Millennium Meadows Marathon

LATEST UPDATE FROM BAA FOR 2026 REGISTRATION AND 2027 QUALIFICATION WINDOW:

2026 BOSTON MARATHON REGISTRATION WEEK

Registration for the 2026 Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will occur over five days, September 8 through 12, 2025. Similar to recent years, anyone who has achieved a currently valid Boston Marathon qualifying time for their respective age and gender can apply during this time within the B.A.A.’s online platform Athletes’ Village. Registration is not on a first-come, first-served basis, and applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, September 12.

2027 BOSTON MARATHON QUALIFYING WINDOW

The B.A.A. has also announced that the 2027 Boston Marathon qualifying window will open on Saturday, September 13, 2025 – one day after Registration Week for the 2026 event closes. The qualifying window will remain open through 2027 Boston Marathon Registration Week in September 2026, with exact dates to be announced later.

WE'LL UPDATE THIS SECTION MORE AS THE BAA SETS THEIR DATES FOR FUTURE QUALIFICATION

For the 130th Boston Marathon, which is scheduled to take place on April 20, 2026, the qualifying period began on September 1, 2024. Registration details for that race will be announced following the 2025 Boston Marathon. Boston has changed their qualifying times for 2026.

You should only sign up for this race if you are going to be ready to qualify for Boston. To sign up before July 15 you'll need to run a "qualifying race" to sign up. Please check the table below.

Please note: Because of the nature of this course, we do not allow wheel chairs (Handcycle or push rim) in this race.

Last Chance BQ.2-Grand Rapids has become one of the premier and most nationally known, BQ events. The timing is perfect and we provide a venue that has proven to be one of the highest percentage qualifiers in the country, hovering around 60%.

This is a race we designed specifically to give you a shot at getting to Boston in 2026. Limited to 330 runners.

See our Qualifying times chart for qualifying times. THERE IS A 4:30 TIME LIMIT. (If you're chronogically gifted and your BQ time is longer than 4:30, we'll allow for that!)

This event is brought to you by the same team that puts on the University of Michigan Health-West Grand Rapids Marathon. As runners, we know how important Boston is to you, and we know what it takes to get there. We’ve been there ourselves, and we’ve helped THOUSANDS of runners get there in our 20 years with the UM Health-West Grand Rapids Marathon. In 2024 we’re here to help you get there with a race focused completely on getting you to Boston 2025.

Course: Last Chance BQ.2 - Grand Rapids occurs at Secchia Meadows in Millennium Park, one of the many Kent County Parks and what we think is the most scenic and beautiful. You will run on a wide and paved path that crosses a footbridge, winds along the Grand River, and cuts through meadows. Most of the course is heavily shaded.

Race Weekend: Packet pickup is at Fulton Street Pub & Grill from 4-7 Saturday. 801 West Fulton Street. Sunday at the race site starting at 6am.

The race site is at 1400 Maynard SW. Starting time is at 7am Sunday morning.

Bring your shoes. Recommended. But optional.

There are qualifying standards to get into this race. The reason we have qualifying standards is because WE WANT EVERYONE IN THIS RACE PREPARED TO QUALIFY FOR BOSTON! The table is below. AFTER June 15, WE'LL WAIVE THE QUALIFYING TIMES FOR THIS RACE. WE STILL EXPECT YOU TO BE TRAINED TO RUN A BOSTON QUALIFIER IF YOU'RE GOING TO ENTER. More on Boston Qualifying standards and info on their registration dates, CLICK

Contact us with question: [email protected], 616 293 3145

Our sister BQ.2 race is being held in Geneva, Illinois. It's under different management and on a different registration platform. Don't get confused. They also do a Spring Chance BQ.2 in the spring.

A Race Series Designed by Runners, for Runners

In 2021 we created the McKirdy Micro Marathon series to help athletes run a personal best and qualify for the Boston Marathon or beyond. At the time, we were just coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic where opportunities to run fast times were limited and motivation to continue training was difficult with no races on the calendar.

In 2023, we took the same concept and applied it at an elite level, hosting a race for athletes targeting the USATF Olympic Trials Qualifying Standard (OTQ) or the Olympic Standard. Many “on the cusp” athletes find they have limited options for races that are both fast and will provide the support they need to run their best.

Athletes from all over the world came to participate in a small localized race with the potential for massive impact. When the day was done:

48 athletes ran under the 2:18:00/2:37:00 OTQ Standard

More OTQs came from our race than any other race in 2023

Our race produced 2 Olympians

69% of the finishing athletes ran a personal best

85% of the finishing athletes ran their second fastest lifetime marathon

Moving forward, we are expanding the series to bring the McKirdy Micro race experience to athletes of all abilities over multiple distances! We hope you’ll come run your fastest marathon with us.

Run the Grand Rapids Hot Cider Hustle Half Marathon, 10K & 5K on Nov. 1st. All participants get an event shirt, hot cider, caramel apple and finishers mug.

Use #HotCiderHustle to share your photos!

Event times, dates, location and all other details are subject to change prior to event. All official information is on the event's website MichiganRuns.com.