We're less than a month away from registration for the 2015 Boston Marathon, and news on the field size was released yesterday morning.
In addition, the ratio of qualifiers to charity runners will change as well. Whereas this year 70 percent of the field was made up of qualifiers, next year will be 80.
Registration opens September 8th, but due to the system implemented in 2011 which favors faster runners, I have to wait a full week until September 15th to get my turn. If the race hasn't sold out by then.
I am what you might call a "squeaker," a term coined by Runner's World's Tish Hamilton. A squeaker is someone who qualifies with less than 5 minutes to spare, is happy just to have made it, and always wonders if this will be his or her last Boston.
But due to the new registration process, not all squeakers make it to Boston anymore. This has already happened to me once. I'm sitting on a BQ-1:55, meaning I beat my age and gender's qualifying time by 1:55. Last year the cutoff was 1:38. The cutoff will fluctuate from year to year depending on field size and interest. Interest in Boston most likely peaked this year after the 2013 bombings, so most tell me that BQ-1:55 should be enough. Still, it might be close.
If you hear me shouting from New Jersey in September, you'll know that I made it.
I guessed the "Get in" time of BQ -1:34 last year. I had to use Excel to break this stuff down. During the week - 10 days between when you sign up and you get your notice, reading RW articles about how much of the field has been accepted is painful.
ReplyDeletep.s. Don't knock the Hokas. I like 'em. They cater to my "heelstrike-edness"!
Tom K.
Yep, it's going to be a nail-biter for me this year. I heel strike as well but usually don't have many issues no matter what I wear.
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