Boston Marathon bib numbers, wave assignments released

Excitement is mounting as runners start receiving their bib numbers, wave and corral start times for this year’s Boston Marathon. And with the big day less than four weeks away, it’s time to get familiar with how the start corrals work, especially if you’ll be toeing the line for the first time.

Bib numbers are assigned based on times from runners’ qualifying races, and correspond to four colour-coded waves (red, white, blue or yellow). When you search your bib number, your assigned wave and corral will appear. Within each wave there are eight corrals.

Registrants will receive an email with their bib, wave and corral numbers, but you can also search them on the B.A.A. site. To search for your bib number, click here.

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Bib numbers 101 through 7,700 have run qualifying times faster than 3:07:27 and are in the Red wave, which starts at 10:02 a.m.

Bib numbers 8,000 through 15,600 have run qualifying times between 3:07:27 and 3:27:17 and are in the White wave, which starts at 10:25 a.m.

Bib numbers 16,000 through 23,600 have run qualifying times between 3:27:17 and 3:56:54 and are in the Blue wave, which starts at 10:50 a.m.

Bib numbers 24,000 through 32,500 have run qualifying times greater than 3:56:54 and are in the Yellow wave, which starts at 11:15 a.m.

Bib numbers and corral/wave assignments now available for #Boston2019! The wave breaks are: Wave 1, 2:19:40 to 3:07:27; Wave 2, 3:07:28 to 3:27:17; Wave 3, 3:27:18 to 3:56:54; Wave 4, 3:56:55 and up. To search for your bib number, go to https://t.co/RrT8AxUbYR. #Boston2019 pic.twitter.com/hhvjBv6bGp

— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) March 18, 2019

Speed demons note: speculation on LetsRun.com is that competition for a low corral number is stiffer this year than last year, with runners needing to finish in 2:44:38 or faster to be in the first corral. The course is relatively narrow at the start, and there is a lot of downhill running, so those who have been there before know it can feel very crowded, especially when you factor in many runners’ natural tendency to go fast at the start of the race. 

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Here’s an idea of how competitive Boston is: there will be approximately 1,000 runners squeezed into that coveted first corral (and alternating between fretting about being held back by the crowds and considering it a blessing that it will force them not to go out too fast). Popular wisdom says the crowds start to thin out after the first 5K.