I Am IN The 2009 Boston Marathon

I have been wanting to run the Boston Marathon this coming April, but have been putting off entering.  Cheap me printed out the forms to mail when I saw there was an extra $6 charge for online entry, bringing the total entry fee to $116.  I was going to mail it in sometime this weekend or next week, since the early entry deadline is February 15.  Plenty of time.

Today a friend posted a shared item on Google Reader, a blog dated yesterday, that proclaimed, "Registration for 2009 Boston Marathon has Closed."  I Paniced!  I went straight to the Boston Marathon web site to see if this was true, but could find nothing that said it had closed.  So I tried to register online - extra $6 be damned - and it worked.  It took a little panic to push me over that $110 entry fee limit!

I was still a little worried because they have to verify your qualifying race and send a final confirmation via email.  I was thinking that they could be just sending out "sorry the event was filled" emails.  But now I am relieved because at 5 PM I received the confirmation email:

This is to notify you that your entry into the 113th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20, 2009 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate.

You can verify your acceptance into the field by searching the 113th Boston Marathon "Entrants" database on the B.A.A. web site, www.baa.org/2009/cf/Public/EntryLists.cfm. Additionally, an acceptance postcard will be mailed to you via US Postal Service mail.

In early April 2009, an official Number Pick-up Card and extensive information regarding the B.A.A. Boston Marathon and related race week activities will be mailed to you via US Postal Service first class mail. If you do not receive your Number Pick-up Card (required to claim number) and brochure by April 11, please contact our Registration Office at registration@baa.org. Registration related inquiries may also be directed to 508-435-6905.

Note that bib numbers will not be distributed on Race Day. Your travel arrangements should take into account picking up your number at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston on Friday, April 17 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., or Saturday, April 18 or Sunday, April 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

We look forward to seeing you in April! Best of luck in your training!

Guess I better hit the bricks!