116th Boston Marathon qualifier: 1 minute 14 seconds under cutoff
The 2012 Boston Marathon was the first year a qualifying time alone did not guarantee entry: the cutoff landed at 1 minute 14 seconds under standard, 3,228 qualified runners were turned away, and then near record heat turned race day into a survival test.
What made 2012 notable
The 2012 Boston Marathon marked the moment a Boston Qualifying time stopped guaranteeing a start. Facing an eight-hour sellout the year before, the BAA introduced rolling registration that let the fastest qualifiers apply first, then applied a cutoff for the first time. The cutoff came in at 1 minute 14 seconds under standard, so 3,228 runners who had cleared the qualifying time still missed out, needing to be that much faster to get in. Race day then delivered near record heat, climbing toward the high 80s Fahrenheit, with temperatures touching 89. The BAA emailed all 26,716 entrants offering a deferral to 2013. Wesley Korir won in 2:12:40 and Sharon Cherop took the women's race in 2:31:50.
Qualifier pool over time
Age-group qualifying times
View full age-group BQ standards
| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 03:10:00 | 03:40:00 |
| 35-39 | 03:15:00 | 03:45:00 |
| 40-44 | 03:20:00 | 03:50:00 |
| 45-49 | 03:30:00 | 04:00:00 |
| 50-54 | 03:35:00 | 04:05:00 |
| 55-59 | 03:45:00 | 04:15:00 |
| 60-64 | 04:00:00 | 04:30:00 |
| 65-69 | 04:15:00 | 04:45:00 |
| 70-74 | 04:30:00 | 05:00:00 |
| 75-79 | 04:45:00 | 05:15:00 |
| 80+ | 05:00:00 | 05:30:00 |
Questions about the 2012 qualifier
What was the 2012 Boston Marathon qualifier cutoff?
1 minute 14 seconds under each age-group standard. The 116th Boston was the first year the BAA applied a cutoff beneath the qualifying times, so a Boston Qualifying time no longer guaranteed entry.
How many qualifiers missed out on the 116th Boston?
3,228 runners who had met a qualifying standard were turned away, the first time in the event's history that qualified applicants were rejected for field-size reasons. Entry required beating the age-group standard by at least 1 minute 14 seconds.
When was the 2012 Boston registration window?
Open 12 September 2011, closed 23 September 2011, using rolling registration that let the fastest qualifiers apply first. Acceptance was announced 26 September 2011.
Why is the 2012 Boston Marathon remembered?
Two reasons. It was the first race run under rolling registration with a cutoff beneath the qualifying standards, and race day brought near record heat into the high 80s Fahrenheit. The BAA offered all 26,716 entrants a deferral to 2013, and Wesley Korir won in 2:12:40.