Boston Marathon - new registration procedures

Speedy44

New registration procedures were announced today for qualification for the Boston Marathon starting in 2012.

From now on instead of first come first served (if you've qualified) the fastest qualifiers get to apply first.

20mins faster than qualifying time get first dibs, then 10mins a couple of days later, then 5mins 2 days after that.
Three days after that its open to all qualifiers.

Starting in 2013, qualifying times have been lowered across the board by 5mins.

If you don't believe me, you can read all about it here

http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/blog/2011/02/baa_announces_new_procedures_f.html

pgmcpq

Thanks for the info. The baa site seems unavailable but it is being reported in the Boston Globe among others so after all the rumors this is the real deal.
Happy enough with this - there were many worse proposals out there. Don't know how much this will do to fix the overall problem but at least it preserves Boston as a standard.

On a personal note I wonder if my current five minute cushion will enough to see me in or will it be filled by the time the 10 minute (or even 20 minute+) guys are in. All of a sudden I feel a bit of pressure on Barcelona !

RacoonQueen

Was just going to go check for that. Interesting that they've changed the qualification times aswell.

Brianderunner

That may well rule a lot of us on here out of future qualification attempts. Myself included

pgmcpq

RacoonQueen wrote: »

....Interesting that they've changed the qualification times aswell.

Only from 2013 onwards, I think. Current times remain for 2012 ... The change in qualifying times was expected. People (including me) were holding their breath to see if it was 5 or 10 minutes tightening.

plodder

Crap. It looks like even in 2012, if you're not 5 minutes better than the current qualifying time, it's very unlikely you'll get in. Maybe even 10 minutes better won't be good enough.

Daithi BC

Interesting!

On the plus side, in 2013, I'll be in the 35-40 age group, so I'll still be at the 3:10 standard (even if I have to break it by 10 minutes to have any chance of getting a place).

Looks like I may have run Boston for my one and only time!

Krusty_Clown

I like it. Gives you something aggressive to aim for. I'm not saying the old times were soft, just that there's a vested interest now in pushing for a faster time, rather than just meeting the qualifying standard (Plus I have a 22 minute gap at the moment, and 27 minutes by the end of the year. ).

Condo131

Brianderunner wrote: »

That may well rule a lot of us on here out of future qualification attempts. Myself included

Not planning (at this stage) at doing it....however I make it in with nearly 20 mins to spare! The joys of M55!

TFBubendorfer

I like the new guidelines. Easy to say for me, of course, having already run it and no real plans for a repeat any time soon.

Anyone struggling to qualify, it still gets easier as you get older.

shels4ever

Looks like i'll need a 5 year plan now

sarsfieldsrock

Jesus but those are tough qualifying times.
I think that if I ever get to run this race it will be via a tour company entry unless I can get the 3:25 time by the time I hit 45.
I can't seem myself breaking 3:15 in the next 3 years.

rainbow kirby

shels4ever wrote: »

Looks like i'll need a 5 year plan now

Me too, 3:35 is a hell of a long way off.

TFBubendorfer

Guys and Girls, stop moaning. It's meant to be hard. That's the appeal.

shels4ever

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Guys and Girls, stop moaning. It's meant to be hard. That's the appeal.

yep its one of the marathon I want to run, mainly because I cant at the moment. If it was open to everyone I dont think i'd want to . Always though I was capable of that time if i got the propper training done.

TFBubendorfer

shels4ever wrote: »

yep its one of the marathon I want to run, mainly because I cant at the moment. If it was open to everyone I dont think i'd want to . Always though I was capable of that time if i got the propper training done.

5 years ago, after breaking 3:30 for the first time, I remember thinking "I'd need to keep that pace going until I'm 55 to qualify for Boston", and it looked as remote as a trip to the moon back then.

It only took one single year to get my times down and qualify! It sure wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and I'm of the opinion that almost anyone would be able to qualify if they trained hard enough.

Plus, it gets easier as you get older.

