This list is for people who want to qualify this year, in 2014 and run in 2015. (Boston Qualifying Rules here, your qualifying race needs to be on or after Sept 14, 2013)
The CRITERIA I am using: up to September 7th, 2014 (registration opens in September 8th, 2014), fast, flat or downhill, still open, good reputation as a BQ. Feel free to send me races to add, or to tell me if these need to be edited!
Ordered by upcoming date:
Run for the Red Marathon, 5/18, Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PA
Buffalo Marathon, 5/25, Buffalo, NY
Mountains to Beach Marathon, 5/25, Ojai, California
Newport Marathon, 5/31, Newport, Oregon
Grandma’s marathon, 6/21, Minnesota
Run Charlevoix, 6/21, Charlevoix, Michigan
Foot Traffic Flat Marathon, 7/4, Portland, Oregon.
Light at the End of the Tunnel, 7/13, North Bend, WA.
Chasing the Unicorn, 8/17, Bucks County, PA.
Santa Rosa Marathon, 8/24, Santa Rosa, 55 miles N of San Francisco, CA
Pocatello Marathon, 8/30, Pocatello, ID
Lehigh Valley Hospital Marathon, 9/7, Allentown, PA
Skagit Flats, 9/7, Burlington, WA
Sioux Falls Marathon, 9/7, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
(too late) Big Cottonwood Marathon, 9/13, Utah
(too late) Erie Marathon at Presque Isle, 9/14, Erie, PA
(too late) Top of Utah, 9/20, Cache Valley, Northern Utah
(too late) Fox Cities Marathon, 9/21, Appleton, WI
What else? Any marathon I should add here?
-If you want to compare marathons, I’ve used this website before, just choose two and compare hills, course, temperature, etc, very useful.
—-Comment happily: you won’t be asked to create an account!
runningandthecity 
Great post! I’d add Cleveland – it’s 5/18 and I think it’s quite fast!
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thanks Jason, I’ll research!!
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Hi Jason, seems like “fastish” marathon but the fastest… so a few hills in there according to the elevation map.
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Erie site is up.
http://eriemarathon.org/
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thanks!!! Updated! I had checked just 2 days ago. YEY! List complete!
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Really soon – 5/10 Lake Wobegon Marathon, St. Cloud MN
They added this recently.
http://fv26.com/LCBQ/index.htm
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I’m running the (sold out) Newport Marathon on 5/31 and would love to get that elusive BQ!
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Nice!!! Is it supposed to be flat and fast? Will check it out. Won’t include here if it’s sold out though… GOOD LUCK!!
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Thank you! Yes to “flat and fast,” but I’ve heard the course is cambered, which won’t work well for me and my IT bands! They have oyster shooters at two point on the course, so if my BQ-chance is out the window, I can try those. Ha!
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mohawk-hudson marathon in october… IT MAY be at capacity now but its a good, fast, flat one for sure… great list… thank you
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That is a great and BQ-friendly race!!! But it will be too late to qualify for 2015… I don’t think they’ll wait until October to sign people up… ;-(
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No you are totally right… But if someone was looking for 2016 it would be perfect;) I wanted to qualify for next year, but it WILL indeed have to wait til 2016 at least
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then, that’s an amazing choice of race!
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I haven’t run it, but supposedly the Prairie Fire Marathon in Wichita, KS (on October 12, 2014 this year) is a fast, flat race, and a good Boston qualifier. http://prairiefiremarathon.com/ I’m running the spring half on Sunday 🙂
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Nice Jim!!! That would probably not get you a BQ in time for 2015 though, but it can work for 2016. good luck!!
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Pingback: Best Races to Qualify for Boston Marathon 2014 | runningandthecity
Add Eugene Oregon marathon. Now being held July 27.
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Quecbec marathon – August 24th!
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Please consider adding our race, the LOCO Marathon to your list of top races to qualify for Boston at.
Even though the race is small, we qualified over 46% of all finishers.
http://locomarathon.com
http://www.coolrunning.com/results/14/nh/Oct26_LocoMa_set1.shtml
—
Mike St. Laurent
LOCO Sports, Inc.
603 659 2824
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will look into it THANKS!
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Here’s a brand-new race just 90 minutes north of NYC. The Walkway Marathon is a flat, fast, USATF-certified loop course that utilizes two shady, paved rail trails for most of the distance. The course crosses the Hudson River via the Walkway Over the Hudson — a 19th-century railroad bridge that has been converted into the world’s longest linear park. Awesome views, and many BQs expected.
June 13, 2015 – http://www.walkwaymarathon.org
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The Redding Marathon, every January, is a Boston Qualifier and has a beautiful course along the Sacramento River, and ending at the famous Sundial Bridge.
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