Qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2013 just got a little bit harder than previous years. In addition to dropping the qualifying standards by 5 minutes and eliminating the 59 second grace time, the registration window has shortened, and some 400 additional runners from 2012 will be granted deferrals due to the adverse weather conditions.
The BAA announced that the registration process will remain the same as it did in 2012, which excludes races run in the Fall of 2012. In an effort to avoid a repeat of the registration fiasco in 2010, where the race sold out in less than 24 hours, the Boston Marathon will continue to implement a rolling registration process based on how much faster you were than your qualifying time.
What does this mean for your Boston Marathon Qualifying chances in 2013
This news doesn’t change the fact that you have to work hard and put in the training to run the time you need. The worst thing you can do as an athlete is focus on situations and events that are out of your control. You can’t change the qualifying standards or the qualifying window, so direct your attention to being the best runner you can be. Don’t let this change in qualifying standards get you down; rather, use them as motivation.
2013 Boston Marathon registration dates
- Day 1 (Sept 10th) – At 10am EST, qualifiers who have run under their age and gender qualifying standard by a margin of 20 minutes or faster may apply for the marathon.
- Day 3 (Sept. 12th) – Qualifiers who have met the standard set for their age/gender by a margin of 10 minutes or faster may apply.
- Day 5 (Sept. 14th) – Qualifiers who have met their age/gender qualifying time by a margin of 5 minutes or faster may apply.
Registration will close from Saturday, September 15 at 10:00 p.m., ET and, (if space remains) will re-open on Monday, September 17 at 10:00 a.m. ET to all qualifiers until Friday, September 21 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
- Day 8 (Sept. 17th) – Open to all qualifiers to register. Those who are the fastest among the pool of applicants in their age and gender will be accepted
- Day 12 (Sept. 21st) – Registration closes for qualified applicants at 5pm EST. Registered qualifiers will be notified of their acceptance by October 1st.
2013 Boston Marathon Qualifying times
In 2013 standards, the qualifying times have been increased by 5:59 for all age groups and genders.
| 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 |
Most popular Boston Marathon Qualifying races
Following is a list of marathons most frequently used to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Remember, the registration for 2013 closes in September, so you’ll need to run you race before September 10th, 2012 to qualify for 2013. This is not an all-inclusive list. All qualifying marathons must be certified.
| Baystate Marathon Lowell, MA October, 16 2011 |
New York City Marathon New York, NY November 4, 2012 |
| Berlin Marathon Berlin, Germany September 30, 2012 |
Ottawa Marathon Ottawa, ON, Canada May 27, 2012 |
| Boston Marathon Boston, MA April 16, 2012 |
Philadelphia Marathon Philadelphia, PA November 18, 2012 |
| California International Marathon Folsom, CA December 4, 2011 |
Portland Marathon Portland, OR October 7, 2012 |
| Chicago Marathon Chicago, IL October 7, 2012 |
Richmond Marathon Richmond, VA November 10, 2012 |
| Columbus Marathon Columbus, OH October 21, 2012 |
Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon Phoenix, AZ January 15, 2012 |
| Dallas White Rock Marathon Dallas, TX December 4, 2011 |
Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon Las Vegas, NV December 4, 2011 |
| Detroit Marathon Detroit, MI October 21, 2012 |
San Luis Obispo Marathon San Luis Obispo, CA April 22, 2012 |
| Eugene Marathon Eugene, OR April 29, 2012 |
Santa Rosa Marathon Santa Rosa, CA August 26, 2012 |
| GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon Victoria, BC, Canada October 7, 2012 |
St. George Marathon St. George, UT October 6, 2012 |
| Grand Rapids Marathon Grand Rapids, MI October 21, 2012 |
Steamtown Marathon Scranton, PA October 7, 2012 |
| Hartford Marathon Hartford, CT October 13, 2012 |
Toronto Marathon Toronto, ON, Canada May 6, 2012 |
| Houston Marathon Houston, TX January 15, 2012 |
Toronto Waterfront Marathon Toronto, ON, Canada October 14, 2012 |
| Lakefront Marathon Milwaukee, WI October 7, 2012 |
Twin Cities Marathon Minneapolis, MN October 7, 2012 |
| London Marathon London, England April 22, 2012 |
Walt Disney World Marathon Lake Buena Vista, FL January 8, 2012 |
| Marine Corps Marathon Quantico, VA October 28, 2012 |
Wineglass Marathon Corning, NY September 30, 2012 |
| Mohawk Hudson River Marathon Schenectady, NY October 7, 2012 |
|
| Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon Napa, CA March 4, 2012 |
Boston Marathon officials explain the changes to the qualifying process in 2013
You can watch a video of Boston Marathon Director Guy Morse explain the rational behind the change here:
Questions about Qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2013?
