Trends Event Boston Marathon 2015

2015 Boston Marathon - Registration for AWD
Athletes With Disabilities will begin registration for the 2015 Boston Marathon on Monday, October 6 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Registration will occur on a “rolling admission” schedule similar to the registration process for Qualifiers, beginning with the fastest from among those who meet the requirements.

REGISTRATION DATES

For athletes with disabilities, registration into the 2015 Boston Marathon will occur on a “rolling admission” schedule similar to the registration process for Qualifiers, beginning with the fastest from among those who meet the requirements.

• On Monday, October 6 at 10:00 a.m., eligible participants who have met the standard for their age and gender by 20 minutes or faster may register.
• On Wednesday, October 8 at 10:00 a.m. ET, if space remains, registration will open for those who have met their qualifying standard by 10 minutes or faster.
• If space remains, registration will open on Friday, October 10 at 10:00 a.m. ET for those who have met their qualifying standard by five minutes or faster.
• Registration will close on Saturday, October 11 at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Within the various areas delineated within the Boston Marathon (see below for field size limits), if space remains after the first week of registration (Monday, October 6 through Saturday, October 11), then registration will re-open for all eligible athletes with disabilities from Monday, October 13 at 10:00 a.m. ET through Wednesday, October 15 at 5:00 p.m. ET. As during the first week of registration, entry during this period (Oct 13-15) will not be first-come, first-served and the fastest from among those who are eligible and who have met the qualification requirements among these submissions will be given entry as space allows.
If space remains after this initial period within the various areas delineated, then on Monday, October 20 registration will reopen to anyone who meets the qualifying standards. Registration will remain open on a first-come, first-served basis until the maximum field size is reached.

2015 BOSTON MARATHON FIELD SIZE LIMITS

For the 2015 Boston Marathon, due to space and safety constraints, field size maximums have been set for Athletes with Disabilities as follows: Wheelchair - 70; Mobility Impaired - 50; Visually Impaired - 70; Hand cycle - 18; and Duo Teams - 6.

HISTORY

The Boston Athletic Association has a proud tradition of extending the challenge of the marathon to people with disabilities. 

Beginning in 1975, when one wheelchair racer completed the distance, the Boston Marathon has helped change public perception and provided opportunity and inspiration to a generation of new athletes. From its inauspicious origins over 35 years ago, the Boston Marathon currently supports a push rim wheelchair division, a visually impaired/blind division and a mobility impaired program.

Following the historic breakthrough in 1975, the Boston Athletic Association embraced this competition and incorporated it as part of the Boston Marathon. The push rim wheelchair division quickly became a focal point of local, national and world interest.

In accordance with the existing divisions of the Boston Marathon, the push rim wheelchair division similarly adopted a set of realistic qualifying times that have served to motivate aspiring athletes. With the exceptions of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Boston Marathon is the only race in the world requiring a qualifying time. With the emphasis on performance, the push rim wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon has witnessed an unparalleled level of excellence in the form of world, national and personal best performances.

The introduction of prize money in 1986 enhanced the competition, and provided the push rim wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon with the richest prize purse in the sport.
This athletic phenomenon and subsequent successes of the push rim wheelchair division provided hope and possibility to additional audiences with physical disabilities, who were eager to accept the challenge of the marathon distance.

By the mid 1980’s, the B.A.A. established a visually impaired/blind division and a mobility impaired program. In each of these new components of the marathon, realistic standards and criteria of competition have been established for all concerned.

To date, more than one thousand people with different disabilities have competed in the wheelchair division of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon, while the visually and mobility impaired divisions have provided access to a growing number of additional athletes.