Free Boston Qualification Assessment
Find out what it will really take to qualify for Boston.
Built To Boston™ gives you more than your BQ standard. You get a safe goal time with a buffer for the cutoff, your race-day pace and a readiness score.
BUILT TO BOSTON™
Most runners train for the standard. We train for acceptance.
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Your safe Boston goal
The numbers behind it
| Age group | |
| Boston standard | |
| Safety buffer | |
| Safe Boston goal | |
| Current marathon fitness | |
| Improvement needed |
Race day pacing
| Official pace (26.2 mi) | |
| Watch pace what you actually run | |
| Expected watch distance | |
| Halfway split | |
| 10K split | |
| 5K split |
Boston readiness score
Your race choice
| Race | |
| BQ score | |
| Crowd factor | |
| Weather risk | |
| Coach's read |
Where to put your work
You have the target. Now build the athlete.
Your assessment shows you what the numbers demand. Built For Boston coaching helps you do something with them: training, strength, fueling, race execution, and adjustments built around your fitness, your race, and your life.
Explore Built For Boston →Standards shown are the current B.A.A. qualifying times. Meeting the standard only lets you apply — Boston accepts the fastest applicants until the field is full, which is why the buffer matters. Downhill courses with 1,500 ft or more of net elevation loss now carry a time adjustment at registration. This assessment is an estimate, not a training plan or a guarantee of acceptance.
Get clarity. Train smarter. Run faster.
This assessment gives you more than a qualifying time. It shows where you are, what it will take and how to get there with a plan that fits your life.
Your target time
Your BQ standard for your age and division, plus a safe goal time with a buffer for the cutoff.
Race-day pace
Your goal pace, adjusted for the extra distance most watches show, with half, 10K and 5K splits.
Readiness score
How close your current fitness is to that goal, based on your recent marathon or half.
Next steps
Insights on your goal race and where to focus your training next.
A BQ gets you an application. Not a spot.
How far under the standard runners needed to be to get in:
For 2027, 8,019 runners ran a BQ and still didn’t get in. Most runners train for the standard. We train for acceptance.
Find my safe goal time →Cutoffs from the B.A.A.
Built by a coach who understands the goal.
I’m Joe Beckerley, head coach at Fuel The Finish. I qualified for Boston at the 2025 Eugene Marathon, running 3:05:56 at 48. Then I ran Boston in April 2026.
Built To Boston started as the planner I use with the runners I coach. Now you can run the same numbers for free.
I’ve coached endurance athletes for 14+ years. I help runners qualify for Boston, finish Ironman and ultras, and become stronger athletes for the long game.
“Big goals are possible with the right plan.” — Joe Beckerley
“At age 63, Coach Joe helped me qualify again, something I honestly wasn’t sure I could still do. Then amazingly I ran even faster, a faster time in Boston than I had in my qualifying race.”
Before you start
Is it really free?
Yes. Enter your details and your email, and your full assessment is yours. It’s sent to your inbox so you can come back to it.
I haven’t run a marathon yet. Can I still use it?
Yes. Leave the marathon PR blank and enter your half PR. The tool uses it to estimate your marathon fitness.
What’s the buffer?
Hitting the standard only lets you apply. Recent cutoffs ran 4 to 7 minutes under, so 6 minutes is a sensible default. You can change it.
What happens after I get my results?
You’ll know your target, your pace and where to focus next. If you want help getting there, Built for Boston is my 1:1 coaching for runners chasing a BQ.
Know your real Boston number.
Free. Takes about a minute. Your results by email.
Start my free assessment →Ready for coaching? See Built for Boston →
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