Are Boston’s Qualifying Times too Easy–For Women?
Registration for the Boston Marathon opens today. As with last year, it is likely that all the slots will be taken and registration closed long before this year’s CIM takes place, effectively making the Boston qualifying time you expect to earn this December to be moot.
Some of the demand for marathon entries is clearly “industry-wide.” For example, our own CIM will sell out very soon. (The website says 325 slots remain as of today.)
The Wall Street Journal has an article on this excess demand for the Boston Marathon, which dares to ask the question of whether the qualifying times for women are too soft.
The Boston Athletic Association pegs the women’s qualifying times at 30-minutes slower than the men’s times, something they established in 1977. More that 30-years have passed. Do women still need this kind of advantage?
What do you think?