Guide to the Abbott World Marathon Majors
Once bitten by the marathon bug, a runner will undoubtedly go down the rabbit hole of wanting to know everything about marathons. Let me tell you, there is a lot to uncover about the formidable beast that is the 26.2-mile distance. From Boston Qualifying (BQ) times to Olympic Trials Qualifier (OTQ), one will eventually stumble upon the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a series of six of the most beloved and well-put together marathons across the globe that draw thousands of runners each year. The six races take place in the following cities: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York City. With the exception of the Boston Marathon, runners get into these races via a randomly selected lottery (aka “non-guaranteed entry”). Selection through the lottery can be difficult as there are always more entries than there are spots. Other entry options include entering with a time qualifier, registering with a charity, registering as a “legacy” runner, or the all-coveted invitation to enter. Non-guaranteed entry and time qualified runners must enter during the application period in order to be selected for each race. Charity runners can sign up for the race after the application period once approved by the charity (charities are given a certain amount of spots per race per year).
In this post, I break down the entry and qualification process for each of the six races, going from the first race in 2023 (Tokyo) to the last (New York City).
Note: This is not a sponsored post; the links below are for educational purposes. All information provided is based on 2022 data from each race’s individual website.
Tokyo Marathon
The Tokyo Marathon (Japan) takes place in March. The 12-day application window for the race takes place during the previous August. If you are looking to qualify with a time entry, a qualifying race must be completed in the two-year period prior to the race day with a time of 2:32 or better for men and 3:19 or better for women. This “run as one” sub-elite entry is limited to 25 men and 25 women who reside outside of Japan.
So, for the March 2023 race date:
Application window: August 2022
Qualifying time window: July 2019-June 2022 (note: the window will close to two years for the 2024 Tokyo Marathon)
Qualifying times, based on age: sub-2:32 for men and sub-3:19 for women.
For more information on the Tokyo Marathon, go here.
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon (America) takes place in April. The five-day application window takes place during the previous September. Unless you are running for a charity or with some other special status, you must have a qualifying time to run the Boston Marathon. A special note about the Boston Marathon is that a qualifying time does not guarantee a runner entry into the race. The qualification period last 12 months, September to September and qualifying times are based on age and range from 3:00 to 4:50 for men and 3:30 to 5:20 for women.
So, for the April 2023 race date:
Application window: September 2022
Qualifying time window: September 2021 to September 2022
Qualifying times, based on age: 3:00 to 4:50 for men and 3:30 to 5:20 for women.
For more information on the Boston Marathon and specific time qualifiers based on age, go here.
London Marathon
The London Marathon (United Kingdom) takes place in April. The 7-day application window takes place during the previous October. If you are looking to qualify with a time entry under “Good for Age” a qualifying race must be completed during the qualification period that last 12 months from October to October. The qualifying times are based on age and range from 3:00 to 6:10 for men and 3:45 to 7:10 for women.
So, for the April 2023 race date:
Application window: October 2022
Qualifying time window: October 2021 to October 2022
Qualifying times, based on age: 3:00 to 6:10 for men and 3:45 to 7:10 for women.
For more information on the London Marathon and specific time qualifiers based on age, go here.
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon (Germany) takes place in September. The 5-week application window takes place from September through November. If you are looking to qualify with a time entry, a qualifying race must be completed in the three-year period prior to the race day with a time ranging from 2:45 to 3:25 for men and 3:00 to 4:10 for women.
So, for the September 2023 race date:
Application window: September to November 2022
Qualifying time window: Races after 2020
Qualifying times, based on age: 2:45 to 3:25 for men and 3:00 to 4:10 for women.
For more information on the Berlin Marathon and specific time qualifiers based on age, go here.
Chicago Marathon
The Chicago Marathon takes place every October. The application window takes place during the previous November. If you are looking to qualify with a time entry, a qualifying race must be completed in the 22-month period prior to the race day with a time ranging from 3:05 to 5:25 for men and 3:35 to 6:10 for women.
So, for the October 2023 race date:
Application window: November 2022
Qualifying time window: January 2021 through November 2022
Qualifying times, based on age: 3:05 to 5:25 for men and 3:35 to 6:10 for women.
For more information on the Chicago Marathon and specific time qualifiers based on age, go here.
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon (America) takes place every November. The application window takes place during the February of race year. If you are looking to qualify with a time entry, a qualifying race must be completed in the calendar year prior to the race day. New York is unique in that it accepts qualifying times from approved half marathons in addition to times from approved marathons. Half marathon times range from 1:21 to 2:15 for men and 1:32 to 2:50 for women and non-binary, while marathon times range from 2:53 to 4:50 for men and 3:13 to 6:35 for women and non-binary
So, for the November 2023 race date:
Application window: February 2023
Qualifying time window: January 2022 through December 2022
Half marathon qualifying times, based on age: 1:21 to 2:15 for men and 1:32 to 2:50 for women and non-binary
Marathon qualifying times, based on age: 2:53 to 4:50 for men and 3:13 to 6:35 for women and non-binary
For more information on the New York City Marathon and specific time qualifiers based on age, go here.
New in 2023 for Six Star Finishers
Runners who are on their Six Star Journey can register as members on AbbottWMM.com and be entered drawings for the six marathon majors. This is something new the Abbott World Marathon Majors is doing in 2023 to help runners achieve their stars, which is really great when you consider how challenging it may to get a spot in a race with the lottery. The number of spots is limited in each race and eligible runners will receive an email inviting them to participate in the selection process. In 2023, the number of spots and eligibility are as follows:
Tokyo Marathon: 100 spots for runners with 5 stars.
Boston Marathon: 150 spots for runners with 5 stars.
London Marathon: 500 spots for runners with 3, 4, or 5 stars.
Berlin Marathon: 500 spots for runners with 3, 4, or 5 stars.
Chicago Marathon: 250 spots for runners with 3, 4, or 5 stars.
New York City Marathon: 500 spots for runners with 3, 4, or 5 stars.
For more information on this new initiative from Abbott, go here. Also, make sure to update your profile on the Abbott World Marathon Majors site, here.
I hope you found this blog post helpful. I’d love to hear from you if you’ve ran any of these races or if you have any tips or tricks for getting into one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors.
