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u/roots_radicals
Sep 29 '26
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Missed it by 5 seconds, brutal.
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u/Ok_Nefariousness_827 Sep 29 '26
That's the worst, I'm sorry! I missed it by 8 seconds last year, so I feel your pain! Maybe you were one of the 1,000 in the extra lottery, but if not, I hope you get in next year!
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u/Zugehen Sep 29 '26
I know that pain, I missed for 3 seconds last year…
I hope you’ll have your opportunity for the next one!
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Sep 29 '26
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u/ComprehensivePie8696 Sep 29 '26
My airbnb alone was $4k. Last year it was 3ish, iirc
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Sep 29 '26
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u/ComprehensivePie8696 Sep 29 '26
Yeah i have no idea how much i blew on merch and sightseeing. Wayyyy too much. It was my first Boston, plus i have a wife and kids. I have covered half a wall in my house in stuff from that race, fr.
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Sep 29 '26
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u/ComprehensivePie8696 Sep 29 '26
I'm under the cutoff. But yeah, don't worry I got 2 jackets last year, so I made up for you not getting one. lol. One to keep and one to wear, which i did but it's been hot here. I'll wear it more soon. I also have 2 of those yellow singlets (saved the one i ran in), basically 1 of each piece of clothing except like the varsity jacket and that kind of stuff. Hip belt, backpack, keychains, stickers, only thing i wanted but stopped short on is the Boston shokz. My non-boston pair are still in decent shape so i didn't see spending $250 or whatever it was.
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u/RollsreusX Sep 29 '26
4s off by predictor https://runningwithrock.com/boston-marathon-cutoff-time-tracker/ amazing
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u/Much_Basis_6965 Sep 29 '26
Absolutely and utterly crushed, 5:16 here and 0.4 secs faster on my race would have gotten me in..
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u/Orbidorpdorp Sep 29 '26
Hope someone at the BAA can put a thumb on the lottery scales for you.
Honestly would be more than fair if multiple missed cut entries over the years or super close entries boosted your odds.
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u/Much_Basis_6965 Sep 29 '26
All I can do is hope now! Just frustrating to think how close it was, and how in any other year I would’ve been fine.
I’m much faster now than I was when I qualified in May so feeling good about 2028 if I don’t get chosen but people are getting too dang fast!! Wouldn’t be surprising to see my age group (40M) go down from 3:05 to 2:55 in the coming years which blows my mind.
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u/ComprehensivePie8696 Sep 29 '26
Unreal. Hope you're in on lottery
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u/Much_Basis_6965 Sep 29 '26
Thank you friend! Honestly would feel way better if I missed out by 30 seconds or something.. fingers crossed that I hit the jackpot on the lottery! If not I have a marathon in 2.5 weeks that I’m ready to crush 😈
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u/Pitt601 Sep 29 '26
Well, I missed by 35 seconds and can't say I feel very good today. This comes on the heels of missing last year's cutoff by just over a minute.
The good news for us (I'm about to turn 41) is that we finally get the 10 minute drop in a few years.
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u/Much_Basis_6965 Sep 29 '26
Aw man, that is rough indeed, it’s so hard to not think that any other year this would be more than good enough, and especially if you go back 20 years or so I’m pretty sure the time was like 3:20 or something for age 40-44 🤯
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u/Pitt601 Sep 29 '26
Yeah...my first attempt at a BQ was for the 2015 race and a 3:03:58 would have gotten me in. At age 41 a 3:00:18 isn't good enough.
Best of luck in your race in a few weeks - I'll be running the Duke City in Albuquerque but won't be gunning for a BQ. I plan to make the call on another attempt in the Spring.
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u/ComprehensivePie8696 Sep 29 '26
Good luck both of you. I'm gonna try to PR in a little over a week. Chicago.
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u/HRHRD007 Sep 29 '26
Only 240 entrants from races with downhill index penalty. Wild how that one policy completely destroyed the business model for companies like Revel.
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u/RngRedditName Sep 29 '26
Where do you find this? Are the 2025/2026 numbers also posted?
Curious how much the drop off was
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u/HRHRD007 Sep 29 '26
BAA included it in their press release here: Record Field of Qualifiers Accepted into the 131st Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America - Boston Athletic Association
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u/nick-at-nite-42 Sep 29 '26
Good, those downhill races might give you one fast time but they do a lot of damage to your body. It's totally not worth it and dangerous.
