"A record 240,000 people applied to the 2026 NYC Marathon drawing, a nearly 20 percent increase from 2025, and runners in non-NYRR races had to be 22 minutes and 52 seconds faster than the standard to get in. That's up the 13 minutes and 20 seconds under the standard in a non-NYRR race that was required in 2025."
"Under this year's 22-minute and 52-second buffer, that's just shy of a 2:30 marathon for men ages 18-34. For women ages 18-34, that's almost a 2:50. Both are sub-elite times that would be competitive for prize money in most regional level marathons."
"A record 1.1 million people applied to compete in the 2026 London Marathon, one week after more than 56,000 people finished the 2025 race-another world record which was only eclipsed by the 2025 New York City Marathon with over 59,000 finishers."
Major marathons are experiencing unprecedented demand, with the 2026 NYC Marathon receiving a record 240,000 applications, a 20 percent increase from 2025. This surge has created a significant gap between published qualifying standards and actual entry requirements. Runners competing in non-NYRR races must now run 22 minutes and 52 seconds faster than the official standard to gain entry, up from 13 minutes and 20 seconds the previous year. For men ages 18-34, this translates to nearly a 2:30 marathon time, while women in the same age group need almost a 2:50. Similar trends affect other Abbott World Marathon Majors, including London and Boston, where record numbers of applicants compete for limited spots.
#marathon-qualifying-standards #nyc-marathon-demand #running-boom #abbott-world-marathon-majors #entry-requirements
Read at Runner's World
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