Qualifying for Boston isn't easy and most marathoners simply won't get it done. Just completing a marathon requires tremendous commitment, hard work, and a certain amount of insanity. I mean who in their right mind would willingly ruin every weekend for the better part of 3 months to pay over $100 for the privilege of running 26.2 miles with no guaranteed incentive other than a $2 medal and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment? Apparently just me and the other half a million marathon finishers last year.
To run in the Boston Marathon you have to first run a qualifying time based on your age and gender which are listed below. One caveat is that running a qualifying time doesn't
The squeaker term is reserved for those proud enough to boast a qualifying time - but just barely. Ask any squeaker though, and they will tell you that qualifying means nothing without the opportunity to pin on that John Hancock and Adidas sponsored bib and make the bus ride to the start in Hopkinton, MA.
Registration began Monday, September 8th for runners with a qualifying time exceeding their standard by 20 minutes. On Wednesday registration opened up for runners that were 10 minutes better and on Friday registration opened up for runners with qualifying times that were 5 minutes better. This past Monday, September 15th, registration opened up for everyone with a qualifying time which began an incredibly anxious week for squeakers around the globe. As squeakers we register first thing Monday morning then we spend the remainder of the week incessantly scouring the web for the slightest bit of insight that will help us discern just how quickly the race is filling up. Really we just want some reassurance that we're in. And we want it immediately. That's not too much to ask, is it??
My life as a squeaker began in March of 2013. I was running my first marathon and was cautiously optimistic. I needed to run 3:15 as a 40 year old and with 15+ years of running under my belt, running at marathon pace was not an issue. However running at marathon pace for 26.1 miles had the potential to get a bit dicey. I ran a very poor race getting out way too fast but managed to hold on to clock a 3:11 and some change. I was relieved - mainly because I could finally stop running but I was also elated and somewhat overwhelmed that I was in the club. I was going to the big dance in Boston...or at least I assumed I was. At the time a cutoff short of the qualifying standards wasn't even on my radar because the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) had just recently adjusted the standards to make them all 5 minutes faster, plus they eliminated the extra 59 seconds grace. For example in 2011 a time of 3:20:59 would have qualified a 40 year old male. In 2012 the standard for a 40 year old male was 3:15:00. The idea was to develop standards that wouldn't require turning away Boston qualifiers.
I distinctly remember getting a text on April 15, 2013 from a friend asking me if I was alright. It was random and odd but then I realized something bad had happened and she had assumed I was running the 2013 race. I was headed home for lunch and had planned to watch the coverage of the marathon for a glimpse of what to expect in 2014 but would soon watch the horror unfold in the aftermath of the 2013 bombings. I watched in disbelief with a pit in my stomach not even able to fathom how I would have reacted if I had been there. What if my family had been standing there supporting me and been victims that day? It literally made me sick to my stomach to think about my little ones experiencing something so traumatic and so senseless.
My resolve to run Boston became even stronger that day as did countless other runners and even non-runners across the country. I knew interest for the 2014 marathon would be at an all-time high and that more than likely I wouldn't get in and oddly enough I was alright with that. Of course I was disappointed at the thought but I knew my day would come and I felt like there were a number of runners regardless of their qualifying time that were far more deserving of running in 2014 than I was.
As the BAA announced their plans for an increased field size I thought I might have a chance. A very small one but a chance nonetheless. I followed the press releases then just like I'm following them now and as expected the race was filling up fast. Finally the announcement came, Boston would reopen registration in week 2 for all time qualifiers. That was me - a time qualifier with a chance! However it was specifically noted that due to field size limitations there was a chance that not all qualifiers submitting an entry would be accepted. Every squeaker on planet Earth was able to read between the lines to know there would be a cutoff.
Like most squeakers I applied first thing Monday morning and have never been so eager to have my $150 entry fee processed. The following 10 days would be gut wrenching for most us. As we learned of -10 and -5 qualifiers still waiting for official confirmation of acceptance we waited for any sign of a projected cutoff. By Wednesday the BAA and Runners World had effectively stopped communicating registration data which left the running community to speculate which is never a good thing. Some of us found comfort in online running forums and Facebook groups where we exchanged squeaker times and the probability of getting in, or lack thereof. There was a calming reassurance in bonding with other lunatic runners - affectionately speaking of course. And just like that, the 18 hours a day online looking for news was perfectly acceptable. So was the occasional feeling of an overwhelming urge to vomit, watching television in the fetal position, binge eating doughnuts, running off nervous energy 2-3 times per day, or polishing off a 12 pack or bottle of wine for good measure. Really, it was all good this week...
All of a sudden the 5 seconds stopped to give a thumbs up on the way to the finish seemed relevant. So did the 30 seconds spent walking through those final water stops or that one potty break at mile 15. That slight headwind that slowed us down, the heat on that particular race day, or the breakfast that didn't settle the way it had so many times before. As squeakers we don't even count seconds but this week seconds were all that mattered. There are only a few people that can relate to such a quirky obsession that 30 seconds of a 3+ hour race matter but when you find a group of those people it's complete validation for such insanity.
For what seemed like days on end the squeaker contingent waited with fingers crossed unable to concentrate on anything else. We waited.......and waited.......and waited. Finally on Wednesday after nearly 5 long, and I do mean LONG days after registration officially ended the news came from the BAA. The cutoff for the much anticipated 2014 race was 1:38 faster than the qualifying standards. The end result was that entry into the 2014 Boston Marathon required a qualifying time 1:38 faster than the 'standard' for to get that red, white, or blue bib. I was lucky enough to be one of the squeakers that made cut but unfortunately I had a number of friends that weren't so lucky. I would go on to enjoy an amazing Boston experience with the support of my family, friends, and several of those squeakers that were squeezed out in 2014.
So here we are once again in what is becoming an annual rite of passage for Boston squeakers. Registration ended yesterday with a release from the BAA stating that the field size was at capacity. The wording was a bit cryptic, ambiguous, vague....or any number of other words to describe the fact that a world of squeakers are left wondering if they're in. In the spirit of full disclosure I was able to register last week and have already received my confirmation but my heart goes out to those still on the fence. The announcement could come any minute but the only time commitment made by the BAA is that runners would receive word by the middle of next week. And trust me, the wait becomes longer and more excruciating with every passing day!
In the grand scheme of things this is just a race and as squeakers we aren't defined by how fast we are but by the resolve we've shown to chase our dreams. But make no mistake - we're proud but not arrogant, confident but never satisfied, and we're fast. We aren't elite or sub-elite and never will be for that matter but we unassumingly give everything we have for a chance to toe the line with the best runners in the world. I'm a squeaker and there are no two ways about it but given the company I'm in I'm totally fine with that. My fingers are crossed and I'm hoping against hope that all of 'my people' get to make the trip to Boston next year where the squeakers will be throwing the biggest party imaginable in the Athlete's Village when April 20th rolls around.
Good luck to all and run on!
No comments:
Post a Comment