This is a link to all of the videos from our new team members. Congratulations to everyone who applied!!
http://www.dailymile.com/blog/team/introducing-your-2011-dailymile-team
And now of course on to the topic of week that everyone is talking about - BQ rule changes!!
http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/blog/2011/02/baa_announces_new_procedures_f.html
I don't know about the rest of you, but even as I sit here today, not even close to running at a pace that would get me to Boston for 2012, I am feeling even more excited and challenged to be accepted for registration in the years to come. I agree it was time to re-think the registration process after an 8-hour sellout registration period this year. It's not a U2 concert!!! ;-)My goal has to been to BQ by 2013. Prior to yesterday's announcement from the BAA, my BQ time would have been 3:50 as I turn 40 in 2013. According to the new rules, I will now have to finish in 3:45, and even with that time, my chances of getting in on Day 1 are slim as only the fastest applicants (qualifying time is at least 20 minutes faster than the minimum BQ time) will be allowed to register first. Two days later, those who qualified with times 10 minutes faster than the minimum will be allowed to register, and so forth. The specifics are below.
In the meantime, I am READY for this challenge. It means I get to run more, set new goals - I will get there, there's no doubt about it. The new rules just make acceptance even sweeter!
Are YOU ready for this change? How will the new rules affect your training and/or goals - or do they?
2012 rolling registration dates
- Day 1 (Sept. 12) - Qualifiers who have met their age and gender qualifying standard (3 hours, 10 minutes for men aged 18-34 and 3 hours, 40 minutes for women 18-34) by a margin of 20 minutes or faster may apply for the marathon.
- Day 3 (Sept. 14) - Qualifiers who have met the standard set for their age/gender by a margin of 10 minutes or faster may apply.
- Day 5 (Sept. 16) - Qualifiers who have met their age/gender qualifying time by a margin of 5 minutes or faster may apply.
- Day 8 (Sept. 19) - Open to all qualifiers to register.
- Day 12 (Sept. 23) - Registration closes for qualified applicants. Registered qualifiers will be notified of their acceptance by Sept. 28.
For 2013, there are new qualifying times
| Age Group | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 3:05:00 | 3:35:00 |
| 35-39 | 3:10:00 | 3:40:00 |
| 40-44 | 3:15:00 | 3:45:00 |
| 45-49 | 3:25:00 | 3:55:00 |
| 50-54 | 3:30:00 | 4:00:00 |
| 55-59 | 3:40:00 | 4:10:00 |
| 60-64 | 3:55:00 | 4:25:00 |
| 65-69 | 4:10:00 | 4:40:00 |
| 70-74 | 4:25:00 | 4:55:00 |
| 75-79 | 4:40:00 | 5:10:00 |
| 80+ | 4:55:00 | 5:25:00 |
2 comments:
It will be interesting to see what happens to those that qualify with less than 5 minutes to spare. Will those that do qualify but not get in year after year because Boston filled within 5 days (hypothetically) still consider themselves to be BQ's or will there be a psychological shift in what really is a BQ? I understand the need to lower the times, but I think the rolling registration is not well thought out (or maybe it's too well thought out!).
You make a really interesting point. I would hope the BAA collected and closely reviewed qualifying times over the last several years in determining the rolling registration schedule. I'd be curious to know what % of qualifiers who do register hit each of these benchmarks (BQ time minus 20 min, minus 10 min etc.). And if no one makes it in for the next few years because they aren't running at least 10 min faster than their age/gender BQ time, then your point about "what really is a BQ" becomes a whole new issue. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!! :-)
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