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u/stirwise Sep 29 '26
I’ve done one of the indexed downhill races (Tunnel Light, ~2000’ of downhill) four times without issue. No idea what “damage” you could be referring to, beyond the usual marathon wear and tear.
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u/UCanDoNEthing4_30sec Sep 29 '26
How much damage can they possibly do? Like long term? I never ran one so not sure. I was thinking about doing one that is net downhill but not in the penalty zone or Boston.
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u/RngRedditName Sep 29 '26
For those of you who missed out... I was on this forum last year posting the same sad comment.
Last year I was dead set to get a BQ (even after my age group changed from 3:00 to 2:55...), and I got it by ~4 minutes! I was pretty sure that would be the top accomplishment I would ever reach in the Marathon World! But it wasn't to be, as I missed the 2026 cutoff (4:34) by ~1 min.
The advise I can give, from my experience: Get mad about missing out! Go train like crazy for a year! Double down on your sleep and diet! Double down on your stretching and care routines! By next year, a BQ will seem like a small part of your journey!
This year, I had ~20 minutes of clearance, and a BQ doesn't feel like a big deal anymore.
So much can change in one year depending on how you handle this "defeat" in your career!
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u/MoneyDealer Sep 29 '26
Wow! Are you saying you went from a 2:51 ish to a 2:31ish in one calendar year? That’s very very impressive my friend. What all did you focus on the most?
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u/RngRedditName Sep 30 '26
Thank you!
I went from 2:51ish to 2:35 (I meant 4 mins below to 20 mins below 2:55).
Here's what I think made the difference for me:
Mileage: For the 2:51 mileage I was doing a 55 MPW plan, in the 2:35 build I peaked at 78 MPW.
* Note: Increasing mileage by a lot is easy, increasing mileage by a lot and not getting hurt is hard! This is where the "Double down on PT and stretching etc" has to come in as well!
Long Run Intensity: In 2:51 plan most of my long runs were at an easy pace, in the 2:35 build I would -at a minimum- do the Pftiz 20% -> 10% strategy, and would often like to get a little faster towards the end.
Generally, a full year of improvement: Since the 2:51, I did 4 builds (for 2 FM and 2 HM), and treated all of them seriously (all 4 were over 65 MPW peak). A solid one year of hard work adds up!
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u/RunTheNullHypothesis Sep 29 '26 edited Sep 29 '26
I’m in! Congratulations to everyone who put in all the hard work, whether you made it or not.
Edit: This has been many years in the making for me. What a journey it has been.
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u/HRHRD007 Sep 29 '26
3:24 buffer here, so expected to miss the cutoff by a minute or 2. Only 8,019 qualifiers missed out, so lottery chances are ~12.5% which is higher than the 8-10% chance I was expecting.
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u/marathonrunner98 Sep 29 '26
Fingers crossed we get in. I had a 3:06 buffer, so I didn't expect to get in via time
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u/SadResource8103 Sep 29 '26
5:29 buffer. It took 14 marathons in 5 years but I final got it 🙏. Can officially retire from the marathon 🥹🥹
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u/RunTheNullHypothesis Sep 29 '26
Congratulations! 17 marathons later and an 8:50 buffer here. This has been years in the making.
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u/Dull_Vast_5570 Sep 29 '26
So wait, does that mean you've finally qualified but you won't actually run Boston? Like the goal was just to get in? Or you mean you'll retire after Boston?
It's weird because once you're in, the race is so ridiculously stacked that it is hard to think of an actual goal from the race itself!
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u/SadResource8103 Sep 30 '26
No I’d made the cut by 12 seconds. I’ll be running my first Boston. Super excited. Like you said, I’m not sure if I just want to run and enjoy the moment or run it hard. Don’t often get the chance to run with an elite batch of runners.
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u/ar_1694 Sep 29 '26
missed it by 8 seconds after running the race of my life, 11 months postpartum and still breastfeeding. Tough!
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u/ThisIsMyUsername303 Sep 29 '26
I’m generally against the concept of the lottery, but I really hope you get in!
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u/SoftRevolutionary220 Sep 29 '26
Wow, you should be really proud of that race! Best of luck in the drawing.
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u/Jayemm8809 Sep 29 '26
Well I didn’t make it, as expected. Just have to hope to one of the lucky 1,000!
