Marathon Compass
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MarathonWorld Majorqualifier entry

Boston Marathon

Hopkinton, MA · Mon, April 19, 2027 · 09:32 start

The verdict

Approachable debut.

Moderate to run · very high friction to enter and reach.

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01

How it runs

Course · +815 ft gain · Back-loaded — the climbing comes lateReconstructed from named climbs
HEARTBREAK HILL (NEWTON)
mile 20.5 · +88 ft · 4.5%
StartMile 7Mile 13Mile 20Finish

Net downhill first 16 miles, then Newton Hills cluster from mile 16-21, then downhill to finish. Quads must absorb early descent before climbing on tired legs.

Built from this course's named climbs at their real mile markers; between them the line is interpolated, and the descent is placed using the course's curated shape classification rather than measured. It shows where the hard parts fall and how big they are, and it reproduces the real net change end to end — but it is not a GPX trace.
What this course asks of you
  • downhill running
  • back-half climbs on tired legs
  • 0.4-0.5mi hill repeats at 4-5% grade
Race morning
49→57 °F
Race-morning temperatureRace-morning temperature · Medium confidenceOpen-Meteo historical archive10-year history at the start line, sampled at the race start hour.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: A normal is not a forecast. Any individual year can sit well outside it — this is the centre of the distribution, not a promise.
25°F90°F

Cooler than 62% of the 39 races we track.

Dew point at the startDew point at the start · Medium confidenceOpen-Meteo historical archive10-year history at the start line, sampled at the race start hour.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Same caveat as temperature, and dew point varies more between years than temperature does.
10°F78°F

Drier than 62% of the 39 races we track. Dew point, not humidity — it's what actually caps how fast you can shed heat.

Climbing per mileClimbing per mile · Medium confidenceThe race's published course dataTotal elevation gain divided by 26.2 miles.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Total gain only. We don't hold where on the course the climbing falls, so a course with one steep wall and one with constant rollers can share this number.
0 ft160 ft

Flatter than only 13% of the 39 races we track.

Climate: 10-year history · Open-Meteo historical archive, sampled at the start line and start hour. The morning band is climatology plus uniform typical post-dawn warming, not a measured hourly series. Elevation from the race's published course data.

02

Can you qualify here

M 18-34 · 4:00:00

Not a Boston/NYC qualifying race for your profile.

03

Training plans for this race

Just Finish Strong

Build the habit, cross the line healthy

Solid First Time

Race-ready training, target 4:00–4:30

Ambitious BQ Track

Chase a Boston-relevant time, peak volume

04

What the Boston Marathon really costs

A first marathon costs more than the entry fee — budget the whole weekend before you commit.

Entry fee
Entry fee · Medium confidenceThe organiser's registration pageThe price listed when this race was catalogued.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Most races raise the fee in tiers as race day approaches, so this is a floor rather than what you'll pay later.
Travel + 3 hotel nights (est.)
~$1,250from South Florida
All-in cost against the catalogAll-in cost estimate · Low confidenceMarathon Compass travel modelEntry plus travel and 3 hotel nights, estimated from South Florida.Where this can be wrong: A crude model, not a quote. It assumes one origin — if you don't fly from South Florida the travel half is close to meaningless for you.
$0$2,700

Cheaper than only 13% of the 39 races we price. Entry plus travel and 3 hotel nights, estimated from South Florida.

Register for the Boston Marathon →
05

Green Score breakdown

Method →

The original five-axis composite. It's kept for continuity and for the methodology page, but it mixes how hard a race is to run with how hard it is to enter — which is why the four dimensions above lead instead.

7.1/ 10 composite

Logistics2.0

How hard it is to get an entry.

Travel5.0

Distance and cost of getting there from home.

Terrain6.9

Climb and net gradient — how hard the ground is.

Climate10.0

Typical race-morning heat and dew point.

Field10.0

Field size and pacing support on course.

World Major. Qualifier-only. 2027 standard M 18-34 is 2:55; recent cutoff buffer ~4-5 min faster than standard.

