116th Boston Marathon®
Date:
Monday, April 16, 2012
Patriots' Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Time:
9:00 a.m.: Mobility Impaired Program start
9:17 a.m.: Push Rim Wheelchair Division start
9:22 a.m.: Handcycle Participants start
9:32 a.m.: Elite Women's start
10:00 a.m.: Elite Men's start and First Wave
10:20 a.m.: Second Wave
10:40 a.m.: Third Wave
Distance:
26 miles, 385 yards (42.195 Kilometers)
Principal Sponsor:
John Hancock Financial Services
Organizer:
Boston Athletic Association
The Course:
The legendary Boston Marathon course follows a point-to-point route from rural Hopkinton to Boston and is certified per the guidelines set forth by the IAAF and USA Track and Field.
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 Push Rim Wheelchair: Ernst Van Dyk (South Africa), 1:18:27, 2004
Women's Push Rim Wheelchair: Wakako Tsuchida, (Japan), 1:34:06, 20111
2011 Champions:
Men's Open: Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya), 2:03:02
Women's Open: Caroline Kilel (Kenya), 2:22:36
Men's Masters: Migidio Bourifa (Italy), 2:13:45
Women's Masters: Larisa Zyusko (Russia), 2:34:22
Men's Push Rim Wheelchair: Masazumi Soejima (Japan), 1:18:50
Women's Push Rim Wheelchair: Wakako Tsuchida (Japan), 1:34:06
To Qualify:
Participants must have run a qualifying time on or after September 25, 2010, at a certified marathon. All participants must adhere to the guidelines set forth by the B.A.A., USA Track and Field or foreign equivalent, and Wheelchair Sports USA. Qualifying times must be met in competitions observing these same rules. Proof of qualification must accompany the application. Participants must be 18 years or older on race day.
Field Size:
The field size limit is 27,000 official participants.
Qualifying Times:
| Age Group | Men | Women |
| 18–34 | 3:10 | 3:40 |
| 35–39 | 3:15 | 3:45 |
| 40–44 | 3:20 | 3:50 |
| 45–49 | 3:30 | 4:00 |
| 50–54 | 3:35 | 4:05 |
| 55–59 | 3:45 | 4:15 |
| 60–64 | 4:00 | 4:30 |
| 65–69 | 4:15 | 4:45 |
| 70–74 | 4:30 | 5:00 |
| 75–79 | 4:45 | 5:15 |
| 80 and Older | 5:00 | 5:30 |
Push Rim Wheelchair Qualifying Times:
| Class | Age Group | Men | Women |
| Open (Classes 3 & 4) | 18–39 | 2:00 | 2:25 |
| 40–49 | 2:15 | 2:40 | |
| 50 and Over | 2:30 | 2:55 | |
| Quad (Classes 1 & 2) | 18–39 | 2:45 | 3:10 |
| 40–49 | 3:00 | 3:25 | |
| 50 and Over | 3:15 | 3:40 |
Qualifying times are based upon age on race day.
Blind/Visually Impaired Division
The qualifying time is 5:00 hours for visually impaired athletes (men and women) classified T11, T12,
and T13.
Mobility Impaired Program
Individuals with physical impairments that affect their ability to ambulate who would not otherwise qualify for entry in other divisions, may be granted the following extended qualifying times:
- The qualifying time is 6:00 hours for individuals who, because of the nature of their disability, have
difficulty ambulating. - The qualifying time is 8:00 hours for individuals who, because of the nature of their disability, need
mobility aids such as prosthetics, leg braces, or crutches to ambulate.
All other individuals with disabilities must follow entry procedures and qualifying standards of either the B.A.A. or the established qualifying standard from the recognized disability sports organization.
Boston Marathon Public Relations Contacts
Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.)
40 Trinity Place, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
www.baa.org
Jack Fleming
[email protected]
Phone: 617-235-1652, ext. 2627
Fax: 617-236-4505
Marc Davis
[email protected]
Phone: 617-236-1652, ext. 2633
Fax: 617-236-4505
For John Hancock, including its Elite Athlete Program
P.O. Box 111
Boston, MA 02117
[email protected]
Phone: 617-663-4748
Fax: 617-663-4790