London Marathon Ballot system is a joke.

What they should do is stop the charity places scandal. Keep the championship places and GFA.

Then have a ballot for all the others. It wouldn't mean everyone who wanted to would get in, but it would increase the chances, so at least it would be worth applying each year.

The other option would be to only accept entries from people who could prove they had completed a marathon within the previous 12 months. This would get rid of all the idiots who put in on a whim and turn up on the day having run a maximum of 8 miles. It would also be a massive shot in the arm to other marathon races around the country.

But what if a serious runner was running it for the first time?  Why should they miss out?  Why should only experienced runners get in?

Dobster wrote (see)

But what if a serious runner was running it for the first time?  Why should they miss out?  Why should only experienced runners get in?

if they were serious runners it wouldn't be a problem to have have to run another marathon first.

i don't think it should necessarily have to have been within the previous 12 months though.

Dobster - GFA is Good For Age. If you achieve the require time at another marathon within a certain time of VLM then you get a guaranteed entry and no need for the ballot.

Okay, make it 24 months.

The ballot system is really annoying, but if your thing is to run one of the big five then both Berlin and Chicago are first come first served. No ballot system for those.

it continues to be a huge success with demand far outstripping supply of places so i doubt it will change anyway.

they want the celebs to run it.

they want the charity places.

they want first time marathon runners.

It attracts huge attention from outside the running community because it's on the telly every year. Exact same reason why the GNR and Manchester 10km are so popular too.

That's great for inspiring new runners. Would we rather the television broadcasters ignored these events, which over time would see the entry levels decrease?

Rod Wallace wrote (see)

Its the 20th century

It's the 21st century! Do you have a time machine?

Exiled claret, they already have a system that gives places to runners who have completed a marathon in the last 24 months.  The only caveat is that they have completed the previous marathon in under a certain time.  Thats the "Good For Age" system.

London is a race that is physically restricted to a certain number of runners (35000 ish?) but has more than 100 000 people who wnat to run it. That means you are always going to have over 65000 unhappy people regardless of the entry method/criteria.

Also if you did a first come/ first serve it would be filled within the first two hours of applications opening, and then the forum would be flooded with complaints of the web site not accepting their entry/crashing or freezing etc etc 

stutyr wrote (see)

Exiled claret, they already have a system that gives places to runners who have completed a marathon in the last 24 months.  The only caveat is that they have completed the previous marathon in under a certain time.  Thats the "Good For Age" system.

yes, but he was meaning for them to even be allowed into the ballot they should have completed a marathon (time doesn't have to be GFA)

Why shouldn't London be someone's "one and only"?

Dobster wrote (see)

People keep telling me that the LM is hard to get into.  I applied for the first time this year, not through the ballot, I applied through a charity and have just been offered a place.  I'm sure people won;t be happy to hear that but it seems to me that it's the luck of the draw?

That's not the luck of the draw, that's being willing to raise a shed-load of cash for a charity.  Most people willing to do that can get a charity place.

The draw (ballot) is for those who are not willing to do so, and would like to get a place just by paying the entry fee. The odds on that are about 5 to 1.

*raises hand* I'm in camp B.

skotty - I ran my first marathon 6 weeks ago.  I didn't enter a race, I just trained and ran it in my own time.  I did this to make sure I could run the distance before I entered an official race.  So according to any officials I haven't run a race in the last 3 and a half years ago.  Yet I am a serious regular runner.  I feel my place in the LM is justified and I know I will train hard for it. I am sad for people who didn't get it but everyone should have the chance to run in whatever race they choose.

Good luck to all those who have a place and I wish even better luck to those who have missed out, I hope you are lucky next time.

Wilkie - Fair point, maybe if people are so desperate to run it they could speak to a charity.  It's a win win situation.  They get to run the race they want and also raise money for a good cause at the same time

Who agrees then that complaining about the ballot is the same as buying a lottery ticket and bemoaning that Maurice and Enid from Doncaster won and you didn't?

Dobster wrote (see)

skotty - I ran my first marathon 6 weeks ago.  I didn't enter a race, I just trained and ran it in my own time.  I did this to make sure I could run the distance before I entered an official race.  So according to any officials I haven't run a race in the last 3 and a half years ago.  Yet I am a serious regular runner.  I feel my place in the LM is justified and I know I will train hard for it. I am sad for people who didn't get it but everyone should have the chance to run in whatever race they choose.

Good luck to all those who have a place and I wish even better luck to those who have missed out, I hope you are lucky next time.

good luck.

i wasn't complaining or suggesting people have to run a marathon beforehand, only expanding on someone else's point.

as i said, runners can complain about it but i don't see too much for the organisers of the race to be unhappy about.

Thanks skotty!