The 116th Boston Marathon - Race Day Schedule
Monday, April 16, 2012

Video Coverage | Elite Athlete Entries | RESULTS

Start TImes (subject to change; from baa.org website):

Start time (ET)	Approx. No. of Entrants	Bib Color
Mobility Impaired: 9:00 a.m.	6
Wheelchair Division: 9:17 a.m.	30
Handcycles: 9:22 a.m.	24
Elite Women: 9:32 a.m.	50
Elite Men & Wave One: 10:00 a.m.	9,000	Red
Wave Two: 10:20 a.m.	9,000	White
Wave Three: 10:40 a.m.	9,000	Blue

DISTANCE: 26 miles, 385 yards (42.195 Kilometers)

 

Eligibility and Qualifying

Qualifiers for the 116th Boston Marathon must meet the designated time standard that corresponds to their age group. Qualifying performances must be run on or after September 25, 2010 in marathons which have been certified by USA Track and Field or foreign equivalent 

The B.A.A. Boston Marathon is a serious athletic endeavor. Official timing and scoring is done by net time and ceases at about 4:45 p.m., at which time the course is opened to vehicular traffic. By entering the Boston Marathon, runners agree to comply with the terms and conditions set forth by the B.A.A. Registered runners must understand and acknowledge:

• the cities and towns control access to the roadway, and traffic control and other race support along the course ends shortly after 10:50 a.m. in Hopkinton and ending at 4:45 p.m. in Boston;
• deferment of entry into the next year's race will not be accepted for any reason;
• the B.A.A. does not assume responsibility for runners health, safety, security, or support;
• they are able to complete the entire 26.2 mile B.A.A. Boston Marathon course within six hours (net time);
• they will not begin racing prior to their assigned start time;
• they will not compete in a manner which, in the judgement of the race officials, interferes with race operations, other participants, or the integrity of the competition;
• they will not reproduce or alter their official bib number;
• they will not transfer their official bib number or timing device - or their right to obtain it - to anyone or any organization for any purpose, including charity auction, lottery, or other fund-raising effort;
• they will adhere to the rules of the IAAF, USATF and the B.A.A. 

Qualifying standards can be found on our Qualifying Page. 

Age on April 16, 2012 determines qualifying time. Age group on the day of the qualifying race may differ.

• The B.A.A. accepts net times from electric timing and scoring systems.
• Athletes are 18-years or older on April 16, 2012.
• The B.A.A. reserves the right to reject any entry, issue special invitations, cancel the race, expand or further limit the field, or adjust the entry procedures.
• Seeding is based on qualifying times, which are subject to review and verification.
• No proof of qualifying is necessary in advance of registration. Applicants must provide date and name of their qualifying race along with their official finish time when their application is submitted. The B.A.A. will verify all qualifying times before granting acceptance.

Amenities
All entrants receive admission to the pre-race pasta party and post-race party, race program and results booklet, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and transportation to the start. Finishers receive a commemorative medallion.

Timing 
Since 1996, the Boston Marathon has employed an electronic timing system to track runners as they cross the start and finish lines. Digital clocks displaying elapsed time are located at every mile and five-kilometer marker.

Deferment of entry into the next year's race will not be accepted for any reason.

Third Wave Start:

Working in cooperation with the Town of Hopkinton and the Hopkinton Marathon Committee, the B.A.A. has three waves of mass participatory starters. Each wave will include approximately 9,000 official entrants, and each wave will be identified by its background bib color in a coordinated, patriotic color scheme: Wave One (red bibs), Wave Two (white bibs), and Wave Three (blue bibs).

The three-wave start will not increase the field size of the 2012 Boston Marathon.

In recent years, the field of runners started in approximately two, equally-sized waves.  The addition of a third wave enables the B.A.A. to divide the field into three, smaller, equally-sized waves. The result will be a more enjoyable race for participants, many of whom gear their entire recreational lives around running the Boston Marathon.  Fewer runners in each wave allows for more orderly loading and staging in the corral system pre-race, and – after the race begins – less density not only in the early miles but also throughout the entire 26.2-mile course.

Wave One  will begin at 10:00 a.m. as it has in recent years; Wave Two will begin at 10:20 a.m.; Wave Three will begin at 10:40 a.m.

In 2012, the final, official runner in Wave Three is expected to cross the starting line at approximately 10:50 a.m. Official timing and scoring in the Boston Marathon is held open for six hours after the last, official entrant crosses the starting line. Runners are timed using the net time it takes to run the course which serves as their official time.  The amount of time it takes an official entrant from the starting gun until crossing the starting line does not add to their total time.

Runners in the Boston Marathon are seeded based on their qualifying time with the fastest runners starting closer to the front. For the 2011 race, runners who qualified with a time of approximately 3:22:42 or faster started in Wave One while those who have a qualifying time of approximately 3:45:56 or faster started in Wave Two. Runners with times greater than approximately 3:45:56 started in Wave Three. Exact time breaks for the three waves will be ascertained in two weeks when bib numbering of the field occurs.

Course Records:

• Men's Open: Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya), 2:03:02, 2011
• Women's Open: Margaret Okayo (Kenya), 2:20:43, 2002
• Men's Masters: John Campbell (New Zealand), 2:11:04, 1990
• Women's Masters: Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova (Russia), 2:27:58, 2002
• Men's Wheelchair: Ernst Van Dyk (South Africa), 1:18:27, 2004
• Women's Wheelchair: Wakako Tsuchida (United States), 1:34:06, 2011