Do you have questions about how to qualify for Boston in 2013? We aren’t the BAA, but we’ll do our best to help. We also have a specialized coach on staff who works specifically with runners attempting to qualify for Boston. If you need a training plan or coach to qualify for Boston, we can help.
19 Responses
Curious if anyone has any information or a sense how far this got into the process / registration dates before the 2012 race filled? In other words, was the race full before sub-10:00 runners applied? Sub-5:00 runners? Given how quickly the 2011 race filled, I am just assuming that not all qualifiers were able to register.
Good question, Norman. To my knowledge, the BAA did not post exactly when registration closed in 2012. However, from what I can gather, everyone who ran 5 minutes under their qualifying time or faster got in. The registration closed to those in that 0-5 minute gap.
I think actually, the cut off was about 1.5 minutes or less.
Thanks for clarifying, Louise. I had looked around, but couldn’t find any definitive information. This is really helpful for everyone.
It was 1:14 and less that didn’t get in.
So I just signed up this morning…..does anyone know how long it may take before I get the official ‘in’?? I qualified by about 19 minutes….just wanna be sure, though
Congrats on getting in! Not sure when they send of the official email, probably when this registration window closes.
What is the average number of marathons typically run by women prior to qualifying for Boston? One of my trainers has only run 2 marathons and qualified in 28-34 woman category and was accepted to Boston for 2013. How rare is this?
Unfortunately, there isn’t an exact answer to that question. Every individual is different. If someone is very talented and their potential is far greater than the time needed, it may only take one try. For example, my first marathon was 2:22 (40 mins under the time needed) but I am very talented runner. Other runners require years of training and multiple tries.
How much time in between marathons do you have to wait. I’m running CIM in dec 2012. Do I need another 16 weeks of training to run another? And yes, I’d like run a Boston qualifier after CIM 2012. Thanks.
Good question, Karen. While you don’t have to wait 16 weeks to run another race, you definitely want to give yourself enough time to fully recover and have time to train again. Running another marathon at the same fitness level (i.e. not having a solid block of training before) will only lead to similar results. Here are some articles that might help:
Planning the Optimal 1 or 2 Year Training Cycle
How to recover after a marathon
Good luck!
Hello!
I’m 39, turning 40 in late June. Just curious (about Boston 2014) – will a marathon I run while 39 in May 2013 have the 30-39 standard or 40-49 standard applied? Might be a dumb question. Just curious.
Hi Scott, not a dumb question. The qualifying times are based upon each athlete’s age on the date of the Boston Marathon in which they are participating. If you turn 40 before April of 2014, you can use the 40-49 standard.
Thank you!
Does the qualifying marathon have to be one from the list above. What does it mean that the qualifying marathon has to be certified. Could I, say, set a qualifying time at the edinbourfh marathon.
No, that is not an exhaustive list of races. Rather, it is a list of marathons most frequently used to qualify for the Boston Marathon. According to the Boston Marathon website, The race director or race management can tell you if a course is certified. For a complete list of certified courses in the U.S.A. check USA Track & Field. In Canada check Athletics Canada. Internationally, an extensive calendar of races is listed at the Association of International Marathon and Road Races website, with indication of courses that are not certified.
I ran my first marathon in detriot, i am 55yrs old and my time for qualifing was 4.10.00
but my time was 4.10.15 so i want to know if i qualify for boston marathon. Please apply soon and if i have qualifed could you please let me know how to regestor or the marathon thank-you kal
Hi Kal,
Unfortunately, it looks like you missed it. Boston no longer has the 60 second cushion so your time will not qualify you. If you can get under the 4:10 barrier by September 2013 you can apply for the 2014 race.
thats not right 15sec is nothing but rules are rules theres nothing we can do about them
thanks anyway but i am going for it next year i am not giving it up
kal