I don't care what people want to call their PR because that doesn't affect me.

At least I signed up for mine because I wanted to run UT this year, rather than PR or BQ.  I would feel the same way if I miss running Boston because 20% of the qualifiers did a course like this or something. It's just a bonus that most of the races there are downhill.

 

Done. I opted for proximity, because I'm worth it. It was the cheapest close one anyway.

Proximity FTW

 

I think the difference with you is that you could go outside right now and run a BQ, so you're not doing this race just to get around being unable to otherwise run a BQ.  It annoys me that people like me and Dave miss the Boston cutoff while 500 people who BQ'd at the Mt Charleston Marathon got in.

 

I don't care what people want to call their PR because that doesn't affect me.

Yeah, it would piss me off too. That is why I do not like the Boston way of doing this. Just make the damn BQs 5 minutes faster, or 10 minutes faster if you must, but if I get in by 1 second, I'm still in.

You're right, for me it's just for the PR. I'm pretty sure I would PR on a flat course right now, but I'd like to get a good time. Although very unlikely, especially with the HM I just ran that gave me a reality check, but I'm training for a sub3 marathon here. I might not even go for sub3 on race morning, as it depends on how everything goes until then, but the downhill course is keeping the dream alive.

I (kinda) know the guy who ran the fastest marathon in Canada for the 50 yo and over in 2017, and he says that the course gives you about 2 minutes over an average marathon. That is if you race it well.

2 minutes that are keeping the dream alive. But the same 2 minutes that are pissing other BQ candidates off.

 

Well this doesn't solve the issue at hand.

Kinda. It would be you against a given fixed time instead of you against a moving line. But I see your point.

Then it would be for the BAA to not give accreditations to some marathons that are considered cheating. If they don't do that, of course people are going to race those.

 

Right. That's the solution, of course the tricky part is deciding/defining what is considered too much of a downhill. Of course the target race is also a downhill, heh.

The problem is that although the course is nothing beautiful, the start is at 10 AM (for wave 2), you have a school bus ride of 26 miles in the morning, you have to wait for about two hours by a high school on wet grass, it is expensive, hotels are expensive... most runners want to be there. They can do pretty much whatever they want, the 30,000 spots will be filled, easy.

 

Done. I opted for proximity, because I'm worth it. It was the cheapest close one anyway.

Sweet!  Did you order the jacket yet?  What color is it?  Because I haven't seen it yet.  I've been checking the weather but it's a toss up at this point.

 

That would seem hypocritical since Boston is a net downhill course (450 ft drop) and is not record eligible. BQ criteria only require a certified distance, not that it be on a record eligible course. Keep in mind the historical origins of the BQ as well. It was to weed out people who were not adequately trained to run a marathon. If you can run a net downhill, or for that matter one with an assisting tailwind, you fit the demographic they were targeting. If we are discussing aided courses, then any point to point course that has an assisting tailwind the year one runs a BQ, would also be thrown into the mix.

Good points, all.