Bad news for those of us wanting to BQ for next year’s BostonMarathon

38,708 in 1996 wrote:

Slartibartfast wrote:

Even if you let in 0 charity runners, there still wasn’t enough space for all qualifiers in 2018, so there has to be a cutoff somewhere. Also, quit whining you greedy jerks; the race raises a ton of money for charitable causes.

2018 - 25,746 finishers

2017 - 26,411

2016 - 26,639

2015 - 26,610

2014 - 31,805 (35,755 entrants)

2013 - 17,580 ** Bombing prevented over 5,000 from finishing ** (26,914)

2012 - 21,554 (21,616)

2011 - 23,879 (26,907)

2010 - 22,540 (26,790)

2009 - 22,849 (26,331)

2008 - 21,963 (25,283)

2007 - 20,348 (23,869)

2006 - 19,688 (20,473)

2005 - 17,549 (20,453)

2004 - 16,743 (20,344)

2003 - 17,046 (20,223)

2002 - 14,400 (16,939)

2001 - 13,395 (15,606)

2000 - 15,680 (17,813)

1996 - 35,868 (38,708)

Explain how Boston can handle 38,000+ runners in 1996 and even 35,000+ just four year ago but now can't handle more than 27,000? They expanded the field in 1996 for the 100th anniversary and in 2014 because so many people wanted to run the year after the bombing. They can expand the field anytime they want. I believe they rejected around 7,000 runners last year who qualified. Add those to the finishers and you still have less than 33,000, far less than the field in 1996. I do not remember "waves" in 1996 either; I believe it was just a single mass of runners who started at noon with the lottery winners in the back.

As far as the charity runners, they should treat them like the qualifiers. I don't know how much money they must raise but let's just say $2,000 will guarantee a charity runner entry. A few months before the race, the BAA should announce that the cutoff for charity was +$700 so anyone who raised between $2,000 and $2,699 will get rejected despite raising the minimum required money. This competition will drive the charity runners to raise even more since they won't know what the real cutoff is until it's too late. Therefore the charities make more money and everyone should be happy. After all, charity is not about doing something for someone in order to get something in return; charity is about doing something for someone without any expectations of a reward.

I ran in an exclusive year wrote:

38,708 in 1996 wrote:

2018 - 25,746 finishers

2017 - 26,411

2016 - 26,639

2015 - 26,610

2014 - 31,805 (35,755 entrants)

2013 - 17,580 ** Bombing prevented over 5,000 from finishing ** (26,914)

2012 - 21,554 (21,616)

2011 - 23,879 (26,907)

2010 - 22,540 (26,790)

2009 - 22,849 (26,331)

2008 - 21,963 (25,283)

2007 - 20,348 (23,869)

2006 - 19,688 (20,473)

2005 - 17,549 (20,453)

2004 - 16,743 (20,344)

2003 - 17,046 (20,223)

2002 - 14,400 (16,939)

2001 - 13,395 (15,606)

2000 - 15,680 (17,813)

1996 - 35,868 (38,708)

Explain how Boston can handle 38,000+ runners in 1996 and even 35,000+ just four year ago but now can't handle more than 27,000? They expanded the field in 1996 for the 100th anniversary and in 2014 because so many people wanted to run the year after the bombing. They can expand the field anytime they want. I believe they rejected around 7,000 runners last year who qualified. Add those to the finishers and you still have less than 33,000, far less than the field in 1996. I do not remember "waves" in 1996 either; I believe it was just a single mass of runners who started at noon with the lottery winners in the back.

As far as the charity runners, they should treat them like the qualifiers. I don't know how much money they must raise but let's just say $2,000 will guarantee a charity runner entry. A few months before the race, the BAA should announce that the cutoff for charity was +$700 so anyone who raised between $2,000 and $2,699 will get rejected despite raising the minimum required money. This competition will drive the charity runners to raise even more since they won't know what the real cutoff is until it's too late. Therefore the charities make more money and everyone should be happy. After all, charity is not about doing something for someone in order to get something in return; charity is about doing something for someone without any expectations of a reward.

They don't want turds peeing on their lawn.

The difference between Boston and other races is people actually live along the course.

I ran in 2013 and didn't want to run again in 2014. Not everyone felt so cheery to be Boston Strong. Not sure I really want to run it again either. Maybe with one of my kids one day.