Daithi BC

shels4ever wrote: »

If it was open to everyone I dont think i'd want to .

+1. It's why I wanted to do it, and if you can make it in, then it's a great achievement.

Peckham

I was very relieved when they announced the new structure yesterday, as I had feared my qualifying time set in Berlin last year would become ineligible due to a change in the qualifying window. Fortunately not, and the new structure suits me very well as my time is over 10 minutes faster than the qualifying time, which should pretty much guarantee me a place if I apply on time.

System seems fair overall.

TFBubendorfer

Peckham wrote: »

System seems fair overall.

:D:D:D:D
So speaks the man who just realised he has qualified.

Krusty_Clown

Peckham wrote: »

. Fortunately not, and the new structure suits me very well as my time is over 10 minutes faster than the qualifying time, which should pretty much guarantee me a place if I apply on time.

System seems fair overall.

How long does the qualifying window last though? I presume I'll need to re-qualify this year for 2012 application?

Speedy44

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Guys and Girls, stop moaning. It's meant to be hard. That's the appeal.

just realised that as bad as I ran in DCM last year, I'll still make it in cause I'm old

Only just though and there is the risk of it selling out before they get down to the folks who just squeezed in, I hope to rectify that by getting my 20 bonus minutes in Rotterdam

pgmcpq

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

How long does the qualifying window last though? I presume I'll need to re-qualify this year for 2012 application?

Window remains the same - but the registration opens earlier ( Sept ). So it is effectively a Sept-Sept window for the race the following April. There is some grumbling that many autumn marathons will not be useful for the following spring. So e.g DCM 2010 times would be useful for registration in Sept 2011 for the race in April 2012.

TheRoadRunner

****e registration closes before berlin marathon this year and last yrs marathon won't count for me. Looks like I might have to pace the Limerick marathon instead of half to get in. I'll look later but do they give a list of accepted courses. Hopefully they'll accept Limerick.

Peckham

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

How long does the qualifying window last though? I presume I'll need to re-qualify this year for 2012 application?

Your 2010 Berlin time will be accepted for Boston 2012.

According to the Boston Marathon website:

For the 2012 Boston Marathon, qualifying times must be run on or after September 25, 2010.

(Berlin was September 26th!)

RAL3

I'm be running it this year. Only 8 weeks to go and really looking forward to it.

Still trying to figure out the optimum pacing strategy taking into account the first 16 miles are downhill before the fun really starts with the 4 hills from Newton onwards.

Determined to enjoy it even when it hurts...........

TheRoadRunner

RAL3 wrote: »

I'm be running it this year. Only 8 weeks to go and really looking forward to it.

Still trying to figure out the optimum pacing strategy taking into account the first 16 miles are downhill before the fun really starts with the 4 hills from Newton onwards.

Determined to enjoy it even when it hurts...........

The hills in Boston aren't that bad at all. If you can be disciplined for the first 10 miles you'll be fine. First 5-6 are very fast.

donothoponpop

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Hopefully they'll accept Limerick.

The Limerick organizers told me last year it would be AIMS accredited- it wasn't. Given how lackadaisical they were about calling their 9.6k a 10k, I really doubt their marathon will be a BQ event this year...

TFBubendorfer

RAL3 wrote: »

Still trying to figure out the optimum pacing strategy taking into account the first 16 miles are downhill before the fun really starts with the 4 hills from Newton onwards.

Run the first half slower than you think you should. And don't start speeding up at the scream tunnel to impress the girls there.

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

The hills in Boston aren't that bad at all. If you can be disciplined for the first 10 miles you'll be fine. First 5-6 are very fast.

That "if" is the big problem for many, many runners, though.

RAL3 wrote: »

even when it hurts...........

Don't worry, it will. :cool:

The crowds there are just unreal. Every runner there gets the full rock start treatment from between 500000 and 1 million supporters on the road side. I found the course itself rather brutal, though. The hills by themselves would not be so bad if you had not shredded your quads by running the first 15 miles too hard ...

