THE eBay entry was so brazen it almost seemed like a joke: “2008 Boston Marathon entry on the FRONT ROW Must See!!”

Someone was selling a coveted starting place for the Boston Marathon. And this person claimed to have run a marathon in the impressive time of 2 hours 30 minutes, not only earning a place in the Boston Marathon — which requires nearly all runners to meet a tough qualifying time — but guaranteeing a spot near the starting line, where the quickest line up.

There was a problem with this eBay auction. It was against the rules.

The Boston Marathon requires athletes to have run a marathon in the past year with a time that is adjusted for age and gender. Most find the race’s strict standards all but impossible to meet. All this helps make the Boston Marathon unique and makes running it a dream for many athletes.