Updated February 18, 2012
In each eligible race, the number of finishers, including those people running or walking an alternate course, is used as a base for everyone's points that day.
Everyone gets 5 points just for finishing.
The remainder of your points depends on your finishing place in the race. You get 1 point for every finisher you beat.
Your Points = Total Number of Finishers + 5 - Your Place
So, if there are 74 finishers, and you win the race, your points are 74 + 5 - 1 = 78. If you finish in 10th place, your points are 74 + 5 - 10 = 69.
For placing and points purposes, all those finishers who complete an alternate course are placed after all those that finish the official course, regardless of distance or time. Among the alternate course finishers, the places are determined by sorting in order of decreasing distance and increasing time.
Also, the men's and women's winners from a points-eligible race will be awarded 1 prestigious bonus point if and only if they finish in the next points-eligible race in the same year. The men's and women's winners of the last series race in the year each get the bonus point if they finish in the first race of the next year's series.
The following races are not eligible for points: Thanksgiving Race, Roxbury Marathon, Half-Marathon.