Boston Marathon 2026
John Korir shattered the course record in 2:01:52, Jessica McClain set a new American women's record, and 24,362 runners finished the second of 2026's seven World Marathon Majors. The race, Heartbreak Hill, and how to qualify for 2027.
By Miles Ashworth · 21 Apr 2026 · 2 min read · United States edition
Sharon Lokedi and the lead women (l-r: Annie Frisbie 8th, Jess McLain 5th, Loice Chemnung 2nd, Mary Chelangat 4th, Sharon Lokedi 1st, Irine Cheptai 6th, Mary Ngugi-Cooper 3rd) near Walnut Street in Newton, just past Mile 19, 2026 Boston Marathon. Photo: ArnoldReinhold, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).Boston delivered one of the most dominant days in its 130-year history on April 20, 2026. John Korir of Kenya shattered the course record to win in 2:01:52, with Alphonce Simbu and Benson Kipruto also breaking the old record behind him in 2:02:47 and 2:02:50. Sharon Lokedi, also of Kenya, won the women's race in 2:18:51, while American Jessica McClain set a new American women's course record, finishing fifth overall in 2:20:49. 24,362 runners finished, and the race stood as the second of 2026's seven World Marathon Majors.
John Korir, Alphonce Felix Simbu and Zouhair Talbi lead the men near Walnut Street in Newton, just past Mile 19, 2026 Boston Marathon. Korir went on to win, Simbu finished second. Photo: ArnoldReinhold, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).The Course
Boston runs point to point from Hopkinton through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline before finishing at Copley Square in downtown Boston. The course drops a net 459 feet over the full distance, but that number hides the race's real character: the Newton Hills begin at mile 16, building to Heartbreak Hill between miles 20 and 21, an 88 foot climb that arrives exactly when runners are most depleted. Because it's a point to point course with a net downhill and frequent tailwind, Boston times aren't eligible for world or American record ratification, whatever happens on the day.
Entering the 2027 Edition
The qualifier window for the 2027 Boston Marathon opens September 14 and closes September 18, 2026, through the Athletes' Village registration system. Boston famously doesn't take entries first come first served, oversubscribed age and gender groups get cut by whoever ran the fastest qualifying time relative to their standard, not whoever registered earliest. The qualifying times themselves scale by age and gender, from 2:55:00 for men aged 18 to 34 down to 4:50:00 for men 80 and over, with the equivalent women's standards roughly 30 minutes slower at each band.