Boston Marathon Rolls Out New Registration Process

B.A.A. TO OFFER
FASTEST QUALIFIED RUNNERS EARLY ACCEPTANCE INTO 2012 BOSTON MARATHON WITH NEW
REGISTRATION PROCESS.

 

NEW QUALIFYING
TIMES IN EFFECT FOR 2013 BOSTON MARATHON.

 

BOSTON ‰ÛÓ The Boston
Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today a change in its registration
process for the Boston Marathon, allowing the fastest qualifiers to enter the
earliest and with a rolling admission system while also offering all eligible
runners an increased registration period. The changes in registration are a
response by the B.A.A. to greater than ever demand by runners to gain entry
into the Boston Marathon and culminate more than three months of analysis,
including input from the running industry. Rather than accepting runners who
have met the qualifying standards on a first come, first served approach, a
more systematic, performance- based process will be employed.

 

2012 Boston Marathon

For the 2012 Boston
Marathon, registration will extend for two weeks, beginning on Monday,
September 12 and continuing until Friday, September 23. The qualifying times
for the 2012 Boston Marathon will not change from recent past years since the
standards had been previously announced and have been in effect since last
September. However, the new registration process addresses the increased demand
among qualified runners to participate in the Boston Marathon and will
accommodate those who are the fastest qualifiers first.

 

Registration will
occur on a “rolling admission” schedule until the maximum field size is
reached, beginning with the fastest qualifiers. On the first day of
registration for the 2012 Boston Marathon, those who are eligible for entry by
having met the qualifying standards for their age and gender group by 20
minutes or more will be able to enter on the first day of registration
(September 12). On the third day (September 14), registration will open for
those who have met their qualifying standards by 10 minutes or more. On the
fifth day (September 16), registration will open for those who have met their
qualifying standards by five minutes or more. During this first week of
registration, applicants will be notified as they are accepted and their
qualifying performance verified.

 

If the field size is
not reached after the first week and additional space remains, then
registration will open to all qualifiers at the beginning of Week Two
(September 19) and those who have met the qualifying standards by any amount of
time will be able to apply for entry. The application process will remain open
for the entire week, closing on September 23. At the conclusion of Week Two,
those who are the fastest among the pool of applicants in their age and gender
will be accepted. Accepted athletes will be notified on September 28.

 

If space remains
available after this two week process, registration will remain open to any
qualifier on a first come, first served basis until the maximum field size is
reached.

The field size for
the 2012 Boston Marathon will not represent a significant increase from the
most recent past years.

 

Registration Process
for the 2012 Boston Marathon

 

First Week times by

Second Week times by

Day 1 (Sept. 12)

Day 3 (Sept. 14) Day
5 (Sept. 16)

Day 8 (Sept. 19)

Day 12 (Sept. 23)
September 28

 

Qualifiers who have
met their age/gender qualifying

20 minutes, 00
seconds or faster may apply 10 minutes, 00 seconds or faster 5 minutes, 00
seconds or faster

Qualifiers who have
met their age/gender qualifying

any amount of time,
including qualifiers who could have registered in Week One. Registration closes
for qualified applicants

 

Qualifiers from entry
during second week of registration are notified of their acceptance.

If the field is not
filled at the conclusion of the two weeks, then registration will remain open
and qualifiers will be accepted on a first come, first served basis until the
maximum field size is reached.

 

2013 Boston Marathon

For the 2013 Boston
Marathon, in addition to the new “rolling admission” process for registration
which will be in effect for the 2012 Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. will adjust
the qualifying times by lowering them by five minutes from the times which have
been in effect in recent past years. The adjusted qualifying times will go into
effect on September 24, 2011, and are as follows:

 

Age Group

18-34 35-39 40-44
45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80 and older

 

MEN

3:05:00 3:10:00
3:15:00 3:25:00 3:30:00 3:40:00 3:55:00 4:10:00 4:25:00 4:40:00 4:55:00

 

WOMEN

3:35:00 3:40:00
3:45:00 3:55:00 4:00:00 4:10:00 4:25:00 4:40:00 4:55:00 5:10:00 5:25:00

 

Registration for the
2013 Boston Marathon will begin on Monday, September 10, 2012.

“As the number of
qualified runners has increased combined with greater demand to run the Boston
Marathon, our new registration process enables those who qualify by the
greatest amount of time to have the longest period to enter,” said Tom Grilk,
B.A.A. Executive Director. “Our new registration process takes into
consideration the many comments we received from runners this past fall and
winter, most of whom urged the B.A.A. to institute a system which recognizes
athletic performance above all else.”

 

Additionally, to
recognize and to encourage longtime Boston Marathon entrants, the B.A.A. will
allow those who have met the qualifying times and who have finished the last
ten consecutive Boston Marathons to enter anytime during the registration
period. Currently, there are approximately 500 runners who have run 10 or more
consecutive Boston Marathons.

 

The B.A.A. last adjusted the qualifying times for the 2003
Boston Marathon, relaxing times for runners who were 55 years old and older.
The last time the qualifying times were made more stringent was for the 1980
Boston Marathon.

 

The 2011 Boston
Marathon reached its maximum field size of qualifiers faster than any previous
year when qualifiers rushed to fill the race and the qualified field closed in
eight hours, three minutes.

 

About the
B.A.A.

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic
Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of managing athletic
events and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running.
Each year the Association manages a comprehensive schedule of youth-running
events, distance running training programs, and large-scale races in the city
of Boston. Most noteworthy is the Boston Marathon, the world’s most prestigious
and oldest continually run marathon. Since the inaugural race in 1897, the
Boston Marathon has been the pinnacle for distance running worldwide, a
position which was reinforced in 1986 with the help of principal sponsor John
Hancock Financial. In 2006, the Boston Marathon joined the Bank of America
Chicago Marathon, the Berlin Marathon, the Virgin London Marathon, and the ING
New York City Marathon to form the World Marathon Majors.