Bonds

Paul - you are making an assumption that people with a London postcode don't have a greater chance of a ballot place than non London residents. We may well do if anyone knew the secret formula of the ballot.

I do think London residents should have a greater chance of getting a place, same as residents of the north east should have a greater chance with the GNR, but then i may be biased ....

I've run with  a GB place before,    when being accepted onto the charity place I had a sensible conversation with the relevant person at the charity and said that I would obviously do my best to raise the £1200 requested for the pledge but may end up a bit short depending upon people's generosity and corporate sponsors and having made a list of potential work colleagues / friends / teammates was sure that I would raise a minimum of £750, were they ok for me to proceed on that basis?

They were happy enough with this,  job done.  I suggest planning what you think is realistic and then have a chat with them.

Yes, I think you're right, Alex. However, when I took a Gb place I signed a contract stating that I was morally obliged to raise the minimum amount and would make it up from my own pocket if neccessary.

I think there's a big difference between entering into the contract in good faith and falling a bit short (in which case you should be able to contiue fundraising after the event if neccessary) and signing something knowing that it's not legaly enforcable and never having any intention of raising the dosh.

Paul, if you want to run a marathon to challenge yourself there are plenty out there.

Maybe not in London, but close enough to do as a day trip - or make a weekend of it.

I also think that the charities do hold people over a barrel, but then there are plenty of people who ARE willing and able to raise the kind of money they ask for.  So who are they going to give the places to? 

The London Marathon is about fundraising.  That's what it's purpose is.

If you are determined to do London without a gold bond place then keep entering the ballot, or do some others and get a good for age time, or join a running club and maybe get one of their places.

i know someone whose fund raising was well short with a few weeks to go. the charity spoke to her and she admitted there was no more to come, and they withdrew the place.

the place does belong to the charity. they can defer to next year and get someone who will raise the correct amount.

Jeez, get me for being an "idiot". Paul, my response to you was solely based on your second post, which made charities out to be some kind of money-grabbing runner-exploiting outfit. Which, IMHO, isn't fair. So my apologies for reacting to that, but I felt the comments you made regarding "piss takes" and "ransoming" were uncalled for. I hardly think it's fair to insult me for that.

Anyway, most charities will ask you to raise a certain amount but if you've tried your damndest and still can't make up the amount there is little they can do - it is not a legally binding contract. Most will ask you to pay a "deposit" for a place which is non-refundable - around £100 or so (this in turn is still significantly less than they price they have to pay for a place). 

I didn't have to sign a contract as alluded to by Slugsta, but  understand this may apply. 

Agree with BB Mk II......IMO your first few posts were essentially asking for people to say that it's ok to take a charity place and then purposely not bother to raise the money. I would never ever even think of taking a charity place unless I thought I could raise the amount or was prepared to pay the difference.

I'm amazed you thought you'd get any other reaction!

Its really interesting reading this thread. I ran FLM this year, first time applied and got a ballot place and after running the FLM still explain to people that I was really, really lucky. I do still feel bad for those who try each year but I ran my heart out and did the training because I felt extremely priveledged to have been given a place.

I am still unsure whether I would do the LM again as I had such a great day my expectations are really high and sometimes it is difficult to recapture the "first time". However (takes deap breath) I suspect I will be wanting to run it again and have already been offered places by two charities. I think because I have completed a marathon and raised a fair amount this year for a charity.

I actually had a converstaion today with a friend whose husband ran last year and he didn't make the target and he has been blacklisted for that charity he was runing for. The fundraising is an added worry and I would hope runners don't  start being blacklisted in the real sense! I think with the current economic climate charities may have to recognise that donations may not be as they have been.

I also live in London and have to admit it was especially nice to be running on home ground and also in the borough I live and work in!

Good Luck to everyone in the ballot and in gaining charity places!

Wilkie wrote (see)

 

The London Marathon is about fundraising.  That's what it's purpose is.

Sorry but I strongly disagree.

However, I would never take a GB place if I wasn't sure I can raise the required money.

Spanna - you cannot be blacklisted from the ballot but charities can add you to a  GB blacklist. Not sure how the process works but I presume they have to justify it and give full details. Would be unfair if you only fell 10 - 20% short but if you only get half what they want then you can understand.

Part of the paradox is that london is  such a big deal partly because, for a lot of the runners, a marathon is  a big deal, it is tremendously hard and painful and a lot of work, they aren't naturally good at it and they are (at the same time) trying to make things better for people who are going through such awful times that, comparatively, a 6h mara with blisters would be a walk in the park. That's pretty inspiring and that's one of the reasons why people come out in their droves to cheer the runners on.

Sure there are other marathons, but in them, the proportion of people for who the whole "running" thing is just a foreign country is much smaller. Sure you have slower runners, and first timers, at these, but they will generally be regular runners nonetheless.

And surely it's the support that makes London so special - you can run a lot of the course (OK, on the pavement) any time!