Peace Marathon
Washington, DC
95.57
6.90%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
55Elroy Apple Dumpling Day Marathon
Elroy, WI
95.38
8.77%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
56Top of Utah Marathon
Logan, UT
95.34
9.09%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
57Yonkers Marathon
Yonkers, NY
95.32
5.70%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
58Nebraska Marathon
Papillion, NE
95.18
0.10%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
59Boston or Bust Marathon
Huntsville, AL
95.15
18.02%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
60Bound for Boston Marathon (Atlanta)
Suwanee, GA
94.25
15.19%
Mostly Flat
Mostly Flat Course
61St. Joseph Missouri Marathon
St. Joseph, MO
94.10
1.25%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
62Heart of America Marathon
Columbia, MO
93.44
1.45%
Hilly
Hilly Course
63Three Sisters Marathon
Danville, VA
93.20
5.08%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
64Boulderthon - Boulder Marathon
Boulder, CO
92.68
0.96%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
65Tupelo Marathon
Tupelo, MS
92.14
1.41%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
66Jackson Hole Marathon
Jackson Hole, WY
90.99
2.52%
Rolling Hills
Rolling Course
67Medellin Marathon
Medellin, CL
90.81
0.00%
Hilly
Hilly Course
68Kauai Marathon
Poipu, HI
88.18
0.00%
Very Hilly
Very Hilly Course