Boston bib numbers released

Last year I had bib #13x with a 2:28:5x qualifying mark, this year its #17x with a 2:28:0x qualifying mark. Seems like either they changed how some of the lower bib assignments work or the field this year is faster.

Faster than 2:45 - I ran 244:50 and missed corral 1 by about

Whoops - missed corral 1 by about 20 spots. Bummer.

Wave 1 Corral 4 with 2:57. First time Boston. How is the start at Boston? I assume it should be quite smooth, with people within a corral all running approx. the same pace?

Can't wait, good luck everyone with the finishing touches of your marathon training cycle!

2:59, 1/6.

I'm in 1/4 with a 2:56. Just went 1:18 for the half so I think I'll be in shape to go about ~2:47 or a tick faster weather permitting. Anyone have experience trying to go out at like 6:20-25 pace from the 4th corral? Will I have major crowding issues?

gunning for another smooth sub 3 wrote:

Wave 1 Corral 4 with 2:57. First time Boston. How is the start at Boston? I assume it should be quite smooth, with people within a corral all running approx. the same pace?

Hahaha! hahahahahaha!

No. It's pretty much the same as any other major marathon that has corrals, actual quite a bit worse even because it is a narrow road and the first couple miles have a lot of downhill.

Combine that with the high number of Johnny Badasses that incorrectly think they are going to set a huge PR and the natural tendency of most people at road races to follow the worst possible pacing strategy.

So, no. Not a smooth start if you are in Corral 4.

I'm 1/3. Was 1/1 last year, but my Boston time last year was my qualifier for this year unfortunately.

Last year it felt like everybody from the corrals behind me passed me in the opening downhill miles. It was crazy. You can pick your way through the crowds and find groups to tag along with charging through those opening miles for sure.

nbskis wrote:

Faster than 2:45 - I ran 244:50 and missed corral 1 by about

Thanks. Looks like 2:44:41 is the 1/1 cutoff.

I'm in at 2:44:01, but 200+ spots down from last year using the exact same time. 7xx to 9xx.

You guys are fast!

Wave 2 corral 5 here;

How many corrals per wave ?

I think I might start at the back of my corral to avoid running too fast in the early miles.

Charlesvdw wrote:

You guys are fast!

Wave 2 corral 5 here;

How many corrals per wave ?

I think I might start at the back of my corral to avoid running too fast in the early miles.

Looks like 8 corrals per wave.

That sounds about right, I remember getting strung along in 2016 when I was injured for basically all of Feb/March and went out in 1:24, which was PR pace, and finished in like 3:03. Hopefully it'll work to my advantage this year and hold me back from goal pace slightly, although I get plenty of hills here in Utah.

Charlesvdw wrote:

You guys are fast!

Wave 2 corral 5 here;

How many corrals per wave ?

I think I might start at the back of my corral to avoid running too fast in the early miles.

I am also in wave 2 corral 5 (qualified with a 3:20), but am in shape to run closer to 3 hours. Is it possible to run it faster with the corral I am in?

Boston Bound 2019 wrote:

Thanks. Looks like 2:44:41 is the 1/1 cutoff.

I'm in at 2:44:01, but 200+ spots down from last year using the exact same time. 7xx to 9xx.

Not quite. Based on Athlinks, 2:44:38 gets you in corral #1. 2:44:39 puts you in corral #2

The Cutoffs wrote:

Not quite. Based on Athlinks, 2:44:38 gets you in corral #1. 2:44:39 puts you in corral #2

Here's the matrix:

Corral #1: 2:19:40 to 2:44:38

Corral #2: 2:44:39 to 2:51:12

Corral #3: 2:51:13 to 2:55:04

Corral #4+: Who cares?

The Cutoffs wrote:

Not quite. Based on Athlinks, 2:44:38 gets you in corral #1. 2:44:39 puts you in corral #2

Here's the matrix:

Corral #1: 2:19:40 to 2:44:38

Corral #2: 2:44:39 to 2:51:12

Corral #3: 2:51:13 to 2:55:04

Corral #4: 2:55:05 to 2:57:37

Corral #5: 2:57:38 to 2:59:14

Corral #6: 2:59:15 to 3:01:25

Corral #7+: Who cares?

Corrected for sub-3.

BostonWilliam wrote:

gunning for another smooth sub 3 wrote:

Wave 1 Corral 4 with 2:57. First time Boston. How is the start at Boston? I assume it should be quite smooth, with people within a corral all running approx. the same pace?

Hahaha! hahahahahaha!

No. It's pretty much the same as any other major marathon that has corrals, actual quite a bit worse even because it is a narrow road and the first couple miles have a lot of downhill.

Combine that with the high number of Johnny Badasses that incorrectly think they are going to set a huge PR and the natural tendency of most people at road races to follow the worst possible pacing strategy.

So, no. Not a smooth start if you are in Corral 4.

I get that the road is smaller. But in NYC for example, the corral assignment is NOT based on a time run in the past. Instead, you can simply state an arbitrary goal pace. My first marathon was 3:30, but I told them I'd run 2:59, and they put me in the appropriate corral corresponding to 2:59 (for the record, I did run pretty much goal time). Hence, I was thinking given that in Boston the corral assignment is based on actual times, it should be the case that a larger fraction of runners is in the "correct" corral. Or do they put charity runners in front as well in Boston? In any case, it doesn't bother me too much, if people are slow around me I'll start a bit slower, good strategy in any case.

snety wrote:

2:59, 1/6.

^^^ Same exactly for me... There is a lot of us squeezed in the 2:50-2:59 range. A buddy of mine BQ-ed with 2:51 and he is in corral 2...

3:03 BQ time and 1/7. Hoping for sub 3, and sort of glad that I am a little further back so I don't go out too fast...as long as I don't get caught going way too slow is the worry.