What's driving the increased demand for Boston?

IMO-- 1) reaction to the 2013 bombing 2) social media 3) combination of history, reputation, hype-- non-runners/marathoners know about the Boston Marathon, and if bucket-listers/life-changers want to do a marathon, they'll shoot for this one. I'm not sure to what extent, but the non-BQ race entries are putting a squeeze on the qualifying entrants.

Towns along the route saying they want quid pro quo for race day services...ie Numbers

Running boom

Baby boomers

Lower standards (big one)

Years ago it was as 600-1,000 of the best runners in the world

Not so today

:(

Too much of a circus

One side note is people starting their running career however brief by doing the marathon...kind of like climbing Everest as first mountain...why the times for the average runners so slow.

People who ran track and Xc marathon was an afterthought in the old day...we’re already doing the 18-22 mile long runs on weekend...what’s another 4-6

Plus at the front the money is there now..bringing in the africans Kenyans Ethiopian

FYI If the Kenyans Ethiopian can’t get men in under 2:25-2:30 and women under 2:40-2:50 they don’t come...

Also the B and C USA men don’t come any more cause they have a harder time getting into the money...why run Boston when fighting africans for places when they can go to a smaller 26 and get into the money

Race has changed

All good reasons . Two more :

1. Boston is similar to the Ironman , they’ve found that sweet spot of offering a challenge to boomers 35-65 with a lot of cash to spend that people think is a big deal;

2. The increase in coaching services - if you start paying a coach monthly you don’t aim to place in the top 10 in your age group at the area marathon you want to aim big.

1. It's probably just cyclical, and the increase this year may not be a statistically significant one

2. Globally, the middle class continues to grow

3. The population overall (US and world) continues to increase

4. Continued/renewed press coverage that running may be the best/ideal exercise

5. Any number of micro trends

hegellian wrote:

1. It's probably just cyclical, and the increase this year may not be a statistically significant one

2. Globally, the middle class continues to grow

3. The population overall (US and world) continues to increase

4. Continued/renewed press coverage that running may be the best/ideal exercise

5. Any number of micro trends

2-4 contradict 1. besides, if cyclical, you mean annual, you are wrong.

MelRnr wrote:

Is it more international runners? More qualifiers in general? More awareness of Boston to the regular recreational runner?

.....So, what's driving the increase in demand?

Facebook posts.

No ideas. It’s a disaster. People are pooping and peeing everywhere. Plus, massholes are rude democrat pieces of trash.

logic101 wrote:

hegellian wrote:

1. It's probably just cyclical, and the increase this year may not be a statistically significant one

2. Globally, the middle class continues to grow

3. The population overall (US and world) continues to increase

4. Continued/renewed press coverage that running may be the best/ideal exercise

5. Any number of micro trends

2-4 contradict 1. besides, if cyclical, you mean annual, you are wrong.

Not at all. For instance, while the general trend in NYC is that rents and home prices are ever increasing, there are cycles within the larger trend where rates of increase go up and down and even fall. By" cyclical" I mean cyclical. By "the increase this year may not be a statistically significant one" I mean exactly that as well.

The CVS in Hopkinton is the most pissed on building in the world on race morning !

hegellian wrote:

logic101 wrote:

2-4 contradict 1. besides, if cyclical, you mean annual, you are wrong.

Not at all. For instance, while the general trend in NYC is that rents and home prices are ever increasing, there are cycles within the larger trend where rates of increase go up and down and even fall. By" cyclical" I mean cyclical. By "the increase this year may not be a statistically significant one" I mean exactly that as well.

You said "it's just cyclical", not "there is a general trend and a cyclical component".

pedant wrote:

hegellian wrote:

Not at all. For instance, while the general trend in NYC is that rents and home prices are ever increasing, there are cycles within the larger trend where rates of increase go up and down and even fall. By" cyclical" I mean cyclical. By "the increase this year may not be a statistically significant one" I mean exactly that as well.

You said "it's just cyclical", not "there is a general trend and a cyclical component".

Whatever, bro. Maybe learn to read a list. Why would the items be mutually exclusive?....there is not going to be one cause to the uptick this year....which I'm arguing is perhaps part of a cycle, perhaps part of several indices trending upward, perhaps a combination of those and maybe more factors (weather, magic VF4%s, the rugid handsomeness of Galen Rupp...), or perhaps it is not really a statistically significant increase at all (since we don't have actual data and this is all more or less based on a false premise). Although my continued posting belies this, I don't actually care.

A couple people have said Facebook/Social Media. I agree that has to be part of it. Probably in two ways... 1. Spreading info about the race. 2. People want to run Boston so they can post and brag about it.

Someone also said increase in coaching services. That's something I hadn't thought of but makes sense. I see middle aged midpack men and women hiring coaches. And there are a gazillion personal trainers out there now.

Bostonbostonboston wrote:

One side note is people starting their running career however brief by doing the marathon...kind of like climbing Everest as first mountain...why the times for the average runners so slow.

People who ran track and Xc marathon was an afterthought in the old day...we’re already doing the 18-22 mile long runs on weekend...what’s another 4-6

Plus at the front the money is there now..bringing in the africans Kenyans Ethiopian

FYI If the Kenyans Ethiopian can’t get men in under 2:25-2:30 and women under 2:40-2:50 they don’t come...

Also the B and C USA men don’t come any more cause they have a harder time getting into the money...why run Boston when fighting africans for places when they can go to a smaller 26 and get into the money

Race has changed

Yeah, talented Africans coming over here and beating our mediocre runners, and beating them in an actual race at that!

Dude, it’s the Boston Marathon. Not the US marathon. Get back in your little box.

Some other possible factors:

* Six-star finisher medal for WMM's.

* Breaking 2 by Nike.

Also, what metrics do we have to know there's more demand? The standard keeps getting tougher, but that doesn't necessarily indicate more interested people. Let's say there are 100,000 people who aim for a BQ every year. Without adding anyone new, you could imagine the cutoff would get faster just because everyone's trying to improve their odds of getting in.

The more exclusive something is, the more appeal.

Explosion of downhill marathon races has made it easier to get in. Once they get in, they dont plan to push it, just 'enjoy the course'

Hounddogharrier wrote:

All good reasons . Two more :

1. Boston is similar to the Ironman , they’ve found that sweet spot of offering a challenge to boomers 35-65 with a lot of cash to spend that people think is a big deal;

....

Agreed. If you're too old or slow for the Olympic Trials, qualifying for Boston provides a goal to show you're a "better" runner than most. Boston got the timing right, being faster than Chicago and slower than New York, which makes it difficult, but not impossible to qualify.

However, the bloom won't always be on the rose for Boston. Their new system to sell every last $200 bib by not telling you if you gained entry for up to a year after running a qualifying time may rub people the wrong way. Also, after you run Boston once, the second time is not much different. There's a lot of other marathons out there with better weather, cheaper hotels, cheaper entry fees, etc.

The bombing plain & simple. Nothing else comes close.

Civilians knew about BM after bombing, not before. I mean ALL civilians.