If you thought running any downhill marathon would solidify your chances of nabbing a BQ in the future, then think again. Just in case you missed the hoopla, on June 16, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) announced new net-downhill course procedures for Boston Marathon qualifying races. Starting with the 2027 qualifying window, which opens on September 13 of this year, qualifying times completed on marathon courses with a net-downhill of 1,500 or more feet will be subject to a time adjustment of five minutes.
The reason for this big change, according to the press release from the BAA, is that researchers have found athletes who qualify on a course with a net-elevation drop—this is where the total elevation loss on a course is larger than the elevation gain—of 1,500 feet or more from start to finish receive a substantial time advantage over those who qualify on a course with less than 1,500 feet. Therefore, this new procedure could be one way to even the playing field for hopeful BQers.
This new announcement also disqualifies a select number of downhill races, particularly those with a net-downhill of 6,000 feet or more. But thankfully, it doesn’t disqualify all downhill races.
Marathon courses with a net-downhill between 3,000 and 5,999 feet, like Revel Mt. Charleston, Big Cottonwood, and Big Bear are still considered BQ races. However, qualifying times completed on these courses will be subject to a 10-minute time adjustment upon submission. This means athletes who run these races risk the chance of not meeting the cut-off time for their age group. Similarly, athletes who qualify on marathon courses with a net-downhill between 1,500 and 2,999 feet, like the Las Vegas and St. George marathons will have five minutes added to their results.
So qualifying for the Boston Marathon just got harder and more more complicated to explain to your friends who don’t run marathons. But it isn’t all uphill from here. There are still a number of races that can help you get one step closer to achieving your Boston dreams, and we found the best ones by digging through some data on FindMyMarathon.
Here are several net-downhill marathons that have a decently high BQ score and won’t incur any time adjustments.
Are they as severely downhill as some marathon courses? No. Will there be some rolling hills? Possibly. Will you have to do tricky math in your head as you approach the finish line on what your time will be adjusted to? Absolutely not.
Mesa Marathon
Location: Mesa, Arizona
Date: February 14, 2026
Number of finishers (2025): 3,192
Percentage of BQ: 15.6 percent
Net-downhill drop: 866
SoCal Marathon
Location: Huntington Beach, California
Date: February 28, 2026
Number of finishers (2025): 248
Percentage of BQ (2025): 3.6 percent
Net-downhill drop: 343
Napa Valley Marathon
Location: Calistoga, California
Date: March 1, 2026
Number of finishers (2025): 1,478
Percentage of BQ (2025): 13.2 percent
Net-downhill drop: 303
Mountains 2 Beach
Location: Ojai to Ventura, California
Date: April 19, 2026
Number of finishers (2025): 1,755
Percentage of BQ (2025): 21.6 percent
Net-downhill drop: 724
Colorado Marathon
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
Date: May 3, 2026
Number of finishers (2025): 1,081
Percentage of BQ (2025): 8.9 percent
Net-downhill drop: 1,123
Aspen Valley Marathon
Location: Aspen, Colorado
Date: July 19, 2025
Number of finishers (2024): 192
Percentage of BQ (2024): 9.9 percent
Net-downhill drop: 1,339
Wineglass Marathon
Location: Corning, New York
Date: October 5, 2025
Number of finishers (2024): 1,816
Percentage of BQ (2024): 14.2 percent
Net-downhill drop: 199
Steamtown Marathon
Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Date: October 12, 2025
Number of finishers (2024): 898
Percentage of BQ (2024): 18.6 percent
Net-downhill drop: 954
California International Marathon
Location: Sacramento, California
Date: December 7, 2025
Number of finishers (2024): 8,371
Percentage of BQ (2024): 24.8 percent
Net-downhill drop: 340
Monique LeBrun is a health and fitness editor who is based in Easton, Pennsylvania. She covers a wide range of health and wellness topics, with a primary focus on running performance and nutrition. Monique is passionate about creating content that empowers runners to become the best versions of themselves. As an avid runner and parent, she loves spending time outdoors with her daughter, who often accompanies her on weekend runs as her personal mini run coach.
