El Chapulin wrote:
Qualifying times apply only to Houston-area races, and a few other TX races (Austin, Dallas, SA). This was done to give local runners a preference, as many locals grumbled that they were being shut out of *their own* marathon.
The qualifying race must be USATF certified. That is the only restriction. I used my marathon time from Monumental in Indianapolis and it was automatically verified.
They say one of the reasons they do this is to help manage the flow of traffic at the finish. It beats having to enter a lottery to get a spot. If there were that many "fast" runners registering they would have shut the early entry system down by now. But for a race with a 13,000 cap (full) that has to resort to a lottery it is amazing that the early entry doesn't fill up faster.