Click Here For Training Season Info & Registration
It’s every long-distance runner’s dream to qualify and finish the most famous race in the world, The Boston Marathon.
This historic race is held annually on Patriot’s Day on the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first marathon competition at the 1896 Athens Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest marathon. It also ranks as the world’s best-known road racing running event. The Boston Marathon is one of the six, World Marathon Majors which also includes New York, Chicago, London, Berlin, and Tokyo.
The event attracts 500,000 spectators each year, making it New England’s most widely viewed sporting event. The race started with 18 participants in 1897 and has now grown to over 30,000 of the world’s best time qualifying amateur and professional, long distance runners.
It’s no small task to earn a Boston qualifying time for the right to brave and finish one of the world’s toughest races. Getting a spot is one thing. Training for the race and surviving the hilly Massachusetts terrain and varying weather conditions is the real challenge.
Below is a list of the current Boston Marathon qualifying times by gender & age
Please note that it may not be enough to just reach the minimum qualifying time listed for each bracket below. Boston chooses the fastest qualifying times in each age bracket in order from fastest to slowest until they fill each bracket. To safely qualify you should train to beat your qualifying time by 3 – 5 minutes to have enough cushion to assure yourself a spot. The number of runners that qualify and register for the race each year also has a bearing on each runner’s chances of qualifying for the race. For more information visit the Boston Marathon website here.
For runners who are inching closer to a Boston Marathon qualifying time, In Flight Running can help. A more advanced training schedule and track and hill training workouts are needed to increase pacing and net a qualifying time.
Both our Spring and Prime Houston group run coaching programs include a Tuesday morning (Spring & Prime season) and evening interval training session (Prime season only) that alternates between a track workout and a hill training workout to help improve pacing and race times. Training schedules also include a more strategic and higher volume of weekly mileage and other recommended, advanced training techniques.
If you are an intermediate to advanced level marathoner close to a Boston qualifying time (within 15 minutes) or you have already qualified for an upcoming Boston Marathon, our Spring, Prime or Year Pass Season Memberships below can help you get Boston ready.
Click Here For More Info on The Training Season Memberships We Offer
- Spring Season – March – May – This 13 week, group training program welcomes runners of every skill level who are just learning the sport or already training for distances from the 5K to the marathon. Our spring program includes a weekly Tuesday morning track or hill workout. We alternate weeks between track and hills. Saturday morning, fluid supported long runs are offered each week to build endurance and get race ready. Every other Sunday morning we offer a guided trail run in state and county parks within an hour drive of Houston. We also offer an occasional workshop on a running topics including running form, interval training, stretching, strength training, nutrition and more. Spring is also a great time to build a solid base so you can really go places with your running during our Prime Season which starts in early June.
- Prime Season – June – February – This 36 week, group training program is our primary summer, fall and winter running season for Houston area runners. With a similar format to our Spring Season, our Prime Season is three times as long as runners continue to train and build mileage to get race ready for Fall and Winter Marathons including Houston’s Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon in January. We also support and provide training schedules for any race and race distance in the world including the popular Chicago Marathon, New York City Marathon, Washington DC Marine Corps Marathon, San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon/Half, Dallas Marathon/Half and more. You pick your races and we’ll get you ready to run them strong and earn that medal!
- Year Pass Season – March – February – Our Year Pass option bundles our Spring and Prime Seasons together for an entire year of fun, run coaching, training, group runs and support for our best value.
Have Questions About Qualifying For The Boston Marathon & Which Training Seasons Are Right For You?
Do you have questions about our Year Pass, Spring or Prime seasons and which one is right for you? Then type your question in the live pop-up chat box window to the right. When chatting, please include your email address and phone number so we can contact you if we miss you live.
Want to train year round? Then check out our best deal Year Pass Option which bundles Spring Season and Prime Season for an entire year of In Flight running and coaching.
Click here to send us a question on our contact page, email us at info@inflightrunning.com or call or text us at 832-619-9280. We hope to see you training with the In Flight Running team soon!
