More runners hitting Boston Marathon qualifying times: survey

A survey of 10 summer marathons in the U.S. has found that more runners are achieving Boston Marathon qualifying times, possibly as a result of a surge in interest following the bombings at this year’s event.

New England-based running blogger Ray Charbonneau ran a comparison between 2013 and 2012 in the number of finishers and number of Boston qualifiers at 10 summer races between April and July, and discovered that the percentage of those who ran Boston qualifiers rose by 7.8%.

The races included a mix of larger marathons such as Grandmas in Deluth, Minnesota, and smaller events like Lake Wobegon.

“What’s interesting is that while the number of finishers barely increased from one year to the next,” Charbonneau writes, “the percentage of runners who qualified increased at a much higher rate. A mathematician certainly wouldn’t call this data statistically significant, but it might indicate that those who ran summer marathons were more focused on hitting their time.”

Boston Marathon officials have yet to announce the size of the 2014 field. Registration for time qualifiers will open sometime in September, and there’s a good chance those spots will fill up quickly.