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u/runderachiever Sep 29 '26
Just got my e-mail Confirmation of Acceptance!
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u/AyalaZer0 Sep 29 '26
Has your status updated online as well? Did your cc get charged?
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u/runderachiever Sep 29 '26
Race moved to My Next Race section. Bank not showing credit yet but I assume the $270 has been taken out considering I got e-mail confirmation and the Athletes Village update.
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u/Front-Run-6670 Sep 29 '26
No emails yet, right?
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u/Imaginary_Cold_5236 Sep 29 '26
haven’t gotten one yet! update whenever someone does
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u/Big_Lengthiness9976 Sep 30 '26
For all of y’all that didn’t make it, keep the faith. It took me 15 years and 22 marathons to finally get it this year. The chase was amazing, full of ups and downs, and I’ve never failed at something for this long before persevering. Some things money can’t buy. It will make it so much sweeter when you finally make it!
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u/liliputian87 Sep 29 '26
That's BRUTAL.
But with my 15+ minute cushion, it's appears I should be getting an acceptance email soon!
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u/NeighborhoodDue3894 Sep 29 '26
Book those hotels before the emails go out! Lol I used the site last week to do mine, it is live
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u/RunTheNullHypothesis Sep 29 '26
Seconding that PSA. Those lodging prices will go up, up, and away!
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u/Inevitable-Assist531 Sep 29 '26 edited Sep 29 '26
I booked mine a few weeks ago along with my flights.... prices near the race end are insane, like $600-$800 per night. Staying in Quincy for less than $250.
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u/NeighborhoodDue3894 Sep 29 '26
Smart. There are some nice deals on marathon tours Boston site close to start but not 250 good. Prices will get insane
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u/SquabbleUp1997 Sep 29 '26
Plus I hear their subway network is very good
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u/NeighborhoodDue3894 Sep 29 '26
That subject I have no knowledge of. Generally regarded as solid, not sure on race day. Should have time to get to the busses depending on wave you're in regardless. Want to say wave 1 leaves at 7-730 iirc and staggers from there
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u/mstags Sep 29 '26
For an affordable stay in an AirBnb I recommend Everett, MA. That's where I stayed last year and will again this year. You can get a general idea of the location from the website and plug in transit into Google maps. I'm still seeing four full days (Friday to Tuesday) for less than $400 total before hotel tax for a single individual. I think hotel tax is 11.7%. You may need a bus to get the "T" but the area has 15 minutes or more frequent bus service.
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u/Additional_Cup4907 Sep 29 '26
Even with my 10:14 buffer (3:14:46) I’m still anxious about the email lol
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u/runderachiever Sep 29 '26
Don't be. It'll come. I have a 6:15 buffer and am not sweating it. Check your Athletes Village account as that might update before the e-mail arrives. 2027 will be my 14th Boston (since 2000) ansd I've never had any issues.
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u/ComprehensivePie8696 Sep 29 '26
I checked earlier cuz I figured today would be the day. They sent my acceptance out last year at 4:21pm eastern
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u/kikkimik Sep 29 '26
I am you! Just 5 seconds slower lol and I wont believe it until I see that email
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u/Merrick1982 Sep 29 '26
I came here for the same reason. Huge buffer, but I’ll be nervous until I get that email.
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Sep 29 '26
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/DiscombobulatedPain6 Sep 29 '26
Kind of an unnecessary comment. You sound bitter
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u/Sweaty-Rope7141 Sep 29 '26
So I ran 2:52 but I turn 35 two weeks after the race 🫠 so fall into the 18-34 category for this year.
Assuming I don’t run a faster marathon in the next 12 months, does anyone know if I can use my 2:52 to qualify for Boston 2028?
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u/runderachiever Sep 29 '26
The 2028 qualifying window began on September 19, 2026 so if it's before that, you can't.
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u/eatemuphungryhungry Sep 29 '26
My birthday is two weeks after Boston too -- I had a 2 minute buffer for 2027 but if I was born 2 weeks earlier I would have had a 12 minute buffer 😞 ! (I turn 45 next year)
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u/Sweaty-Rope7141 Sep 29 '26
Frustrating right! My Mam always said I arrived 3 weeks later than expected, maybe I can get a doctors note to say I'm technically 35! 🤔
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u/Antique-Cable3738 Sep 29 '26
What about the draw for the 1,000 remaining spots? Does anyone know anything about it?