The verdict
Best forApproachable debut
Course difficultyModerate
Planning frictionVery high friction
Est. course effect—
First-timer score8.0/10
Race morning · 10-year history
Start temp
49 °F
Dew point
41 °F
Precipitation
0.3 mm

Typical race-morning total

Field size
30,000
Getting in · getting there
Entryqualifier · $255
Registration closes—
Trip estimate~$1,505

About the Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon is a marathon held in Hopkinton, MA on April 19, 2027. With a Green Score of 7.1/10, it's a moderate race. The course is net downhill — ~492 ft of drop from start to finish with modest climbing (~31 ft of gain per mile). Typical race-day weather is a cool 49°F, dew point ~41°F (10-year history, Open-Meteo historical archive). Entry is around $255. Marathon Compass rates every race across terrain, climate, logistics, travel, and field size so you can find the one that fits you — and build a training plan tuned to your fitness.

What the heat costs you at the Boston Marathon

A typical race morning here scores 90 on the temperature-plus-dew-point scale our pace engine runs daily (49°F + 41°F, 10-year history (Open-Meteo)) — a 0% pace penalty. Heat should not be a factor at the Boston Marathon in a typical year — race your fitness.

100
130
150
90 — typical race morning at the Boston Marathon on the temp+dew scale (100 = no penalty · 130 = +2% · 150 = +4.5%)

Method: temp°F + dew°F lookup from the heat-adjustment chart our training plans use daily. Sign in to see this adjustment applied to your own projected finish.

Entry strategy

Entry requires a qualifying time — see the standards above.

  1. Race dayApril 19, 2027
Official registration →Add these dates to your calendar (.ics)

Plan B: if entry doesn't go your way, Shamrock Marathon Virginia Beach (March 21, 2027, open entry, Green Score 9.2) or A1A Marathon (Fort Lauderdale) (February 14, 2027, open entry, Green Score 8.6) keeps the same training block on schedule.

Where to stay

Point-to-point course: stay near the finish, not the start — you'll be glad at mile 26, and shuttles run to the start. Hotels near the Boston Marathon start selling out 8–10 months ahead with race-weekend minimum stays — book refundable, book early. The links below are pre-filled for race weekend (April 17, 2027 → April 20, 2027).

Race-weekend hotels on Booking.com →Compare on Expedia →

Some hotel and book links may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. Official registration is never an affiliate.

Next

Plan the day itself.

When to wake up, when the corral closes, and the exact clock time Boston Marathon spectators should be at each split for your goal pace — plus a link you can send to whoever's coming to watch.

Build your race-day timeline →
Compare head-to-head

Evidence

Audited 2026-07-17

Every figure on this page, what it came from, and where it can be wrong. Ordered least-trustworthy first — the estimates are the ones worth checking yourself before they cost you money or a race.

FigureSourceCheckedConfidence
All-in cost estimateMarathon Compass travel modelA crude model, not a quote. It assumes one origin — if you don't fly from South Florida the travel half is close to meaningless for you.—Low confidence
Race-morning temperatureOpen-Meteo historical archiveA normal is not a forecast. Any individual year can sit well outside it — this is the centre of the distribution, not a promise.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Dew point at the startOpen-Meteo historical archiveSame caveat as temperature, and dew point varies more between years than temperature does.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Climbing per mileThe race's published course dataTotal gain only. We don't hold where on the course the climbing falls, so a course with one steep wall and one with constant rollers can share this number.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Net gradientThe race's published course dataDrives the BAA downhill adjustment, so an error here changes the Boston verdict. Their official course designation is what actually counts.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Entry feeThe organiser's registration pageMost races raise the fee in tiers as race day approaches, so this is a floor rather than what you'll pay later.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Field sizeThe organiser or published resultsField sizes drift year to year and entries sold are not finishers.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Race dateThe organiser's own siteOrganisers occasionally move a date after announcing it.Jul 17, 2026High confidence

Fees, dates and qualifying rules change often, and we would rather hear it from you than have it sit here wrong — report incorrect information.