RAL3

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Run the first half slower than you think you should. And don't start speeding up at the scream tunnel to impress the girls there.




That "if" is the big problem for many, many runners, though.



Don't worry, it will. :cool:

The crowds there are just unreal. Every runner there gets the full rock start treatment from between 500000 and 1 million supporters on the road side. I found the course itself rather brutal, though. The hills by themselves would not be so bad if you had not shredded your quads by running the first 15 miles too hard ...

Thanks TFB, appreciate the advice.

I have read your race report a few times over the past few months - great time considering how you were feeling during the race and the rush of blood at Wellesley(how could you prevent that!).

Picked up some very useful info there.

Thanks again

RAL3

dermCu

RAL3 wrote: »

I'm be running it this year. Only 8 weeks to go and really looking forward to it.

Still trying to figure out the optimum pacing strategy taking into account the first 16 miles are downhill before the fun really starts with the 4 hills from Newton onwards.

Determined to enjoy it even when it hurts...........

I'll tell you what not to do:
Dont set new pbs at 10miles and 1/2 way. Believe me; that hurts anywhere but particularly in Boston.

As said above, hills are not that bad.

Daithi BC

When I ran it, I was surprised by the undulating first half of the course. It is a net downhill, but there are plenty of small uphill drags as well just to help the leg-shredding.

Enjoy the scream tunnel. It's by far the best part of the course!

TheRoadRunner

I thought the course was comparable to Dublin and much easier than my qualifying race in Belfast. The first half is fast though as the lads say. I managed to hold back for the first half. As for the rockstar treatment it's very true. Great crowds and they really make it an experience

Killerz

Alright - not long to go now til this one.

Couple of questions for those that have done it before/ those in the know:

1. I qualified in 3:06 odd, which would probably put me in one of the faster corrals. However, myself and a friend of mine (who also was in the 3:10:59 or under category - in fact he got exactly that!) are planning on running Boston at a 4 hour pace. Why? Just want to enjoy the experience and have a bit of craic. Anyhow, based on where I believe they split the first and second waves last year (around the 3:30 qualifiers point), we would be lagging well behind the field. Or would we? Reckon there be many others in that corral running at that pace. Or, do you know if you can drop a corral?

2. Good spot for a few coldies after? Any boards plans?

Killerz

TFBubendorfer

Killerz wrote: »

Alright - not long to go now til this one.

Couple of questions for those that have done it before/ those in the know:

1. I qualified in 3:06 odd, which would probably put me in one of the faster corrals. However, myself and a friend of mine (who also was in the 3:10:59 or under category - in fact he got exactly that!) are planning on running Boston at a 4 hour pace. Why? Just want to enjoy the experience and have a bit of craic. Anyhow, based on where I believe they split the first and second waves last year (around the 3:30 qualifiers point), we would be lagging well behind the field. Or would we? Reckon there be many others in that corral running at that pace. Or, do you know if you can drop a corral?

2. Good spot for a few coldies after? Any boards plans?

Killerz

The idea of qualifying for Boston and then not racing it at your best effort :eek: is alien to me , but anyway.

In 2009 a 3:05 got me into corral 3, so I guess you'd probably be there or maybe in corral 4.

HOWEVER, you are allowed to move backwards, just not forwards. In other words, if your bib says corral 3 you can start anywhere from corral 3 to 25. You can even move back to wave 2 if you want (which for 4 hours you probably would).

Rather than start in corral 3 and form an obstacle to 10000 runners behind you, I suggest you start from wherever you think would be appropriate for that pace.

Speedy44

Killerz wrote: »

Alright - not long to go now til this one.

Couple of questions for those that have done it before/ those in the know:

1. I qualified in 3:06 odd, which would probably put me in one of the faster corrals. However, myself and a friend of mine (who also was in the 3:10:59 or under category - in fact he got exactly that!) are planning on running Boston at a 4 hour pace. Why? Just want to enjoy the experience and have a bit of craic. Anyhow, based on where I believe they split the first and second waves last year (around the 3:30 qualifiers point), we would be lagging well behind the field. Or would we? Reckon there be many others in that corral running at that pace. Or, do you know if you can drop a corral?