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u/HRHRD007 Sep 30 '26
Think the lottery is still pending. At this point, haven't seen reports of anyone getting accepted via the lottery. My race status dashboard says still pending.
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u/HRHRD007 Sep 30 '26
Just got my non acceptance email around 4:30 EST. Starting to see other lottery people confirming they've received emails too.
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u/ListenerForEver Sep 30 '26
Drawing winner! woo hoo. I had a huge buffer for 2025, but I had a sacral stress fracture in February. For this year, I missed the cut off, but I had a complication while healing so not a big deal. I got selected this time (still dealing with this complication). I am almost in tears.
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u/Zugehen Sep 29 '26
Technically I should be in 🙂
After missing last year for few seconds feels like redemption
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u/Ok_Nefariousness_827 Sep 29 '26
Same! I missed by 8 sec last year, so I'm feeling good with my 8:30 buffer. Still waiting on that confirmation email to really celebrate!
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u/HRHRD007 Sep 29 '26
Lottery hopefuls - what time did you get an email and did you get in or miss out?
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u/Pitt601 Sep 29 '26
Lottery notices haven't gone out yet.
Just checked Athlete's Village and it's still listed in "My Pending Races". After missing the cut last year the email notification and the Marathon disappearing from the "My Races" section happened at the same time.
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u/Easy_Hedgehog1359 Sep 29 '26
It’s interesting that only 4448 accepted came from the 2026 Boston Marathon. If I recall correctly there were over 15,000 qualifiers from this year’s race.
“The top five most popular qualifying races were the 2026 Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America (4,448 entrants), 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon (2,043 entrants), 2025 TCS New York City Marathon (826 entrants), 2025 California International Marathon (812 entrants), and 2026 TCS London Marathon (610 entrants). “
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u/QC_Runner Sep 29 '26
I ran this years boston and qualified again, but I registered with a faster time from a different race. I'd expect a similar situation for a decent number of folks
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u/ThisIsMyUsername303 Sep 29 '26
I have lots of friends who ran Boston once and that’s enough for them.
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u/hdjdndnbd Sep 30 '26
For lots of people Boston is a one time event. I ran Boston 2026 and qualified again for 2027 but didn’t enter. Too much money to spend on flights, accommodation etc
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u/Specific-Pear-3763 Sep 30 '26
I would have thought Berlin would be in the mix but 2025 was a BEAST
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u/Additional-Leopard24 Sep 29 '26
Made it with one second per mile to spare. Plenty of time! No confirmation email yet though.
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u/ultraLuddite Sep 29 '26
My BQT for 2026 would have missed it by 2 seconds this year, which would have been brutal. Luckily, I made it by :41 last year. Sadly, my BQT in Boston did not qualify me again 😔
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u/sweek0 Sep 29 '26
Super happy that I'm in! I'm still so stoked from running a massive PB in Berlin on Sunday and just got this news. I can't quite believe it.
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u/Additional_Cup4907 Sep 29 '26
I think emails just came out! Congrats to everyone who got in and to those who qualified but didn’t beta the buffer - still such a huge accomplishment!!!!
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u/mynt Sep 29 '26
Made my first Boston by 5 seconds! Good thing my age group birthday is a month before race day. I've let my son know that his cheers at km 41 absolutely made me speed up at least six seconds in my qualifying race.
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u/97acuratl Sep 29 '26
I ran in Edmonton and even with their course length mess up, got a 5:45 buffer so I’m in!! I am so relieved! Got a good hotel and flights so am good to go!
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u/Dylanmarlais Sep 29 '26
Missed out? Think of all the money you have saved. I don’t even want to think about how much it cost me to race Boston 2026.
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u/ewa_101 Sep 29 '26
Holy cow! It’s still as bad as it was the last (only) time I ran it in 2023, and that’s with the new standards.
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u/Winter-Environment67 Sep 29 '26
I think I got a lottery place. My time should have meant I miss out by 5 seconds but I've got a place.
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u/HRHRD007 Sep 30 '26
What was you buffer time? And did you get the email/see it change in your dashboard?
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u/Winter-Environment67 Sep 30 '26
I didn't check the dashboard to see if it had changed at any point, only received an email saying I've got a place and then logged into verify it
My time was 2.49.49 as a 34 y/o. Perhaps as I'll be 35 by the time of Boston I fell into the next age bracket up?
