The Boston Athletic Association has set the date and time when registration will open for the Boston Marathon next year:

BOSTON, Mass. – Registration for the 2011 Boston Marathon® will open on Monday, October 18, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. (ET) and will be conducted online at www.baa.org. The 115th Running of the Boston Marathon will be on Monday, April 18, 2011.

Entrants qualify for the Boston Marathon by meeting time standards which correspond to age and gender, and the qualifying standards for the 2011 race remain unchanged from recent past years. Qualifying standards for the 2011 Boston Marathon must be met on or after September 20, 2009 at a marathon certified by USA Track & Field, the national governing body for the sport (or foreign equivalent). Also, the registration fee will remain at $130 USD for residents of the USA. For last month’s event, the race filled in just over two months, and the B.A.A. anticipates the maximum field size for the 2011 race also to be reached quickly.

The field size for next year’s Boston Marathon remains as it has been in recent past years. In 2010, the race had 26,790 entrants and 22,721 finishers. Full registration information, including a list of qualifying marathons, and a list of the B.A.A.’s Official Charities for the Boston Marathon is available at www.baa.org.

The B.A.A. has organized the race since the inaugural Boston Marathon in 1897 when the field consisted of 18 entrants and 10 finishers.

I imagine that registration will close even faster this year than it did last year.

Here are the qualifying standards for 2011:

Blind/Visually Impaired Division The qualifying time is 5:00 hours for visually impaired athletes (men and women) classified T11, T12, and T13.

Mobility Impaired Program Individuals with permanent disabilities that affect ambulation and who would not therwise qualify for entry in other divisions are being granted the following extended qualifying times:

* The qualifying time is 6:00 hours for individuals who, because of the nature of their disability, have difficulty ambulating.

* The qualifying time is 8:00 hours for individuals who, because of the nature of their disability, need mobility aids such as prosthetics, leg braces or crutches to ambulate.

All other individuals with disabilities followed entry procedures and qualifying standards of either the B.A.A. or the stablished qualifying standard from the recognized disabled sports organization.