Let me start by acknowledging that I am a member of the aggrieved party here. My dream was to run the Boston Marathon, and I spent the last 4 months of 2010 in dedicated and rigorous training with the solitary goal of breaking 3:10 (my age group's standard). On January 16 of this year, I raced with everything I had to post a 3:06:23 at the Rock & Roll Arizona Marathon to (seemingly) achieve my dream of a chance to run the Boston Marathon. That said, let me get to my main point:
I've started a petition to get the B.A.A. to undo their rash changes to the 2012 registration system. Please sign it after reading this post to support our cause.
The Boston Marathon is a goal and dream for most runners, but the Boston Athletic Association has made changes to effectively rip that rightfully earned dream away from a large class of runners: those already qualified for the 2012 race. Under the new rules for the 2012 race, faster runners will get the first opportunity to register, likely leaving the remaining qualifiers out in the cold. For more details, see the B.A.A.'s press release describing the changes here.
I actually think the system is a good one. It is consistent with what makes the Boston Marathon so special: it's a selective race only for the fastest marathoners. With the current mismatch in supply and demand for spots in the race, the B.A.A. felt something had to be done. The 2011 race sold out in a scant 8 hours, forcing recent qualifiers (after November 2010) to wait until the 2012 race.
Because the rules allow qualifying times to have a 2 year 'shelf life', the population of runners qualifying for and anticipating a spot in the 2012 race has already started to grow. Thousands of runners have put themselves through training and toed the line at perhaps the most important race of their careers with a single qualifying standard in mind (the standard issued by the B.A.A. for their age group). This group of runners ran their races thinking they knew the rules: just run the appropriate time, then be responsible enough to register online within a few hours of registration opening. The second objective is relatively easy, especially for disciplined runners accustomed to logging 10 miles before sunrise. However, the first obejctive is a different matter. This system was fair because of it's certainty. Running the qualifying time is the hard part, and there shouldn't be crossed fingers and wishing in the interregnum until registration opens.
Now, the rules are different. Not all qualifying times are created equal. Chances are that no spots will be left for the slowest qualifiers, and if there are spots left, they will be fought for like a loaf of bread in Bolshevik Russia. Under normal circumstances, or races for which qualifying hasn't begun (i.e. the 2013 Boston Marathon), this is actually a mostly fair system. However, trying to rush the changes and implement this policy flatly across all divisions has some serious problems and creates legitimate victims. Here are the main flaws:
Qualifying for the 2012 race has already begun under the old rules
Many who thought they had already put themselves on equal ground with all other qualifiers for the 2012 race now find themselves relegated to fighting for the leftovers of other, faster qualifiers. For example, I qualified a month ago with a 3:06. If I had known at the time that 3:06 would be subordinated to 3:05, you can be certain I would have trained and raced differently. Implementing the new system for the 2012 race is like telling a High School Senior that his SAT score is good enough for admission to his dream school, only to raise the standard when he shows up to orientation.
The graduated registration standards aren't applied evenly
The new system differentiates runners at 20, 10, and 5 minutes under qualifying standards. However, 20 minutes under the Men's 18-34 standard (3 hours 10 minutes) is quite different from the 5+ hours many Women's age groups get, or even the 3 hours 40 minutes that Women 18-34 get. in other words, 18-34 Men have to run 10.5% faster than their qualifying time to get in the earliest registration period, while 70-74 women only have to beat their standard by 6.7%. Over 26.2 miles, this is a big difference. This will result in a field skewed more towards older women than other age groups, as proportionately more of them will have the first chance to register.
The changes may not even be necessary
Another part of the announcement said race fees will rise. This should help alleviate the supply/demand imbalance. Additionally, the 8 hour sell-out has only happened once. What's to say the rush to register for the 2011 race wasn't an aberration? Every trend has its peak; how do we know Boston Marathon participation hasn't reached its peak?
I'm not one to identify flaws in a system without proposing some ideas to compete or at least start a discussion moving towards improvement. Here are some thoughts to start the brainstorming:
Limit spots available in each registration period
If there will be 4 different times people can register, cap the first 3 windows (September 12, 14, & 16) at 5,000 runners on a first-come-first-serve basis, thus guaranteeing at least 7,000 spots to all qualifiers. This way, everyone who thought they did all they had to do to get to Boston will at least have a chance to register.
Raise the fees evenly
Marathon runners are well recognized for their disposable income. Raise the fees by an even amount for all qualifiers to get a sense for the elasticity of demand, and set the fees so demand matches the fixed supply. If someone really wants to run Boston, they can forego one new running shirt a year to pay the higher price.
Raise the fees unevenly
If you're going to treat some qualifiers inequitably, fine, but do it for something that can still be controlled. Charge slower qualifiers more. If I just missed the sub-5 minute cutoff a month ago, I can't go back in time and change the way I trained. However, I can accept that it will cost me a little more to register. That I can handle.
Do nothing
As I noted earlier, one year of immense demand doesn't make a trend. The 2012 race may sell out just as fast, but it also might not. Perhaps with the rebounding economy, people have less time to train and qualify this year than they did last year.
I want to reenforce that I fully understand and support the B.A.A.'s mission of protecting the Boston Marathon for only the fastest. In that light, I have no qualms with the faster qualifying times for the 2013 race. However, by trying to make rushed changes to the 2012 race, they are creating a class of victims that did everything right, only to have the rules changed on them after they could do anything to respond. This is unfair and unjust.
If you agree, please sign my petition urging the B.A.A. to reconsider.
-John
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