In 2013, Molly Kreter didn’t even know what a “BQ” was.
She started running after her sister, a marathoner herself, advised seeking out the local running community in New York City to help wriggle out of a rut she couldn’t quite shake. After completing New York Road Runners 9+1 program—and finding her stride (quite literally)—Kreter ran the 2014 New York City Marathon, finishing with a time of 4:15:54.
She was ecstatic. A year prior, she could barely run a few miles. But even before the soreness in her quads began to fade, she started getting questions: “Are you going to try for a BQ?”
Kreter has since crossed the finish lines of countless marathons, many in pursuit of the elusive “BQ”—or the time qualifying standard runners must accomplish to apply for a spot in the Boston Marathon. Her quest to run under the 2019 qualifying time for women under 35 (3 hours and 35 minutes), for example—a standard she wasn’t even aware of in 2014—became part of her identity, morphing into an endeavor equal parts physical and emotional.
Striving for years to run an arbitrary time goal may seem absurd to those outside of the running community, but Kreter’s obsession is well-understood among running groups and track clubs alike.
Why? Because it’s Boston. That’s why.
“For the recreational marathon runner, the Boston Marathon is the pinnacle of the sport,” Justin Ross, Psy.D., a licensed clinical psychologist and runner, explains. “It’s the Super Bowl and the Olympics rolled into one major event. For many, it’s a rite of passage, and a standard that shifts identity from a hobby jogger status to reflecting more of a passionate pursuit.”
The Boston Marathon is known amongst the running community as the most iconic race experience a runner can have. Year after year, runners from around the world flock to participate in the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston—some for the first time, and some for the umpteenth consecutive year.
There’s a lot that makes this race special. It’s the oldest annual marathon in America with a rich history that includes playing a key role in the first American running boom during the 1970s. What started with just 15 runners in 1897 has morphed into a spectacle that, today, includes 30,000 participants and over one million spectators.
The elite field showcases some of the best talent in the world, and the crowd support is unwavering. The course is a challenging one made even more unpredictable by the spring weather. And it’s exclusive: Runners must either qualify or apply with a charity team to vie for the opportunity to toe the starting line in Hopkinton.
The Boston Athletic Association caps the race field at 30,000 participants, which, compared to New York City’s 50,000-plus finishers, is small. Since qualifiers make up about 80 percent of the race field, the will to run within the golden time standard is strong … like, Boston strong.
“The fact that you can only get into the Boston Marathon by qualifying or fundraising is a significant thing,” says Dan Fitzgerald, co-founder of Heartbreak Hill Running Company and running coach. “The race is prestigious; it has lore; it has a history. The qualifying standard is a reasonable reach for recreational runners, and for many, it’s the only way in.”
Boston’s qualifying times correspond to an athlete’s age and gender and increase with age. However, running under the strict time standards doesn’t actually guarantee you’ll have a spot in next year’s race due to the limited field size. Because of high registration rates, there’s usually a cutoff time that is faster than the standard. Last year, runners had to be 5 minutes and 29 seconds quicker than their respective standards to nab a spot, and 11,039 runners qualified, but didn’t get a bib.
The system is unique, and unparalleled. Qualifying standards for guaranteed entry exist for other marathons such as New York City and Chicago, but each race also offers a lottery system that gives everyone a chance to participate. And while the charity program is just as much a part of the legacy of the Boston Marathon as the qualifying component, the truth is, runners care about how you got into the race.
Some runners’ fixation on BQ-ing is, at times, considered perverse. It took Oakland-based runner Arturo Fernandez, for example, three marathons—including just missing the cut off time for his 3:05:00 standard with a 3:01:04—before securing his spot for 2019 with a 2:45:00 at the 2018 San Francisco Marathon.
Beyond earning the right to wear the elite Boston jacket that serves as a unique status symbol within the community, runners are intrinsically obsessed with numbers, Ross points out, making qualifying times even more enticing.
“Not only are runners great at numbers chasing, but we also put such significance on certain reference points,” Ross says. “Research reviewing nearly 10 million marathon finishing times shows clusters of finishers just ahead of specific, clearly defined time reference points, like 4 hours or 3 hours and 30 minutes.”
This isn’t because human beings are somehow better able to run a 3:59 versus a 4:01 marathon, Ross explains. It happens because runners make time standards matter, and we craft training plans based on them. Case in point: There are specific Runner’s World Training Plans to help you break time standards from three to five hours and smash your goals.
Plus, high expectations among peers add fuel to the fire, as per Kreter’s experience. When she began training for her second marathon, it seemed everyone around her expected her to go for a BQ. After multiple failed attempts, Kreter felt destroyed by the sport she once loved.
“It wasn’t even that I was sick of disappointing myself anymore, I was sick of disappointing the people telling me I was going to BQ and then failing them,” she explains. “People were checking my race times before even wishing me congratulations.”
For the amateur runner, nothing says, ‘I have running talent’ quite like qualifying for Boston, explains Ben Oliva, a mental performance coach for SportStrata.
“Runners like to set goals, and the BQ times are goals set by the competitive running community that seem to mean, ‘This is how fast we think a worthy competitor in our community can run,’” he says. “I think many runners are enticed by the idea that they will be accepted into this elite community by qualifying.”
Unfortunately, many BQ attempts are unsuccessful, meaning there are a lot of runners devastated at the finish line. For those currently hot on the trail of a BQ, Oliva advises checking in with yourself to ensure your pursuit is a healthy one. If setbacks turn into self-loathing and extended periods of depressed mood, you might want to reconsider your goals.
“A healthy pursuit of the goal is about wanting to reach it because it’s fun to push yourself,” Oliva says. “Unhealthy pursuit is about needing to reach this goal because if you don’t, you’re a failure as a person.”
Before developing a ‘BQ or bust,’ mentality, Fitzgerald advises athletes who come to him with the desire to run Boston to get faster than they currently are first, before zeroing in on qualifying times.
“The qualifying times have nothing to do with anything other than they are these arbitrary numbers,” Fitzgerald says. “Runners need to get faster in steps.”
Sure, the numbers may be random, but that doesn’t stop Kreter from feeling chills when she thinks about her past attempts at a BQ, like at the 2018 Jack & Jill Downhill Marathon in Snoqualmie, Washington. It was her 12th attempt, and finally, a successful one.
“I crossed the finish line and the announcer screamed, ‘Molly, you just qualified for Boston!’ and I broke down in tears,” Kreter says. “I’ve run 11 marathons and proudly failed, not including my first marathon. But in that moment, everything I’d been doing—all 12 attempts—it was all worth it.”
Erin Kelly is a writer, run coach and doctor of physical therapy who is passionate about crafting compelling stories, running for her mental health, and helping individuals reach their athletic (and personal!) goals.