Hello all!
I've had a very varied summer of racing, with many highs and lows. The highs were most definitely coming First Lady in Mersea round the island half marathon, a local multi-terrain race, and coming 3rd overall in the female pairs category at Thunder run 24. The lows were my 2 triathlons. Gosfield lake Olympic, and the vitruvian half iron, which both reminded me exactly what it feels like to be chronically undertrained for a race.
anyway, the reason for this blog post isn't to talk about that, but to talk about the Boston Marathon.
Lots of people have been asking me when I'll know if I have a place. The short answe is not yet, the long answer is to explain the process.
There is a multi-stage entry system, and achieving a qualification time is not a guarantee of a place in the Boston marathon.
Today at 10am EST, entries opened for those who have run a time 20 minutes or more faster than their qualifying time.
On Wednesday, if space remains, entries open for those who have run a time 10 minutes or more faster than their qualifying time.
On Friday, you get to enter if you're 5 minute or more quicker. Registration then closes on Saturday night.
The following Monday, 21st September, all runners with a qualifying time can enter, and entry closes again on Wednesday [THIS IS MY WINDOW]
All these windows are about getting the fastest runners in each category, so it's not 'first come, first served', but fastest come, fastest served.
Add to this that BAA must verify your qualifying marathon time for every applicant, we are told that it could be 3 weeks from application to finding out if you have a place.
Having read the FAQs I'm fairly confident. My qualification standard was sub 3:35, and my marathon time is 3:30:47, so 4 minutes and 13 seconds leeway. In 2014, you needed 98 seconds leeway, in 2015, you needed 62 seconds leeway. 2014 would have been very popular to show #bostonstrong following the bombings in 2013.
Nonetheless, still, wish me luck :-). And, send me a reminder next Monday!!! ;-)
