Marathon and Triathlon Statistics, Analysis and Advice

Over the years, we have gathered databases full of marathon and triathlon information. With that information, we have dug deep to create more than 100 articles featuring charts and analysis that we find interesting or thought provoking. Here are the most popular and the most recent:




Essentials

Toughest/Easiest Races

Best Races

Predicting Outcomes

Chicago Marathon

New York City Marathon

Results Analysis

Misc

Qualify for Boston Marathon: Qualifying Times, Best Races to Qualify, Analysis and Advice

By Raymond Britt -- There is nothing like it in the world. Boston. The Boston Marathon. You'll know what I mean when you get there. But you have to qualify first. We've qualified for and have run Boston 13 consecutive times, and this article takes the best of what I learned, analyzed, and put into action to earn those repeat trips to Boston. It also contains excerpts from our book Boston Marathon: The Legendary Course Guide; proceeds go to charity.
Boston Marathon 2015 Qualifying Times

Here are the rules and regulations related to qualifying for Boston 2015, directly from the race's official site:
  • For the 2015 Boston Marathon, qualifying times must be run on or after September 14, 2013
  • The acceptance of official race entrants will be based on qualifying time, with the fastest qualifiers (in relation to their age and gender) being accepted first until the race is full
  • All qualifying times are subject to review and verification
  • Minimum age requirement for the Boston Marathon is 18 years of age on race day
  • All standards below are based on official submitted net time
  • The qualifying times below are based upon each athlete's age on the date of the Boston Marathon in which they are participating
  • For a list of the top feeder races for the Boston Marathon, click here
  • The Boston Marathon does not designate which races are official Boston Qualifying events. You must contact the race directly to see if they are certified
Unprecedented Interest in Qualifying for Boston 2014 

We've noticed this trend: an absolutely incredible volume of interest in qualifying for Boston 2014. It's on the order of 15 to 20 times greater than any point since 2008. Amazing.


We believe it's an extraordinary sign of the running community's desire to support Boston. They want to come to Boston in
Featured by Competitor Magazine
2014 to defend her honor, take our race back from evil, to prove the spirit of freedom wil prevail over all.

(Near-term implication for race directors: expect a huge surge in marathon entries from new runners wanting to qualify.)

For more, see Boston Marathon Trend: Skyrocketing Google Searches 'Qualify for Boston Marathon' and our analysis as featured by Competitor Magazine online.

Qualifying for Boston 2014 at Boston Marathon 2013


At the time Boston Marathon 2013 was suspended, 17,580 runners had finished, 4,496 runners had reached 24.8 miles and hundreds more may still have been on the course.
  • Of the 17,580 finishers, according to MarathonGuide.com, 10,391 runners, or 59.1%, qualified for Boston 2014
  • In 2010, the percent of Boston finishers that re-qualified for the 2011 race was 41%
  • But . . . qualifying times in 2013 are 5 minutes faster than they were in 2010, and yet percent re-qualifiers are almost identical
  • Further proof that the new 5-minutes-faster qualifying times translate into a field that also runs at least 5 minutes faster in Boston

Note: we do not have the breakout of qualifying results for age groups 0-34 and 35-39, which are combined above as 0-39

Impact of Change to New Boston Marathon Qualifying Times at Chicago Marathon

 For 2013, qualifying times for all age divisions were reduced by 5 minutes (see table above). Continuing the above example, the M40-44 qualifying time is reduced from 3:20:00 to 3:15:00. This change may result in many fewer than 20,081 qualified entrants for 2013. For example, only 6% of Chicago Marathon 2011 finishers beat the new qualifying standard, compared to 8% (Women) and 9.2% (Men) who would have qualified if times hadn't changed.


Qualifying for Boston 2013 at Boston 2012

In years past, around 40% of Boston finishers ran fast enough to qualify for the following years' Boston Marathon. In 2012, only 13% beat the new qualifying times. But the heat was the primary factor in limiting re-qualifiers. If qualifying times hadn't changed for 2013, only 16% would have qualified.
  • Total 2012 Entrants: 26,656 runners entered to run the 2012 Boston Marathon
    • Qualified Runners in Entered in 2012 Race: 20,081 
    • Non-Qualified Runners: 6,575 runners received entry via charity or other entities
  • Total Starters: 22,480 (16% of entrants did not start)
  • Finishers: 21,554 (95.9% of starters); 8,966 Women, 12,588 Men (see 2012 Results Analysis for more detail)
  • Average Finish Time: 4:18:27 (vs 3:51+ 12 Year Average; for more see Avg Finish Times by Age)
  • Boston Finishers Who Ran a 2013 Qualifying Time: 13% overall vs 41% in 2010


Charity Entry: No Qualifying Time Required, in Most Cases

 The Boston Marathon has a long history of relationships with many distinguished charities that serve communities in a variety of ways. Each year, many of these charities are allotted a certain number of entries, which are generally distributed to individuals who raise money or perform other services for their selected charities. In the past, individuals who receive entry to the Boston Marathon via these charities were not required to meet qualifying time standards. For 2012 charity entry, a fundraising minimum of $4,000 seems to be the norm. You can learn more about charities participating in the Boston Marathon here.

