Hobbyjoggers go home devastated - 2:55 cutoff for Boston 2026

LOL I'm 50 this year and just ran a 2:57 this year. I guess my wife can no longer say she's "banging a guy who would qualify as an 18y/o at Boston." Her words, not mine.

bhahahahaha, LOL, this guy must be new here... amirite??? AMIRITE??? LOL

And he's a moran

so, you're saying that 99% of the message board audience / posters are going home devastated ?

At least for a few years in the 70s when I ran Boston, the qualifying time for men under 40 was 2:50. Stupid (not super) shoe era, no way to get in-race carbs, and a noon start ( a lot of fun on warm days). So from that perspective 2:55 shouldn’t be all that difficult if a mediocre marathon runner like me could do it.

In the 70s I think there were around 2,000 runners? Did they even close the roads?

I’m offended

Easy fix. Claim non-binary. Women have always had it too ez.

So I'm pretty sure most people upselling the cutoff aren't running a sub 7 mile for 26.2 miles.

I don't like mass events anyway (the urban population density alone isn't worth it; see Boston Marathon bombing which was another known wolf attack), but that's only one consideration.

If its only meant to be for elitist snobs, then Boston Marathon will likely lose some of its prestige and and value as a supposedly essential marathon. It's also road based, which is more punishing for many athletes. Boston Marathon used to be good and compelling and unifying from different walks of life the world over, but now it can be just an inside club of older runners and young elites. People only care about Boston (the marathon and the city-at-large) because they are fomo chasing the ladder in a glass towered world.

Try the volcano adventure run in Iceland instead (QM/HM/full marathon). It's a superior marathon to Boston I'm sure, and there are others.

TRUTH! End of Thread

3:07 is OUT???

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!

No, becaue they are not "devasted." Other events. People have jobs and other responsibilities more important than running. It's just a hobby.

Just go look at Instagram/reddit/X where the hobby joggers are fighting. They’re devastated and seeking equality

A man would have to be OTQ marathon level to run 6:30 as easy pace

Y'all calling it "hobby jogging" need to prove it with a 6:30 pace long-run, like 23 miles, I'll wait.

Because there are only a handful of OTQ on letsrun, the rest have better things to do with their time, lol

Yeah yeah I know, all the men here are sub15, ran 4:30 in high school and have 2:30 marathons, sure you do.

But I think it is great they are tightening the standard and will make good business for coaches.

Now they need to tighten the standard for women too because 3:25 is too slow when there were like 600 OTQ at 2:45

"Now it can be just an inside club of older runners and young elites" -- where does that come from? In your mind young men running sub 2:55 are "elite"? haha hardly guys in their 50s are doing that. Boston is still and will remain "good and compelling and unifying".

Nothing says blue collar like a lowbrow Icelandic volcano adventure run.

I don’t think you realize the range of people that can 6:30 long run. It’s far below OTQ level

You reference a 2:30 marathon.. this isn’t even close to OTQ and every 2:30 person can go 23 @ 6:30 any given weekend lol

You didn't completely grasp what I was saying

long-run should be in zone 2, easy aka "hobby jogging"

a 2:30 marathoner is not running 23 @ 6:30 in zone 2

of course they could finish that workout but not in zone 2

But a 2:15 man could however do that in zone 2, that's easy pace for them.

There are very very few 2:15 men on letsrun and they wouldn't be bothering to comment in this thread as they are likely coaches and happy for the extra business from the new standards.

Only if you are young(ish).

Plus: the formal 5 minute toughening up doesn't really matter. A 2:56 wouldn't have brought you to the 2024 Boston either because of the 5:29 cutoff.