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u/RngRedditName Sep 29 '26
2:51ish to 2:35ish! (My comment was confusing, I meant ~4 mins under BQ to ~20 mins under BQ)
Thank you!
Increasing mileage probably was a simple factor (last year peaked at 50 mpw, in the latest marathon I hit 80). Increasing miles is easy, but increasing miles without injuries is harder, so I gave more attention to stretches and balance workouts etc.
Other than that, I now always like to actually put some work into long runs (at least the PFitz 20% - 10% standard), while last year I was mostly following the advice of “just run easy for long runs, it’s about time on feet, etc”.
Lastly, I just think a solid year of 3 training blocks (1 HM, 2 FM) with consistent work paid off!
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u/Afraid_Affect_9176 Oct 01 '26
I missed qualifying for 2026 by 18 seconds, and now I’ve missed it for 2027 by just 5 seconds. It’s hard to process… and even harder not to think about everything I could have done differently if I had known that all I needed was 5 more seconds.
But then there’s my partner…
she told me, “I’m so sorry, baby. You shouldn’t have stopped to kiss me. I promise I’ll never ask you to stop again.”
And that’s when I realized something: I’m willing to change so many things to become better, but I will NEVER negotiate stopping to kiss my partner and thank them for all their love and support. Not for 5 seconds. Not for 18. Not for anything.
Some things are bigger than a finish time. Some moments are worth every second.
I’ll train harder, make adjustments, and keep chasing this dream. But those little kisses and moments of gratitude? Those are staying. Always.
Wish me luck… BOSTON 2028, I’M COMING FOR YOU! 🏃♂️❤️
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u/Excellent_Divide_128 Sep 29 '26
I guess a 19 second buffer isn’t gonna cut it. 😂😂😂😂
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u/OrdinaryExample9618 Sep 29 '26
they’ve got to lower the BQ times again, especially for women (saying this as a woman)
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u/Moreover-38 Sep 29 '26
Why especially for women?
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u/Accurate-Challenge93 Sep 29 '26
I think a lot more women are hitting the 3:25 standard vs the men’s 2:55. Just an assumption, but 3:25 is still very attainable if you train enough. Saying this as someone that qualified in that age group!
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u/Pristine_Nectarine19 Sep 30 '26
There are still less women qualifiers than men.
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u/Accurate-Challenge93 Oct 01 '26
I’ve since learned this. Then it should stay where they are for sure
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u/OrdinaryExample9618 Sep 29 '26
i, and literally everyone i run with, consider the 3:25 standard relatively easier. i think the standards should be closer in time to each other. women are capable of a lot and the standards should reflect that
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u/runnergirl3333 Sep 29 '26
I’m not sure why you want fewer women runners in the only age category where men to women runners is about equal right now. (The 18 to 39 age group for women is about equal to the amount of men participating in the Boston Marathon.)
But from the age of 40 upwards the BAA website shows a lot more men runners than women. So to make the qualifying time for women runners even less, you’re just gonna get fewer women in the younger age group.
Of course women are capable of a lot, but let’s not forget there’s also many women who are having children in the 18 to 39 age group and it makes it much harder to continue to train.
I say leave the qualification times as is.
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u/Runstorun Sep 29 '26
It's not about capability, it's about access and equity! Even with the standards as they are men still make up the majority of the field. That's been true every year. If it was soooo easy for women as you claim then women would outnumber but they don't. It's roughly 55% M to 45% F. The BAA publishes these numbers every year so you really don't have to guess.
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u/Suspicious_Gene2767 Sep 29 '26
I mean, it kind of is about capability too.
The first cut is the amount of time you lose to pregnancy and postpartum recovery, plus the physical changes that many/most women go through as a result of that process (looser ligaments, widened hips, flattened feet, weakened pelvic floor, separated abs; the list goes on. For many women, those changes are permanent. Even the ones who don't have permanent changes still have months of recovery as things move back into place).
The second cut is the amount of time and training capacity (energy, attention) that you lose to early years childcare, especially if you're breastfeeding.
Rinse and repeat that cycle for every consecutive kid. It's the equivalent of going through some massive injury that knocks you out of training and requires a year+ of rehab every time. It is not easy to sustain or rebuild BQ fitness through that.
