NYC / Boston Cutoffs

Then take up pickleball. Sounds like it'll make your life less stressful.

I'm pretty sure NYC has a pretty robust public transportation system if you haven't heard.

Yea, but not every place that is good for running races is as easily accessible as Central Park, such as Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. So NYRR probably has to thread the needle between good locations for running and good locations accessible by transit.

on locations for NYRR races - races in central park can be much cheaper. It's what...$25 for members? Whereas road courses require payoffs to the NYPD so bibs will cost far more. I think Washington Heights was $40. NYRR doesnt' want to charge that much to people.

not a lot of other park locations for road races....Prospect park could host more races - it has 2 or 3 already though. There are two in Flushing already. Staten Island is too hard to get to but has a half marathon anyway.

$25 is cheaper than most 5ks in my supposedly low cost of living area, so that's a good deal. I guess my main concern is that the lack of available spots has forced to register for races way in advance, so creating more opportunities for people to run in events seems like the solution. But it's harder to figure out than it seems.

in the end it all comes down to 9+1. The program encourages thousands and thousands of people to sign up for every race way in advance and then figure they'll figure out which 9 to do later.

It's just an arms race to get signed up, and a lot of NYCers can afford 15 entry fees. Squeezes out a lot of young fast runners though. Next year every race could sell out in the higher membership level 'pre-sale.'

My first Boston Qualifier was the Louisiana Marathon (mid January) at a 23 min under my BQ. A year later I did a Tunnel Marathon in Washington State (with my son that lives in Washington) at 20 min under my BQ. The year after that I did the Louisiana Marathon again at 25 min under my BQ. I'm doing the Tunnel Marathon again this September because its fun. Small group, National Forest, hard-packed earthen trail and great post run feast. Doing it to try for a better time never entered my mind - don't need it.

Apologies because this has certainly been asked before, but will NYRR half qualifiers still be accepted in 2025? My plan was to qualify in Chicago this year, but now that I'm seeing it took 2:34 to get in this year, I'm realizing that it's not a sure thing. I'm running the Brooklyn Half in May, and I forget if they're getting rid of all half qualifiers, or just non-NYRR ones

They haven't determined their qualifying procedure for 2025. I would wait until after this year's marathon for that info.

the fact that they state that in 2025 they will no longer accept non-NYRR halts for NYCM qualification, by definition means that they WILL accept NYRR halfs. At least for 2025.

That's right: high 2:30s marathoners stay home, but you can be a local or fly up and run the Staten Island half and get in with the significantly easier published standards

Follow the money

Boston 2025 cutoff will be a bloodbath and mark the turning point in popular sentiment that may force action in future years. Downhill cheater courses are the first to go

It's all about money no doubt, all that 9+1 money and free labor at all their races, but don't make it like SI Half is an easy half.

no idea what the course is like, was just using a random NYRR half as an example (the one that would probably have trouble filling if it weren't for programs like this)

regardless of how tough the course is, the published half qualification standards are comically easier to obtain than a low 2:30s marathon or whatever it was that young guys needed. not even in the same stratosphere. add more non-NYRR bibs or stop referring to the qualification standards entirely because it's clearly functionally a non-NYRR sub-sub-elite time qualifier program and the standards are essentially meaningless. Incredibly misleading and poor form by the race organizers

i dont get why these races dont set up a transfer program like grandmas does. they collect an extra fee for each transfer so thats more money there. plus you create another avenue for people that dont make it in the lottery to get in. I think that's the easiest solution here.

local NYC clubs are pushing NYRR hard to start a bib exchange. NYRR says it does not have the tech ability to do it at the present time.

Plus, given NYC's greedy and rich nature, gray markets would be set up...shady organizations would buy hundreds of bibs and sell them off for many multiples of the list price.

Clubs want an intramural bib exchange just for clubs to stop the gray market from forming...I doubt NYRR would be exclusionary like that though.

Ironic choice because you're spot on with it.

Up until a few years ago, SI Half would still be open a week or so out. Every year.

Right now, for this year, it's sold out. Been like that the past year or two.

for the record:

30 year old male

Half marathon qualifying time: 1:21:00 - 72% age graded

Full marathon qualifying time: 2:53 - 71% age graded

so by that the half and full qualifying times are the same in difficulty.

props to those who can skate down them...its not running as your 120 heart rate makes clear

Never going to happen for a race as in-demand as NYC - the incentive to sell bibs is way too strong. This would lead to bunch of people trying to get in (either via lottery, or via guaranteed NYRR race qualification) to sell their bibs. How would they possible police it?

one way to police it is to have the exchange only available between teammates on a club registered with NYRR.

It's at least something.