1. Blog
  2. Races by Theme
  3. Net-Downhill Marathons for Boston Qualifying
July 23rd, 2025 by

No comments yet

Happy runners on the Ogden Marathon course
(📸 America First Ogden Marathon)

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) set the running world abuzz last month when it announced its registration updates for the 2027 Boston Marathon. Most notable was a new time adjustment—termed “Downhill Results Indexing”—for Boston Marathon qualifying races with a net-downhill of 1,500 feet or greater:

  • Verified qualifying times from any course with a net-downhill of between 1,500 and 2,999 feet will incur a five-minute (+5:00 minutes) time adjustment, or “index,” to the official results for Boston Marathon qualifying purposes.
  • Verified qualifying times from any course with a net-downhill of between 3,000 and 5,999 feet will incur a ten-minute (+10:00 minutes) index to the official results for Boston Marathon qualifying purposes.
  • Any course with a net-downhill of 6,000 feet or greater will not be allowed for Boston Marathon qualifying purposes.

The B.A.A. defines “net-downhill” as the difference in elevation between the start and finish points of an event.

(Source: baa.org)

In other words, with a new penalty box for net-downhill courses of 1,500+ feet, qualifying for Boston just got tougher.

With this in mind, we present our comprehensive lineup of net-downhill marathons (500 ft or greater) in the U.S. and Canada, organized by BQ index: no index, five minutes, and ten minutes. Each table is sortable by race name, date, location, and of course, net elevation loss to help you find your personal BQ sweet spot!

Net-downhill marathons that incur no BQ index

Race nameRace dateLocationNet-downhill (ft)
Tucson Marathon12/13/2026Tucson, AZ1,493
New England Green River Marathon08/23/2026Marlboro, VT1,457
Utah Valley Marathon06/06/2026Provo, UT1,444
Leavenworth Marathon10/03/2026Leavenworth, WA1,312
Wicked Fast Marathon Montana08/15/2026Livingston, MT1,286
Aspen Valley Marathon07/26/2026Aspen, CO1,280
Super Marathon06/13/2026Snoqualmie Pass, WA1,247
Jack & Jill's Downhill Marathon Washington07/25/2026Snoqualmie Pass, WA1,247
Cascade Express Marathon09/12/2026Snoqualmie Pass, WA1,247
Mud Mountain Dam Spring Marathon05/30/2026Orting, WA1,188
Mud Mountain Dam Fall Marathon09/19/2026Orting, WA1,188
Fall Equinox Marathon09/14/2025Bellevue, CO1,126
Colorado Marathon05/03/2026Fort Collins, CO1,121
Bizz Johnson Marathon10/11/2026Susanville, CA1,100
Ogden Marathon05/16/2026Ogden, UT
1,088
Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon06/07/2026Snoqualmie Pass, WA1,000
Tunnel Vision Marathon08/09/2026Snoqualmie Pass, WA1,000
Tunnel Light Marathon09/13/2026Snoqualmie Pass, WA1,000
Rogue Marathon10/11/2025Medford, OR955
Steamtown Marathon10/11/2026Scranton, PA954
Ventura Marathon02/22/2026Ventura, CA925
Mesa Marathon02/14/2026Mesa, AZ847
Montana Marathon09/20/2026Billings, MT830
Marquette Marathon09/05/2026Marquette, MI807
Mountains 2 Beach Marathon04/19/2026Ojai, CA739
Marathon P’tit Train du Nord10/04/2026Val-David, Canada722
Sugarloaf Marathon05/17/2026Kingfield, ME626
Jim Thorpe Marathon04/26/2026Jim Thorpe, PA586
Wicked Fast Marathon Poconos09/12/2025Lehighton, PA539
Buckeye Marathon01/10/2026Buckeye, AZ
538
Whistlestop Marathon10/10/2026Ashland, WI510

Net-downhill marathons that incur a 5-min index

Race nameRace dateLocationNet-downhill (ft)
Pocatello Marathon09/05/2026Pocatello, ID1,518
Sun Marathon01/24/2026Santa Clara, UT1,660
Bears Ears Marathon11/07/2026Blanding, UT1,796
Leading Ladies & Dakota Spirit
Marathon		08/23/2026Spearfish, SD2,260
Las Vegas Marathon10/26/2025Las Vegas, NV2,299
St. George Marathon10/03/2026St. George, UT2,307
East Canyon Marathon08/29/2026Morgan, UT2,329
Sundance to Spearfish Marathon09/13/2026Beulah, SD2,972

Net-downhill marathons that incur a 10-min index

Race nameRace dateLocationNet-downhill (ft)
Deseret News Marathon07/24/2026Salt Lake City, UT3,164
Hawaii Bird Conservation Marathon12/20/2026Volcano, HI3,653
Huntsville Marathon09/19/2026Huntsville, UT3,812
Runtastic Nebo08/29/2026Payson, UT4,561
REVEL Big Bear11/07/2026Big Bear, CA5,083
REVEL Mt Charleston03/28/2026Las Vegas, NV5,126
REVEL Big Cottonwood09/12/2026Salt Lake City, UT5,242

Net elevation loss data are based on the official race website / USATF course certification and are subject to change. So bookmark this page and check back often for updates!

👉 To submit a net-elevation update for one of the races below, or to let us know of a certified marathon course with a net-downhill of 500+ feet not listed here, please email us.

Looking for more running events? Search for races by state/city or month, and try our handy Find a Race tool to search for events by name, date range, distance, location, terrain & more. Then sign up for a free account to build your wish list and start coloring in your 50 States Map!

Author: Mike Sohaskey

Mike Sohaskey, Co-founder of RaceRaves

Mike Sohaskey is the co-founder of RaceRaves, the premier online reviews community for runners to share their race experiences and find their next challenge. Mike honed his creative and critical thinking skills as a research scientist, earning a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Stanford. He’s completed over 120 races — including marathons on all seven continents plus all six Abbott World Marathon Majors — in locations ranging from Antarctica to Zimbabwe.


Other RaceRaves articles you’ll enjoy (trust us!)

Anniversary Races to Celebrate (2026-27)
8 Travel Tips for a Successful Destination Race
Iconic Races 10 Miles or Less (Summer & Fall)
Top Five Things You Can Do as a RaceRaves Member

And for more helpful articles, check out our blog!

Subscribe & Stay Connected

Find this article informative? Please share it, and let others know RaceRaves is the premier online resource to DISCOVER, REVIEW & TRACK all their races and to CONNECT with other runners! Plus, sign up for our newsletter to receive the best racing-related content and special offers every month!

Your turn – what do you think?