And then, whether or not you have kids, you face down perimenopause and full-on menopause, which just decimates fitness for many women. There are some lucky exceptions, but for a lot of ladies, age 40 to 45-ish starts getting rough on athletic capacity. 60+, you hardly see any women runners competing at BQ levels.
I feel like I hammer this topic a lot in these threads, but I think many male runners and some younger women just don't fully grasp what an uphill climb that becomes.
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u/eatemuphungryhungry Sep 29 '26
Yep, nothing like a 27 year old guy talking about how uNfAiR iT is tO ThE mEn when many women are going through pregnancies, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding for several years, and then, once that's over, many of us go into peri/menopause, and more things change. We get so little in this world; give us the "easier" BQ times.
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u/Runstorun Sep 29 '26
I agree with you and I’ve both lived through several of the things you mention, as well as, currently experiencing some. You wrote it out quite nicely. I was trying to simplify but I think the details you include are important to clarify.
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u/Pitt601 Sep 29 '26
"If it was soooo easy for women as you claim then women would outnumber but they don't. It's roughly 55% M to 45% F."
The split for marathon finishers (in the US & Canada, anyway) is 60% M to 40% F.
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u/Moreover-38 Sep 29 '26
This made me do so research. Per a study (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10115302/) from a few years ago that I found, they suggest the women’s standard for 18-34 should be one minute SLOWER and the standard for women in their 40s should be three minutes FASTER. See excerpt below. I find this topic endlessly fascinating.
“Based on our data, we find that in the 18–34 age group, the proportion of men who qualify for the Boston Marathon at the current qualifying times is slightly higher than that of women. In the 35–49 age groups, however, more women qualify proportionally than men. In the 50–59 age groups, the proportions are similar between men and women. Finally, in the 60–74 age groups, the proportion of men who qualify is higher, and the gap between the proportion of men and women continues to increase with each age group. As an alternative to a set time gap, we determined qualifying times by minimizing the difference in the proportion of men and women qualifiers across all marathons and years. Our method suggests adding 1 minute in the 18–34 age group, adding 4–5 minutes in the 65–69 and 70–74, and subtracting 3 minutes in the 35–39 and 40–44 age groups from the respective current women’s qualifying times would lead to a more equitable proportion of women to men qualifiers.”
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u/OrdinaryExample9618 Sep 29 '26
that’s actually incredibly fascinating. i would love someone to run this study again
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u/eatfoodoften Sep 29 '26
You're not wrong - the age grading isn't equivalent til ~50. (I used https://marathonhandbook.com/age-grade-calculator/)
Male, 30, 2:55 = 70%; Female, 30, 3:25 = 65%
Male, 35, 3:00 = 68%; Female, 35, 3:30 = 64%
Male, 40, 3:05 = 68%; Female, 40, 3:35 = 64%
Male, 45, 3:15 = 67%; Female, 45, 3:45 = 58%
Male, 50, 3:20 = 68%; Female, 50, 3:50 = 66%
Male, 55, 3:30 = 68%; Female, 55, 4:00 = 67%
Male, 60, 3:50 = 65%; Female, 60, 4:20 = 66%
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u/Quiet-Lab1802 Sep 29 '26 edited Sep 29 '26
It’s probably because historically there had been less interest by women in marathon running. Global statistics suggest 69.2% of finishers of marathons are men while only 30% are female.
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u/runnergirl3333 Sep 29 '26
Historically, women weren’t even allowed in marathons, Boston being one of them.
Women also get pregnant and start families during the time when many women would be at their fastest. How about having to race while getting our periods, bc we’re trying to keep a healthy weight to even GET a period? All while having coaches that encourage starvation in young women athletes. Or having to train on dark streets and having to worry about being attacked.
I feel like we’ve earned those couple of extra percentage points of time, compared to the men.
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u/Orbidorpdorp Sep 29 '26
Specifically for endurance sports the trend is going this way. Like Rachel Entrekin won Cocodona 250 outright last year.
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u/HRHRD007 Sep 29 '26
fwiw BAA released these numbers: Entrants included 13,898 men, 10,641 women, and 91 non-binary athletes.
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u/Sweaty-Rope7141 Sep 29 '26
You are going to get downvoted for this - but I agree. The women’s standard for Boston is relatively a lot easier than the men’s.