2. Good spot for a few coldies after? Any boards plans?

Killerz

1. First of all, very jealous of you running it, I plan on been there next year :rolleyes:

2. No idea about the corals because its been too long since I last ran it ('97)

3. The Elliot Lounge has ..................oops, I was about to point you in the direction of a bar thats been closed for 15yrs now! It was synominis with the Boston Marathon http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1108513/index.htm

Crossroads on Beacon Street now seems the place to go,but expect long lines. Its only about 5-10 mins from the finish.
If you can't get in there (and if you plan on taking 4hrs to finish you probably won't !!), there are loads more bars in the neighbourhood.

4. Enjoy, its a great marathon to run if your not suffering, which you won't be. You will feel like a movie start running past Wellsley College (13mls).

Killerz

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

The idea of qualifying for Boston and then not racing it at your best effort :eek: is alien to me , but anyway.

In 2009 a 3:05 got me into corral 3, so I guess you'd probably be there or maybe in corral 4.

HOWEVER, you are allowed to move backwards, just not forwards. In other words, if your bib says corral 3 you can start anywhere from corral 3 to 25. You can even move back to wave 2 if you want (which for 4 hours you probably would).

Rather than start in corral 3 and form an obstacle to 10000 runners behind you, I suggest you start from wherever you think would be appropriate for that pace.

Hi TFB - appreciate that it may sound a little odd, but there are a couple of reasons that I'm not racing Boston at my best. Firstly, Boston (for me, and a friend of mine) is the victory lap after the slog of qualifying. I want to really take all the sights and sounds in rather than being up against it for 3-4 hours. Given there's a lot of waiting around at the start aswell, I dont know whether i'd get my best time. Secondly, its part of a bigger picture for this year for me, which brings me towards 100 miler in May (if I go ahead with it).

Thanks for the advice though. Good to know we can move backwards, and obviously, we wouldnt want to be in the way of other runners - something which has infuriated me in the past.

Speedy44 wrote: »

1. First of all, very jealous of you running it, I plan on been there next year :rolleyes:

2. No idea about the corals because its been too long since I last ran it ('97)

3. The Elliot Lounge has ..................oops, I was about to point you in the direction of a bar thats been closed for 15yrs now! It was synominis with the Boston Marathon http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1108513/index.htm

Crossroads on Beacon Street now seems the place to go,but expect long lines. Its only about 5-10 mins from the finish.
If you can't get in there (and if you plan on taking 4hrs to finish you probably won't !!), there are loads more bars in the neighbourhood.

4. Enjoy, its a great marathon to run if your not suffering, which you won't be. You will feel like a movie start running past Wellsley College (13mls).

s44 - yes, I cannot wait for the screaming tunnel! Also good to know there's a few bars around to take my well-earned dime after the race. May even hit the post-race party. So many decisions!

Killerz

Bumping this one up.... Any Boardsies thinking of having a cold one or 4 or 5 after the race, PM me and we'll work something out!

RAL3

Killerz wrote: »

Bumping this one up.... Any Boardsies thinking of having a cold one or 4 or 5 after the race, PM me and we'll work something out!

PM sent

Krusty_Clown

Just a reminder to all: Boston Marathon opens for registration on Monday September 12th (this Monday) at 10am ET (3pm Irish).

12th: Registration is open on Monday for those with a qualifying time 20 minutes faster than the qualifying standard.
14th: Registration is open on Wednesday for those with a qualifying time 10 minutes faster than the qualifying standard.
16th: Registration is open on Friday for those with a qualifying time 5 minutes faster than the qualifying standard.
19th: Registration is open on the subsequent Monday for all that meet the qualifying standard.

