Registration & Acceptance To The 2019 Boston Marathon

On the first hour of the scheduled registration day for runners who are faster than 20 minutes or more on their qualifying time for the Boston Marathon, I filled up my Registration Form for the 2019 Boston Marathon on or about 10:00 PM September 10, 2018, Monday (Manila Time) and sent it immediately. I immediately received a reply letter via e-mail that my Registration Form had been accepted and I had to wait for the confirmation or acceptance to the said event. I immediately checked the balance of my Debit Card and I found out that I was deducted the Peso equivalent amount for the $250 US registration fee for International Runners which I positively consider as a good sign that I will be accepted to join this event.

I was able to qualify to join the 123rd Edition Boston Marathon when I finished the 2017 Revel Canyon City Marathon Race held on November 4, 2017 in Azusa, California. I did not expect to finish the race in sub-4 hours and it was my goal to finish the race within my qualifying time of 4:10 hours. Since the first half of the marathon distance was downhill, I took the risk to let the weight of my body and my leg turn-over to dictate my pace and when I saw an opportunity for me to finish in sub-4 hours, I just maintained my pace and made sure that I would never have any muscle cramps which would slow down my pace. For the record, I was able to cross the finish line in 3:46:06, which is 23:54 minutes faster than my qualifying time of 4:10 hours. And as a bonus, I was the First Place Runner for the Age Category of 65-69 years old.

It took me a lot of years and marathon races to qualify for the Boston Marathon and I finally made it when it was time that I did not expect it. For a passionate runner, being able to qualify and join the Boston Marathon is, I think, the pinnacle of Road Racing. Boston Marathon is the Holy Grail of Road Marathon Racing for being the oldest Marathon Race in the USA and most prestigious Marathon In The World! This makes me a Legitimate Qualifier of the event and not as a Corporate Sponsored or Charity Runner.

After two days since I registered for the race, I finally received a Confirmation Letter that I will be joining the race on April 15, 2019 through e-mail and I was advised to wait for the Formal Letter of Acceptance to join the race through the Post Mail.

I have already bought my Round Trip Plane Ticket from Los Angeles to Boston and back and had already arranged for my accommodation during my stay in Boston. My Round Trip Plane Ticket from Manila to Los Angeles and back will be purchased before the end of this year.

I have already started my training on the very first day of this month of September. It will be through this blog that I will be posting my thoughts, training and preparation for the 2019 Boston Marathon.

I will keep you posted on my daily training and activities even if I have some local and international road and trail races that will be part of my training prior to the said event. Join me in this journey.