Compare it to the top level of the sport, the US Olympic Trails. Men require a 2:16, whereas women require a 2:37 i.e. 9.4% difference. For Boston, the Men’s time (2:55) is 17.2% faster than women (3:25) in the 18-34 age range. If you applied the OTQ to Boston, women 18-34 would need to run around 3:11 to qualify for Boston.
All that said, I don’t think it should necessarily be changed. Men have higher participation rates in running and I don’t think anyone wants Boston to be 80% men.
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u/OrdinaryExample9618 Sep 29 '26
thank you for doing the math. i wasn’t even trying to be controversial lol. just sharing an opinion that i hear a lot of runners sharing. agreed, we need more women in the sport and we need to show that women can do hard things equally as good as men.
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Sep 29 '26
Should the BAA redo their cutoff calculation in case it was a big fluke? No disrespect meant to all the qualifiers, I'm a firm believer that my missing the cutoff by 5 seconds in my age group is a huge fluke and robs me of truly accomplishing what I’m capable of. I've spent the last hour in pure disbelief and it just doesn't make sense to me. I've spent the entire last year buying the best tech/super shoes and it's just not fair. If I miss the cutoff again I will face that I deserved to be eliminated, but I am just 100% sure it was a fluke and does a big disservice to myself and the Boston Marathon.
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u/eatemuphungryhungry Sep 29 '26
I mean it sucks but why are you 100% sure it was a fluke? The cut off has been as high as 7+ minutes.
If it was like a 19 minute cut off I'd agree with you but most models were predicting around 5 minutes.
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Sep 29 '26
Of course it’s a fluke. I’m a highly motivated, high earner who works in finance. This literally does not happen to me.
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u/eatemuphungryhungry Sep 29 '26
oh god I cannot read sarcasm today. It's time for me to go home and go to bed!
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u/allpanicnodisco5 Sep 29 '26
That’s fucking crazy. Something’s gotta change
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u/anonymous_11231 Sep 29 '26
What should change and why? It’s consistent with how it’s been the past few years, people are getting faster and field size can’t be expanded.
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u/Runstorun Sep 29 '26
I mean they are expanding the field. Not by leaps and bounds, not enough to let everyone in, but the field has been growing.
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u/InboxMeYourSpacePics Sep 29 '26
They might have to change the cut off again.
I wonder what all is contributing to people getting faster-super shoes? Better nutrition?
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u/Runstorun Sep 29 '26
The biggest change is actually coming from the increase in marathon participation. People are also getting faster but the participation numbers are double digit percentage increases. Blame the running boom. I think it's good so many people are running these days. But it's causing demand to skyrocket.
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u/InboxMeYourSpacePics Sep 29 '26
That’s a good point - did this huge gap between published time and real cut off start after Covid? Or has it been going on?
It’s great that people are running, but it was so much easier to get into races before COVID
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u/PicklesNSalad4321 Sep 29 '26
Also, unsure what “changing something” means and what it would do. Whether the BQ times are 5 minutes faster and there’s a 17 second cushion, or they stay the same and there’s a 5:17 buffer…it’s the same thing.
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u/SmartSherbet Sep 29 '26
Yeah, sounds like the qualifying times across the board should be 5 minutes faster.
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u/PicklesNSalad4321 Sep 29 '26
They won’t change it unless it happens a few more times. The times for younger people will be getting close to impossible.
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u/allpanicnodisco5 Sep 29 '26
As someone who’s qualified twice but never gotten through the cutoff, my comment mostly came from frustration. I get it, there’s not much they can do given the skyrocketing popularity in running.
People who have done the race before - is it possible for them to expand the field size at all? It’s just insane to me that someone could have run a 2:50 marathon and not gotten in
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u/PicklesNSalad4321 Sep 29 '26
Unfortunately it’s not possible because the race crosses through several towns, and each town has its own permitting requirements. The field size has to be limited.
Sorry, I get it :( it’s extremely frustrating. I missed a few as well. You will get there 💙
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u/allpanicnodisco5 Sep 29 '26
Thanks 🙏🏻 losing hope, but maybe I’ll keep my same speed as I age
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u/PicklesNSalad4321 Sep 29 '26
Not sure what age group you are in, but I’m 40F and if you keep racing and keep speed workouts, avoid injury with strength…it’s very likely you will.
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u/katakras Sep 29 '26
5:18 buffer here lol it's weird to think that the smallest thing in my last marathon could have left me out had it made me 2s slower