Getting A Number for The Boston Marathon

There are two ways to get an official number for the Boston Marathon - you either gotta burn rubber, or you have to be affiliated with a sanctioned charity.

If you're feeling speedy, here are the qualifying times that will earn you official digits for Boston '09:

AGE GROUP	MEN/WOMEN
18-34	3hrs 10min/3hrs 40min
35-39	3hrs 15min/3hrs 45min
40-44	3hrs 20min/3hrs 50min
45-49	3hrs 30min/4hrs 00min
50-54	3hrs 35min/4hrs 05min
55-59	3hrs 45min/4hrs 15min
60-64	4hrs 00min/4hrs 30min
65-69	4hrs 15min/4hrs 45min
70-74	4hrs 30min/5hrs 00min
75-79	4hrs 45min/5hrs 15min
80 and over	5hrs 00min/5hrs 30min

What about the less fleet of foot? Well, if you're like us, you can (hopefully) hook up with a charity affiliated with the Boston Athletic Association - they begin accepting applications in September '08. Here's a complete list of participating charities, click on the links to learn more:

• Dana Farber Marathon Challenge
• American Liver Foundation - Run For Research
• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Team In Training
• Children's Hospital Boston - Miles for Miracles
• Multiple Sclerosis Society - Marathon Strides Against MS
• Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center
• Habitat for Humanity
• Good Sports Heartbreakers
• Melanoma Foundation of NE - Running for Cover
• Lazarus House
• American Stroke Association - Tedy's Team
• MSPCC
• Boston Living Center
• Boston Partners in Education
• Bottom Line
• Homes for Our Troops
• The Esplanade Association (broken link)
  
• The New England Center for Children

It would be a privilege to run with any of these groups, but what happens if all the available spots get filled? The Marathon frowns on numberless runners, claiming they put a strain on emergency services and water supplies and whatnot (orange slices, I'm guessing).

But numberless is how my father did it the two times he ran in the 1980s, and if we aren't fortunate enough to hook up with one of these charities, numberless is how we're gonna run it in '09. Even if that means we have to bring our own water (and emergency personnel).