How many people run in the 2023 Boston Marathon? What are the qualifying times?
The Boston Marathon was somewhat more special this year, as the event celebrated the tenth anniversary of the tragic bombing that occurred back in 2013.
Following an exciting conclusion to one of the biggest races in the world of marathons, here’s a look at the low down on what happened. From how many people participated, to exactly what the qualifying times were, let’s dive in.
How many people ran in the 2023 Boston Marathon?
As one of the most prestigious races on the annual calendar, the Boston Marathon is always well attended, however, this year’s event was huge with approximately 30,000 athletes participating. Despite light rain throughout the race was staged perfectly. There were even a handful of celebrity athletes who participated such as Boston Bruins legend Zdeno Chara, former Boston College and NFL quarterback, Doug Flutie and ex-Red Sox players, Ryan Dempster and Brock Holt.
Interestingly, all of them were running on behalf of various charities which support things ranging from autism to cancer research and even the curing of paralysis. Yet, perhaps it was Dempster’s cause which hit closest to home as he participated in the name of the foundation honoring Lingzi Lu, one of the victims who died in the awful attack 10 years ago.”It’s really sentimental to me,” Dempster said. “I started that day at Fenway Park on Patriots Day on the day of the unfortunate turn of events on the finish line. So I’m coming back 10 years later to run to raise money for the Lingzi Foundation.” With a wide variety of fundraising efforts known to have contributed to the event, it was estimated that roughly $40 million would be raised.
What were the qualifying times for the Boston Marathon?
If you weren’t aware, qualifying times for the Boston Marathon go by age brackets and it’s got to be said that they’ve become more difficult to meet over the past few decades. Interestingly, qualifying times for nonbinary applicants are still to be established, but you can see the times below:
Men
| Age Bracket | Qualifying Time |
|---|---|
| 18-34 | 3 hrs 00 min 00 sec |
| 35-39 | 3 hrs 5 min 00 sec |
| 40-44 | 3 hrs 10 min 00 sec |
| 45-49 | 3 hrs 20 min 00 sec |
| 50-54 | 3 hrs 25 min 00 sec |
| 55-59 | 3 hrs 35 min 00 sec |
| 60-64 | 3 hrs 50 min 00 sec |
| 65-69 | 4 hrs 5 min 00 sec |
| 70-74 | 4 hrs 20 min 00 sec |
| 75-79 | 4 hrs 35 min 00 sec |
| 80 & over | 4 hrs 50 min 00 sec |
Women
| Age Bracket | Qualifying Time |
|---|---|
| 18-34 | 3 hrs 30 min 00 sec |
| 35-39 | 3 hrs 35 min 00 sec |
| 40-44 | 3 hrs 40 min 00 sec |
| 45-49 | 3 hrs 50 min 00 sec |
| 50-54 | 3 hrs 55 min 00 sec |
| 55-59 | 4 hrs 5 min 00 sec |
| 60-64 | 4 hrs 20 min 00 sec |
| 65-69 | 4 hrs 35 min 00 sec |
| 70-74 | 4 hrs 50 min 00 sec |
| 75-79 | 5 hrs 5 min 00 sec |
| 80 & over | 5 hrs 20 min 00 sec |
One important change to note for this year’s event is the fact that unlike previous years, an additional 59 seconds will NOT be accepted for qualifying times. Indeed, not even a single second over the qualifying time is accepted. That’s to say, that a qualifying time of 4:20:59 or 4:20:01 for a 62-year-old woman would NOT be accepted. Now you know!