The course is certified by USA Track and Field and has been ranked as one of the fastest qualifying courses for the Boston Marathon. On average, between 22% and 25% of all Steamtown finishers qualify for the Boston Marathon. In 2009, only five other marathons had a higher percentage of Boston qualifiers than Steamtown. Also in 2009, a Runners World survey ranked Steamtown as the 6th best overall marathon. However, in recent years the percentage of finishers who qualify has decreased to less than 10%; in 2018, 8.4% of the 1,251 runners had qualifying times.
