FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Registration Now Closed for the 2013 Boston Marathon®
BOSTON - The Boston Athletic Association today announced that registration
for the 2013 Boston Marathon® has closed, and applications for entry are no
longer being accepted.
Registration began on September 10 and were accepted on a rolling admission
basis through Thursday morning, October 11. For the second year,
registration for the Boston Marathon allowed the fastest runners to enter
early during the process, resulting in an orderly system.
The 117th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 15, 2013 (Patriots'
Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts), and for the 28th consecutive
year, John Hancock Financial will be the principal sponsor of the event.
Prior to having submitted an application for the Boston Marathon, an
entrant first must have attained a qualifying standard by running a
certified marathon within a designated amount of time which corresponds to
age and gender. Qualifying performances are verified prior to confirmation
of acceptance as an official entrant into the race. The B.A.A.'s
qualifying standards and entry process are unique to the Boston Marathon
and affirm the race's claim as the world's most prestigious road race.
Due to an increased demand by runners in recent years to participate in the
Boston Marathon and for the first time since the 1990 race, the qualifying
times for all age groups and both genders were adjusted and made more
stringent by five minutes.
"While we would like to accept everyone who has qualified and would like to
run, field size limits are in effect to ensure the best possible event
experience for all," said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director. "We
congratulate the many runners who met the challenge of running a personal
best in order to qualify for the 2013 Boston Marathon, and we wish the best
of luck to those who will be running marathons this weekend and throughout
the fall with the hope of qualifying for the 2014 Boston Marathon. We are
honored they have made running our race one of their athletic goals, and we
admire their commitment to their own running."
The field size for the 2013 Boston Marathon has been set at 27,000 official
entrants, which is the same as the field size limit for the most recent two
years. Eighty percent of the field is comprised of athletes who have met
the qualifying standards. The balance consists of invitational entrants,
many of whom run for local charitable organizations. In 2013, the B.A.A.
will mark the 25th year of its Official Charity Program for the Boston
Marathon. Since 1989, between the B.A.A.'s program and principal sponsor
John Hancock Financial's Non-Profit Bib Program for the Boston Marathon,
more than $150 million has been fund raised for charity, placing the event
as one of the most important civic and community events to occur annually
in the United States.
The qualifying window for the 2014 Boston Marathon began on September 22,
2012. The registration dates for that year's race have not yet been
established.
About the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.)
Established in 1887, and now in its 125th year, the Boston Athletic
Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of managing
athletic events and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports,
especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston Marathon is the world's oldest
annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and
supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs.
Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John
Hancock Financial. The Boston Marathon is part of the World Marathon Majors
along with the Virgin London Marathon, BMW Berlin Marathon, Bank of America
Chicago Marathon, and the ING New York City Marathon. Nearly 50,000
runners will participate in B.A.A. events in 2012.
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