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Marathon Monday is quickly approaching, and all eyes will be on the 30,000 people set out to achieve the feat of crossing the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 21.
As runners get ready to toe the starting line in Hopkinton, the color of their bibs offer a distinct detail for the order in which they will take off on the course.
Here's what these colors mean and their significance on race day.
Runners participating in the Boston Marathon will don bibs of red, white, blue or yellow. These are correlated to the wave runners will be in to start the race.
Bib numbers 201-8,499 are red, signifying Wave 1, which has a start time of 10 a.m.
Runners 8,500-16,999, in white, are Wave 2 and start at 10:25 a.m.
Blue is for bib numbers 17,000-25,499 and represent Wave 3, beginning at 10:50 a.m.
Lastly will be Wave 4 at 11:15 a.m. for runners with yellow bibs numbered 25,500-33,999.
More: When is the Boston Marathon 2025? What to know about the historical race
On each bib is a number that designates the runner's corral for the start line. Each wave is broken down into these corrals to further organize the beginning of the race with the vast number of participants.
According to the Boston Athletic Association, bib numbers are given according to qualifying times so that runners will be in a corral and wave with others of similar times. In order to qualify, runners must achieve a qualifying time in a certified marathon and submit to the BAA for consideration of the Boston Marathon. These times are then used to sort runners into correlating waves.
The qualifying times vary from year to year, and not every runner who makes a qualifying time will be entered into the Boston Marathon in order to keep the field size from becoming too large. The cap is typically around 30,000.
Runners that have entered into the race through the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program are not assigned entries based on times. They typically fall within the yellow Wave 4 category, but it varies based on what entry numbers each charity is given.
Numbers 1-200 are reserved for runners in the elite category who will start in their own waves, however their bibs can have their name across them rather than displaying the number itself.
This year, the Boston Marathon will take place on Monday, April 21, which is also the 250th anniversary of Patriots' Day. It is the 129th Boston Marathon.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: What do the colors on Boston Marathon bibs mean?
Continue reading...
As runners get ready to toe the starting line in Hopkinton, the color of their bibs offer a distinct detail for the order in which they will take off on the course.
Here's what these colors mean and their significance on race day.
What do Boston Marathon bib colors mean?
Runners participating in the Boston Marathon will don bibs of red, white, blue or yellow. These are correlated to the wave runners will be in to start the race.
Bib numbers 201-8,499 are red, signifying Wave 1, which has a start time of 10 a.m.
Runners 8,500-16,999, in white, are Wave 2 and start at 10:25 a.m.
Blue is for bib numbers 17,000-25,499 and represent Wave 3, beginning at 10:50 a.m.
Lastly will be Wave 4 at 11:15 a.m. for runners with yellow bibs numbered 25,500-33,999.
More: When is the Boston Marathon 2025? What to know about the historical race
Boston Marathon qualifying times
On each bib is a number that designates the runner's corral for the start line. Each wave is broken down into these corrals to further organize the beginning of the race with the vast number of participants.
According to the Boston Athletic Association, bib numbers are given according to qualifying times so that runners will be in a corral and wave with others of similar times. In order to qualify, runners must achieve a qualifying time in a certified marathon and submit to the BAA for consideration of the Boston Marathon. These times are then used to sort runners into correlating waves.
The qualifying times vary from year to year, and not every runner who makes a qualifying time will be entered into the Boston Marathon in order to keep the field size from becoming too large. The cap is typically around 30,000.
Runners that have entered into the race through the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program are not assigned entries based on times. They typically fall within the yellow Wave 4 category, but it varies based on what entry numbers each charity is given.
Numbers 1-200 are reserved for runners in the elite category who will start in their own waves, however their bibs can have their name across them rather than displaying the number itself.
2025 Boston Marathon
This year, the Boston Marathon will take place on Monday, April 21, which is also the 250th anniversary of Patriots' Day. It is the 129th Boston Marathon.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: What do the colors on Boston Marathon bibs mean?
Continue reading...
