Boston Marathon Adopts Wave Start

From David Monti
© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

The Boston Athletic Association (BAA), organizers of the BAA Boston Marathon, announced today that for the 110th edition of their race in 2006 will have a wave start to improve the efficiency of the event. All participants, with the exception of athletes with disabilities and the elite women, will be sent off in two waves of approximately 10,000 runners each separated by a 30 minute gap. The first of the waves will go off at the race's traditional noon starting time, and the second at 12:30. The elite women, which organizers estimated to include 50-70 runners, will go off earlier at 11:31 a.m.

"This improvement will result in a vastly more efficient race," said Dave McGillivray, the event's race director. "This change is all positive and will benefit everything about the Boston Marathon, including our transportation plan and our accommodation of runners in the hours leading up to the race. The effects of this plan will be extensive: we are sensitive to our impact within Hopkinton (the town where the race starts), and this operational innovation addresses the concerns of town residents and officials." Boston has a very narrow start: just two standard lanes of traffic. As the event has grown through the easing of their qualifying standards, the start has become more and more congested. Last year, organizers said, it took half an hour for the last starter to cross the starting line. "Whereas it took the last official runners 30 minutes to cross the starting line last year, this year it will take fewer than 10 minutes for each wave to cross," McGillivray added. "It is important to note that the anticipated net difference in this method versus previous years' 'one gun, one start' is only about 10 minutes, meaning the last runner will be crossing the starting line this year at 12:40 p.m. as compared to 12:30 p.m. last year." Runners will continue to be seeded by qualifying time, and in theory, no runner in the second wave should catch any runner from the first wave. A big departure will be in how awards are given. Non-elite runners will be scored and ranked by their net time, which means that - although they will be starting 30 minutes later than those in the first wave - runners from the second wave will be timed and scored from the time they cross the starting line until the time they cross the finish line. This means that it is possible for one athlete to be racing another he cannot actually see. Prize money winners will continue to be awarded by gun time and all prize money will be awarded to athletes running in the elite womens' race or in the first mass wave. Organizers also announced a minor change to the race route within the last mile. In the 25th mile not far after the runners pass through Kenmore Square, participants will go under Massachusetts Avenue as they make their way along Commonwealth Avenue.

In the past, the course has taken runners across Massachusetts Avenue on Commonwealth Avenue. The change allows for pedestrian and vehicular traffic on Massachusetts Avenue while the race is in progress, providing an outlet in the Back Bay on a major roadway which previously did not exist. Naturally, the course has been remeasured and neither the starting line nor the finish line will need to be moved.

The 110th BAA Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 17.