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 skitrirun |
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| Posted: 22/04/10 09:58:48 48 |
How many people actually enter London thinking they will get in? How many entered ASAP out of blind panic because of the cap on registrations? Furthermore, how many enter simply to ‘maintain’ their successive rejections knowing that one day (year 6 to be precise) they will get in? If a lot of people answer yes to question 3, then that’s probably why London are scrapping the ‘5 rejects and you in’ approach, hoping it will ease registration. Time will tell if that thought is justified. On another note, London online system is very recent. Most other big marathons (and many smaller ones) have being using online registration for many years. Why did London take so long to switch to online? And why have a cap on registrations? As for changing the course to allow more numbers; that sounds a bit like saying the motorway is congested, so lets add another lane. That sadly, hasn’t exactly worked for the M25 or M42! J |
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| skitrirun |
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| Posted: 21/04/10 13:08:23 23 |
| Loch Ness marathon used to have a ballot system like London but they dropped it after people kept complaining and they now use a far simplier ‘first-come first-served’ format similar to that of Paris. The same is also used for Berlin and pretty much all the big name European marathons. The only notable exception is indeed London. London is often quoted as using the excuse that it is very big and thus needs a ballot system to make things ‘fair’ and to cope with the ‘sheer numbers’ but according to AIMS in 2009, London had 35,266 finishers, compared to Berlin’s 34,994 and Paris’ 30,334. But the figure for Berlin doesn’t include the 1000's of inline skaters and Nordic walkers, so entrants for Berlin as a whole easily beats London in size. Furthermore the big name Ironman triathlons also do a ‘first-come, first-served’ format, despite some selling out very quickly. For example Austria, this sells out in hours, Germany (Frankfurt) in weeks and Switzerland in months. People have complained about the quickness of entries selling out (as well as Austria’s website struggling to cope with demand) but most agree it is still preferred over a ballot system. | |
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| skitrirun |
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| Posted: 23/04/07 11:01:21 21 |
| At Paris last week, every runner was issued with a sponge at the Expo, which they took with them on the course and dunked at the various water sponge stations (water buckets). These stations were in addition to the drink stations. This allowed the drinking water to be used for just that, drinking. Paris also had food stations (bananas, dates and oranges). These are things not unique to Paris as I've seen at a number of European marathons. | |
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| skitrirun |
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| Posted: 24/03/06 15:12:00 00 |
The route is part on road (start for short while and final mile to finish) and part bridleway lanes and along field hedgerows.
I don't remember any of the hills being as bad as the one in the Salisbury FS 10K, though there are a few of them.
Last year it was dry and generally firm under foot so road running shoes were fine.
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| skitrirun |
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| Posted: 05/07/04 16:39:19 19 |
I did this last year.
A mostly flat course of nearly 3 laps. The only significant incline is the one up to the chicane near the start/finish line.
Not the most inspiring of races and if there're strong winds on the day you will feel them as the course is largely unsheltered.
But last year the race was well attended by runners and supporters alike. And unlike at Silverstone 10K, you do get a medal for your trouble! | |
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