Boston Marathon Runners Will Be Required to Be Vaccinated for 2022 Race

The 2022 edition of the Boston Marathon, which is set for April 18, will require all participants to be fully vaccinated to run in the race, the Boston Athletic Association announced on Tuesday.

Runners will need to provide proof of vaccination prior to the race day. The proof of vaccination must include a vaccination series of a World Health Organization (WHO) certified vaccine before runners can pick up their bibs on April 15. 

“As we look to return to the traditional Patriots’ Day date for the first time since 2019 and allow for as many athletes to participate as safely as possible, we know that a fully vaccinated field is the appropriate requirement to implement,” said Tom Grilk, President & Chief Executive Officer of the B.A.A. “We had a 93% vaccination rate among our 125th Boston Marathon participants and want to do our part to continue to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as we continue our return to racing.”

Any registered athlete who does not provide their vaccination status will not be allowed to run in the race. Requests for medical exemptions made by athletes will be reviewed individually.

Entries for the marathon will not be deferred, refunded or transferred to a future marathon. Registration for the next Boston Marathon will open at 10 a.m. ET on Nov. 8 and close at 5 p.m. ET on Nov. 12. 

For the 2021 edition of the race, which was moved from April to October 11 due to the pandemic, the BAA required participants to show either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the race start time.