London Marathon Ballot system is a joke.

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  • David I really hope you get to run it, you obviously want to, but year after year I see these sour grapes threads and the irony is breathtaking.



    Disappointed ballot entrants who think they know all about the race and what it's "supposed" to be, blaming charity runners, celebrities, anything, as if it was any of their business how the organisers of the marathon choose to organise the race.



    I really don't care whether the London marathon is a charity or not, I hope Dave Bedford, nick bitel and co have got very rich on the back of what they have achieved. In the same race they field the worlds greatest athletes, the cream of this country's club runners, a good selection of good for age athletes, and a number of runners from every eligible club in the country.



    They also give charities the opportunity to raise millions, and then if you don't fit into any of those categories you have as good a chance as anyone else in the ballot.
  • Mr Puffy wrote (see)
    David I really hope you get to run it, you obviously want to, but year after year I see these sour grapes threads and the irony is breathtaking.

    Disappointed ballot entrants who think they know all about the race and what it's "supposed" to be, blaming charity runners, celebrities, anything, as if it was any of their business how the organisers of the marathon choose to organise the race.

    I really don't care whether the London marathon is a charity or not, I hope Dave Bedford, nick bitel and co have got very rich on the back of what they have achieved. In the same race they field the worlds greatest athletes, the cream of this country's club runners, a good selection of good for age athletes, and a number of runners from every eligible club in the country.

    They also give charities the opportunity to raise millions, and then if you don't fit into any of those categories you have as good a chance as anyone else in the ballot.

    agree .they have something for everyone which is why they also get such good tv coverage and crowd support.and the only marathon where i have been able to stop at mile 17 for a pint and some foodimage

  • Don't think there is a bitten ass charity........
  • Well I don't think it needs to be that cut and dried, the point I was making is that there's room for both, and even then they're not mutually exclusive.



    And the Celebs....50 tops, out of 35000 runners, and even then you have the likes of Nell McAndrew and Tony Audenshaw, completely committed runners.



    A Z lister is just a celebrity that runs slower than you!
  • Mr Puffy wrote (see)

    A Z lister is just a celebrity that runs slower than you!

    I thought he was referring to Alex Zane.

  • Who is Alex Zane ?



    Can he go sub 4 ?
  • VLM next year will be my 9th mara but 1st at London having got a ballot place(must be lucky just second attempt, either that or they felt sorry for me could n't quite manage GFA) .  I have n't considered running for charity before as I did n't want to be constantly asking for donations and the hassle that goes with it, but I am going to run for charity this time as  it will give people the opportunity to donate to a good cause, and I think "will you donate I am running London " will get more response than "will you donate I am running Abingdon".

  • Dave The Ex- Spartan wrote (see)
    Who is Alex Zane ? 

    Here are some other Z-Listers for you:

    Necar Zadegan
    Steve Zahn
    Billy Zane
    Nick Zano
    Natalie Zea
    Kevin Zegers
    Renee Zellweger
    Robert Zemeckis
    Catherine Zeta-Jones
    Nikki Ziering
    Madeline Zima
    Constance Zimmer
    Zhang Ziyi
    Rob Zombie
    Josh Zuckerman
    Ayelet Zurer

    And no, I don't know who most of them are either.

     

  • Mr Boat wrote (see)

    I seem to remember them making the raising the GFA from 3hrs to 3:10 a couple of years ago for under 40s

    They did - just BEFORE I nearly killed myself to go sub 3 at a truly horrible Luton in 2009 without realising it'd changed !  

    I only did London because, as others have said, to most people there is only "The Marathon" and it wouldn't matter how fast you ran any other race, people only appreciate you as a runner when you tell them you ran London (not that we should worry what anyone else thinks, but it just makes certain conversations easier image)

    For what it's worth, I got a London place on my own efforts, but I also ran for charity that year as it seemed to good an opportunity to miss - one of only two races I have. To my mind, London fills all the criteria Brasher set out to do, but it is what it is.

    There is only one London, but there are plenty of other marathons if you want to run one!

