How does Ballot Work?

[Deleted User]

The pens are a bit of a muddle if I remember correctly, I think they regulate who goes into what pen but I am not sure how close this is especially once the race goes off, people jumping the fence "both ways" for a you know what!!!!  If you are a quick runner it would really help you if you are with your peers, I guess it is really frustrating dodging the slow runners (I am one of them but on my only start in 2006 I started fairly close to the back and finished there too so I must have got my one about right!!!).

Good luck to everyone who knows now, or just wonders if that cheque was a bequeth that was cashed on the 3oth??

fat face

I'm with Cougie when he says that I don't reckon they take any notice of the times. The same happens at all races ie a few drips increasing to a steady stream, a raging torrent, back to a steady stream, back to a few drips.

[Deleted User]

Just had some thoughts on how the ballot might be physically done...

As entries come in they get put into bins according to what's on the envelope.

On ballot day a certain percentage get pulled from each bin, opened and the cheques taken out and cashed.

After that they go on to pull the cheques from the unsucessful bequeathed entries.

Then they start the long process of putting the details of all the entries on the computer...

If it's done this way round it would give you the waves of cheque cashing as they are, and also explain why they don't say officially who's in and out till a month later: they don't know.  They've passed the cheques to the bank, but haven't yet gone through the piles of envelopes taking the details.

musketeer

does paying by postal order (if you can) help your chances of getting in? They would have to send them back (or cash them and send you a cheque back) if you were unsuccessful in the ballot

dave wood 4

musketeer, you can pay by postal order, 3 of our group have, but I doubt if it gives you any better chances, in fact the only people who still don't know if they are in is them, as there is no way of checking if they have been cashed until you receive magazine. The other 8 all know they have been refused because cheques have not gone through

cougie

Rowan - why bother to split them into times ?  If that were the case then surely people would think hang on - if I put sub three on my form - I'm more likely to get in as that bin will be pretty empty compared with say the four hour bin.

And as we all know the times on the envelope may bear no relation to the real time.

A random selection of entries will achieve the same results as we see in the race.

[Deleted User]

I don't really know if they do split them into times.  A lot of people seem to think they do, and it gives a reason for it being on the outside of the envelope.

I think they must put the details on the computer after pulling the cheques though: it's the only way that makes sense.