Ballpark Estimate: $3,110
There are two legal ways to run the Boston Marathon:
- Qualify by running another marathon within a specified time
- Running for a charity raising a minimum amount of money
Qualifying
Most casual marathoners will never qualify for the Boston Marathon. To qualify you must run in an approved marathon in September the year before the marathon. The current qualifying times are shown in the following table:
| Age Group | Men | Women |
| 18-34 | 3 hrs 10 min | 3 hrs 40 min |
| 35-39 | 3 hrs 15 min | 3 hrs 45 min |
| 40-44 | 3 hrs 20 min | 3 hrs 50 min |
| 45-49 | 3 hrs 30 min | 4 hrs 00 min |
| 50-54 | 3 hrs 35 min | 4 hrs 05 min |
| 55-59 | 3 hrs 45 min | 4 hrs 15 min |
| 60-64 | 4 hrs 00 min | 4 hrs 30 min |
| 65-69 | 4 hrs 15 min | 4 hrs 45 min |
| 70-74 | 4 hrs 30 min | 5 hrs 00 min |
| 75-79 | 4 hrs 45 min | 5 hrs 15 min |
| 80 and over | 5 hrs 00 min | 5 hrs 30 min |
If you do qualify, the cost of running is straightforward, just the entry fee. For the 2008 Boston Marathon, the entry fee is $110 for U.S. residents, $150 for residents of all other countries.
Running for a Charity
If you are unable to qualify for Boston, there is an alternative way to run by raising money for certain approved charities. There are almost 2 dozen charities that receive waivers each year to allow a small number of non-qualified entrants. The minimum you have to raise (or donate yourself) is around $3,000, but varies from charity to charity. So the minimum total to run for a non-qualified runner would be $3,000 + the $110 entry fee or $3,110.