Top 50 Races to Qualify for Boston

Most runners who qualify for Boston do so at one of these 50 races. 


RunTri's 25 Toughest/Easiest Marathons

Some races are tougher than others, of course. See our Toughest/Easiest Marathon Analysis for more.


Average Finish Times by Age Group

Digging a little deeper into the overall average finish times above, we've defined average times by age group, for several races on the list. New York Marathon example. See our Stats and Analysis Page for more examples, including Chicago, Marine Corps, and PF Chang's Arizona marathons.



Qualifying for Boston: Chicago Marathon Race Pace Examples

Several of our qualifying runs took place on the Chicago Marathon course. Some races went according to plan, and others went bad, but survived the qualifying limit. Our actual mile-by-mile splits are below.


Predicting Your Full Marathon Time

Many who attempt to qualify will run a half marathon or two. The result from those races hold clues about whether your marathon time might meet qualifying standards. Planning your race strategy, you want to know what your marathon time might be based on your best half marathon. See our Marine Corps Marathon example.


Impact of Weather on Average Race Results

Yes, weather does impact race times, but Boston qualifying times make no exceptions. It's true, what they say -- faster marathons are run when conditions are under 55 degrees. See our Boston Marathon Example.


And more . . .

Ironman Kona Qualifying Times: Comparing 30 Ironman Races



By Raymond Britt -- What finish time do you need to qualify for Kona? It depends on the race you choose, your age group, the number of Kona slots allocated to your age group. Because Ironman races can vary significantly in terms of difficulty, Kona qualifying times can vary widely by race as well.

We've done the analysis to develop the most comprehensive Kona Qualifying Times and Slots analysis on the web, ranging from top-level summary tables to drill-down detail, by race and by age group. We've conducted this analysis annually, and will present stats for 2013, 2011 and 2010 here. If you want to qualify for Kona, these are the times you need to beat. [Also see Ironman Races, Locations, Dates, Kona Qualifying Slots by Event, for the 2013 Season]

Kona Qualifying Times, Slots, and Faster Times by Age Group

 More than 2000 athletes register for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. For most, it's an incredible feat to earn the right to race in Kona.

Of more than 75,000 competitors in 30 Ironman races and 6 Ironman 70.3 events, only about 1800, or 2.5%, will qualify to race with the best of the best, in Ironman's premier championship race.

We're not sure why the World Triathlon Corporation (an excellent and inspiring team that I'm privileged to consult for) has decided to keep many results private.

So we publish here Kona qualifying Times, Slots, and Change in Qualifying Times for the select races willing to share their results. Some terrific performances in these races, and congratulations to all qualifiers. For complete qualifying times for 2011 and 2010, they are further down this post.


The biggest challenge of all: qualifying times are getting faster, in most age groups and most events. On average, qualifying times dropped around 2%this year. That means for example, if it took 10 hours and 30 minutes to qualify in your age group, that 2% improvement means you'll need to finish 13 minutes faster to qualify next year.


In previous years, we presented complete Kona Qualifying Times and Slots comparisons for all Ironman Triathlons in 2011 with some updates for 2012. In preparing the analysis for those posts, we were able to access data for all events.

Unfortunately, this year Kona Qualifying results have not been released for most races on the calendar. Some European and Asia/Pac events proudly shared Kona results; all North American races did not.


Kona Qualifying Races and Times by Age Group: 2011

Kona Qualifying Races and Slots by Age Group: 2011




Kona Qualifying Times Results Analysis By Ironman Races and by Age Groups




Kona Qualifying Races, Slots and Times: 2010

This table outlines 2010 qualifying times for the last qualifier in each division across 25 of the best Ironman triathlons in the world.


If you want to have a chance to qualify for Kona in one of these races, expect that you'll need to be at least as fast as the time in your division on this table. Probably faster; qualifying times get faster every year. See the complete list of Qualifiers and Finish Times by Race and Age Group for complete details. Also see our Analysis of Kona Slots per Age Group and our Allocation of Kona Slots by Event and Age Group graphs.

How do Kona qualifying times compare with average times by age group across all 25 races?




Preparing to Qualify

For advice and guidance, see our complete Complete Kona Coverage, and our book  Qualifying for Kona.
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