For Some Runners, the Last Train for Boston Leaves Pittsburgh May 15

Special bulletin to all Cranberry residents hoping to qualify for the Boston Marathon this year: The Pittsburgh Marathon in May could be your last chance.

The Boston Athletic Association announced this week that it is lowering qualifying times for its 2013 race by five minutes across all age divisions, effective Sept. 24.

In other words, a man age 34 or younger could qualify for Boston 2012  by finishing another marathon by the deadline of Sept. 23 in 3 hours 10 minutes 59 seconds or faster.

But come Sept. 24, that same man would have to complete a marathon in 3 hours and 5 minutes to qualify for the 2013 race. Also, note that I said three hours and 5 minutes flat.

The Boston Athletic Association changed the rule that allowed runners up to 59 seconds slower than the qualifying time to get in. For 2013, you must finish in your qualifying time or faster. Come in even one second slower, and it’s all for naught.

In other words, the BAA isn’t messing around.

As most in the running community do, I have mixed feelings on this decision. I am happy to see Boston looking to reestablish itself as the most elite marathon in the nation.

If you’re not a long-time runner, the analogy I often use to describe Boston is that it’s the Mecca of marathons. True marathoner wants to say they did it at least once. It also is one of the only marathons in the world with a required qualifying time outside of the Olympics.

The qualifying times, which vary by age group, are designed to ensure that only the elite get in. The BAA’s decision this week comes after years of criticism that the qualifying times are not as tough as they used to be in today’s modern world filled with advanced training techniques and sports science.

The decision also may serve to alleviate some recent registration problems in Boston. Last year, the registration closed within 8 hours, leaving some runners who finally qualified after a lifetime of trying on the outside looking in.

Still, I can’t help but feel a little miffed. One of my goals for 2011 was to qualify for the 2012 Boston Marathon. I knew it most likely would not happen at Pittsburgh, as our local race has one too many hills for me to have a decent shot at it. But I was hoping to use Pittsburgh as a springboard to running a faster course like the one Akron in the fall.

But the Akron Marathon is on Sept. 24 this year — the first day of the new standards. Five minutes may not seem like much to the casual observer, but those who are experienced at running know that as you progress to the faster levels of the sport, you have to fight for each and every second.

If I’m honest with myself, I would have to have an absolutely perfect day to even get down to my current qualifying time of three hours 10 minutes and 59 seconds. By comparison, the time of 3 hours and 5 minutes feels light years away.

When I ran Akron in 2010, I hung around with the 3:10 Boston group for the first 16 miles and then the wheels fell off. The last 10 miles of that race were one of the most miserable experiences of my life.

I still finished in a respectable time, a new personal record by more than 10 minutes, and I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to hang with the “elite” crowd as long as I did. It definitely whet my appetite for the 2011 races, with the ultimate goal of going back to Akron this fall and finishing what I started.

Now, any chance of that pipe dream becoming a reality seems lost.

And so is it for the thousands of good, but not great runners, who may now lose out on the chance to be considered one of the Boston elite.

I have a feeling that’s exactly what the BAA was looking to do. Get rid of the almost-but-not-quite crowd and allow the elite runners who really deserve it to have a spot in the field. While I have my own selfish reasons for being upset, I can’t say I blame them.

If you read my column last week, you know that to attempt a new personal record in May. I am far too behind in training to have a chance, and the tougher Pittsburgh course only adds to the difficulty.

But I felt obligated to share this news with you, Patch reader, because it may not be too late for you. If you're on the borderline of qualifying for Boston, you may want to ramp up your training for Pittsburgh, starting right now. Because come Sept. 24, that carrot on a stick is going to move a little further away.