AGE GROUP MEN WOMEN
18-34 3hrs 10min 3hrs 40min
35-39 3hrs 15min 3hrs 45min
40-44 3hrs 20min 3hrs 50min
45-49 3hrs 30min 4hrs 00min
50-54 3hrs 35min 4hrs 05min
55-59 3hrs 45min 4hrs 15min
60-64 4hrs 00min 4hrs 30min
65-69 4hrs 15min 4hrs 45min
70-74 4hrs 30min 5hrs 00min
75-79 4hrs 45min 5hrs 15min
80 and over 5hrs 00min 5hrs 30min

Wizard to calculate your earliest registration date is available here.

tunguska

Thats still very reasonable. 3:10 for 18-34 isn't exactly a big ask.

TFBubendorfer

tunguska wrote: »

Thats still very reasonable. 3:10 for 18-34 isn't exactly a big ask.

Maybe not, but it might already have sold out by the time it opens for them.

Krusty_Clown

I was pissed off when I realized they were treating me as a 40 year old. I was quite happy about the fact that I have a time 20 minutes faster than qualifying. But now it's 32 minutes, which just makes the qualifying times look soft.

tunguska

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Maybe not, but it might already have sold out by the time it opens for them.

I could be worng but I thought I read something about them taking the faster times first in each category. So if I were to run 2:32 in another marathon would I then qualify ahead of a guy that ran 3:09?

Krusty_Clown

tunguska wrote: »

I could be worng but I thought I read something about them taking the faster times first in each category. So if I were to run 2:32 in another marathon would I then qualify ahead of a guy that ran 3:09?

See:

Krusty_clown wrote: »

12th: Registration is open on Monday for those with a qualifying time 20 minutes faster than the qualifying standard.
14th: Registration is open on Wednesday for those with a qualifying time 10 minutes faster than the qualifying standard.
16th: Registration is open on Friday for those with a qualifying time 5 minutes faster than the qualifying standard.
19th: Registration is open on the subsequent Monday for all that meet the qualifying standard.

Peckham

So, who from these parts is registering?

I'm intending on making the trip. Will be registering with my 2:58 from Berlin 2010, which puts me in the second wave of registration.

Speculation on the Runners World forum is that you will need a time about 3 minutes faster than the qualifying standard to get in, but of course that's pure speculation.

Krusty_Clown

Peckham wrote: »

So, who from these parts is registering?

I'm intending on making the trip. Will be registering with my 2:58 from Berlin 2010, which puts me in the second wave of registration.

Speculation on the Runners World forum is that you will need a time about 3 minutes faster than the qualifying standard to get in, but of course that's pure speculation.

Why three minutes? Is it not a first come first served, as long as you are within the permissible time band?

Peckham

According to BAA

Those who are the fastest among the pool of applicants in their age and gender will be accepted. Accepted athletes will be notified by September 28.

Krusty_Clown

Peckham wrote: »

According to BAA

Oh, so successful registration is not even a guarantee? Hmmm... Those M40s can be mighty aggressive..
I probably had better chances in the M35 group.

TFBubendorfer

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Oh, so successful registration is not even a guarantee? Hmmm... Those M40s can be mighty aggressive..
I probably had better chances in the M35 group.

I'd say your time will suffice ...

Krusty_Clown

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

I'd say your time will suffice ...

That's probably as close as you come to a compliment.

pconn062

I'm just curious about everyones opinion on the womens qualifying times. I'm a male and I have not yet run the qualifying time for my age group yet (I'm 23 so that would be 3'10, hopefully will try and nail that next year). But the womens time for the same age group is 3:40 which to me seems a bit soft. Now this is NOT an attack on women saying they have it easier than men, what I mean is does this seem a little bit soft for serious female runners. I mean I know a few women who are older than this (in their mid 40's) who have run sub 3:40 with just standard marathon training. I mean Boston qualifying is one of the mile stones of a hobby runners career, and I'm just wondering do the women find it challenging enough to get this time?? Is there really a half an hour difference between male runners and female runners in this age group or would women prefer a tougher challenge?? (I'm aware its getting lowered by 5 mins in 2013 to 3:35)