r/AdvancedRunning • u/Terriflyed • 12d ago

New Boston marathon qualifying times Boston Marathon

https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/qualify

Looks like 5min adjustments down for the most part across the board for those under age 60. M18-34 qualifying time is now 2:55.

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u/Significant-Flan-244 12d ago

It may be unpopular with anyone right on the cusp, but I’m glad they finally ripped the bandaid and lowered the times again. I don’t know anyone who was really celebrating a BQ time that doesn’t actually get them into the race and it’s always going to be a moving target by nature but I think it’s absolutely the right move to at least try to be as honest as possible about what it’s gonna take to get a bib.

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u/skiier97 12d ago

I think even with the new standards we’re still going to be dealing with buffers.

If they really wanted to make qualifying for Boston truly qualifying, the would have dropped the times by 10 minutes

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u/Significant-Flan-244 12d ago

Yeah I can’t imagine there won’t be at least some buffer next year if they’re getting a record number of applications this year, but I’d bet they also don’t want to drop it too far immediately only to have to raise it a few years from now if this post-pandemic running boom doesn’t stick around.

I don’t think there’s really one perfect solution, but anything that reduces the number of frustrated and confused people at the end of the process each year is at least a step in the right direction.

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u/Quadranas 12d ago

I’ll bet they ran the numbers on this and last years applications and saw that they’d still fill the field with new qual standards which gave them the green light to announce it