Last-minute Boston marathon qualifiers

Registration for the Boston Marathon opens on Sept. 8 and with it comes the closing date to run a qualifying time. If you’re hoping to run the 2015 race but haven’t run the standard, there are a few last-minute options around Canada where you can enter a race to take a swing at your standard before the deadline.

Run the Rock

You’ll have to bring the ferry in, but this Texada Island marathon is one of the only remaining options to run a Boston qualifier in B.C. The event is being held on Aug. 24 and you can register up until Aug. 21.

It is a beautiful course on the small island tucked between the mainland and Vancouver Island, but it isn’t the fastest course. As the name suggests, the route is hilly.

Edmonton Marathon

The Edmonton marathon will be held on Aug. 24 with a late registration deadline of Aug. 21, meaning there is still time to get signed up and chase standard in Alberta. The marathon has 700 entry spots.

The race is relatively flat and runs two different loops that show off the city’s parks and neighbourhoods along the North Saskatchewan river. It also hosts a race expo the day before the event.

Queen City Marathon

In classic Regina fashion, the Queen City Marathon offers the prairies a pancake-flat course to try and run a qualifying time on. Deadline to enter the event is Sept. 2 and the race will be held on the last day you can qualify, Sept. 7.

The evening before is a health and fitness expo along with a pre-race pasta dinner. There are 500 spaces available for marathon runners.

Treherne Marathon – Run for the Hills

The Treherne Marathon offers Winnipeg runners a last-minute option for hitting standard on Sept. 7 in the small town of about 700. The race only sells 50 race bibs for the marathon, so there is no guarantee it won’t sell out before the Sept. 3 deadline, but there does seem to still be space available. The course runs through the town’s scenic Tiger Hills.

Treherne offers all the amenities a prepared runner needs, but don’t expect to find anything too specific.

The Canadian Evening Marathon Run

Part of Ottawa’s Canadian Weekend running event, this event offers Ontario runners a shot at a Boston qualifier on Aug. 30, a Saturday. It start at the city’s terry Fox Athletic Facility and is run after the weather cools down in the evening. You can even register on race day at the start line, although it will cost a bit more and is only payable in cash.

Marathon des Deux Rives SSQ

Quebec City’s highlight running event is held on Aug. 24 and registration closes on Aug. 19, meaning there is still time to book a spot. With 1,500 marathon race bibs available, you shouldn’t have too much trouble getting a spot and the course’s net downhill route makes it a great choice for hitting standard.

The event is one of the province’s premiere running events and offers an entire weekend of running with plenty of other race distances. The race shows of the city’s beautiful river banks on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Yarmouth Bean There. Ran That

This East Coast qualifier is open for registration until Aug. 21 and will be run on Aug. 24, but you only get a race shirt if you’re signed up by Aug. 6, which is now behind us.

The course is an out and back route that turns around at the Nova Scotia town’s lighthouse overlooking the Bay of Maine.