While a lottery is the most common way to find yourself with a coveted spot at one of the World Marathon Majors, with the exception of Boston, the fastest among us can also try to snag a qualifying time. So what are the qualifying times for the Majors?
We’ve done a previous deep dive to explain why the World Marathon Majors were created, how many runners are allowed in etc. Today we want to talk just about those front of the pack times and how many are available.
Let’s take a look at what time you’d have to hit to score one of those qualifying spots in Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, Boston, and London. For all of the races, you must run on a certified course and then will be required to show proof of that time for entry.
Note: Because more runners are joining the sport every year and more are looking for ways to get a spot, you may have to be faster than the qualifying time. Entry is based on fastest time first in the event they have more qualified runners than spots for them.
Other races are on a first come, first serve basis regardless of time, and we’ll note which is which below.
Sydney Marathon Qualifying Times (August 31, 2025)
2025 is the first year that Sydney is joining the world’s majors.
While they announced they will save approximately 600…
