VLM - how many ballot places actually available to UK runners?

PhilPub

There's no way of rationing GFA places.  If you've run 2:56 or whatever, send off for an entry and fill it in, you're in.  It's the law of large numbers innit - you're never suddenly going to get twice as many people running below a given time.

nicholas chadwick 2 wrote (see)

Why can't they make the event bigger, we are talking about the largest city in the country that holds massive sporting events on a regular basis not some back water.

It wouldn't really matter if London was the biggest city in the world.  Narrow Street would still be Narrow Street. 

[Deleted User]

If you have a GFA time then you automatically get in (if you enter).  I think that they have all those confimred before the ballot so they know how many places are left over.  I got in in 2008 and am in for 2013

Millsy

With GFA if you can prove your time then you are in. This has to be done before July I think so I'd assume that's why the ballot places are not done until later ad they have to know how many spaces they actually have left. Maybe the number of ballot places varies slightly every year as they would have to factor in the number of GFA qualifiers and also deffered entries.

Matthew Hearne

I would love to see a split bar chart, with year on the x-axis and number of places on the y-axis, with splits for charity places, ballot places, GFA places, sponsor places etc. Very sad I know!

I don't see why it's such a big secret, unless they really believe it would lead to bad PR and have a negative impact on their brand. More transparency with the running community would be great 

Keith L

In effect they can allow as many GFA people as qualify (especially the faster GFA people) without affecting many others as at that end of the race the field is relatively open. No point in limiting the number of sub say 3:15 runners as not many of the first timers (or club runners or charity) will run that fast. Its an argument for tightening the other GFA times at some point however but no evidence they will do that.