    I beat Nell when I did it, but she came back and whooped my time the following year!

     


     

  • Barry B wrote (see)

    VLM next year will be my 9th mara but 1st at London having got a ballot place(must be lucky just second attempt, either that or they felt sorry for me could n't quite manage GFA) .  I have n't considered running for charity before as I did n't want to be constantly asking for donations and the hassle that goes with it, but I am going to run for charity this time as  it will give people the opportunity to donate to a good cause, and I think "will you donate I am running London " will get more response than "will you donate I am running Abingdon".

    Not necessarily so. Of the two races I've raised money for, London only pipped Abingdon by about £50 !

  • If somebody asks me for sponsorship money because they are running a marathon (or going to Everest, or whatever), they are likely to get a polite refusal.... unless I really believe that they are doing it to raise funds for a cause they strongly believe in.  In the latter case, they could be doing a sponsored nose-picking for all I care - I will support them.  In the former case, I have no desire to sponsor their hobby.

  • The first "long race" I did was GNR in around 1997' and I collected sponsorship for a charity who had just helped a relative... It was harder collecting the money thn doing the race...



    So difficult I have never bothered since.. And these sponsor me to cycle across Cuba or walk the Great Wall of China just seems like a glorified holiday
  • I've run VLM once, glad to say I've done it (for charity). Dont need to do it again, I've run 7 marathons now, and will be doing brighton for the second time in spring. I loved bighton so much more than london.

    Agree with all posts though, ballot system needs an overhaul, but wouldnt like to begin with what they should do????

  • All the money they make out of the V.L.M. its about time they updated the goodie bag,. for a complete shower. A kilo of pila rice inside was a joke, why dont they put somthing  which my come in handy after running 26 miles, like lucozade, mars bars, even one of the horses of the household cavalry didnt want my apple image

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    What happened to the can of beer? Got one 2010. Just what I needed. Brilliant!
  • Foe a couple of years when Flora sponsored it they handed out cheese and tomato sandwiches - went down suprisingly well.

  • Yes, they were the first thing I looked for this year as I needed a bit of a boost.  Much missed.  The two cans of deodorant and razor weren't in the same league

  • WiBWiB ✭✭✭
    Bear B.Hind wrote (see)

    Foe a couple of years when Flora sponsored it they handed out cheese and tomato sandwiches - went down suprisingly well.

    Now Virgin are sponsoring it I wonder what they could hand out?! image

  • Depressing that RodthePlod thinks that real runners can't be people who raise money for charity or get dressed up in fancy dress.  Are they doing any less distance?  Does it mean less to them that it does to you?  I think not.

    I've done London before and will be doing it again on Sunday and as with all the big races if you want a guaranteed place then simply go for a charity spot.  Don't whinge just because you can't be bothered raising the cash when others can.  The VLM is brilliant (better than NYC and Loch Ness which are also brilliant) so don't go panning it just cos it's hard to get into.

  • May try for next year..tried in 2010..
  • @John McArther 4. Well said and good luck for Sunday. I am one of the volunteer helping out, will be located near Embankment. As I did not get a place, I thought why not help out instead. 

  • Cheers!   I think London will be epic and the tragic events of Boston will galvanise the runners, volunteers and crowds to be noisier, louder and more brash than ever.  

    Yes - the VLM has indeed become a commercial affair but raising millions for charities is no bad thing and for those lucky enough to get in it's still one of the greatest shows on the planet.

  • ...real runners know it's nigh on impossible to get a place.



    ....non-runners assume you must be doing it.



    Lost count of how many people have asked if I'm running on Sunday (I'm not)



    The answer that I'm doing Manchester (also a marathon) the following week seems to raise a shrug.



    London is amazing though...!
  • I enjoyed watching you guys running on Sunday, I was helping out at the 25 miles point. Not ran the London Marathon since 2010 I will try my luck for the 2014 ballot place. 

    For some of you marathon addicts, you may want to try the North Kent road runners marathon which takes place on Saturday 1st Jun, you should have recovered by then and  If you are chasing for Good For Age time place for the London Marathon 2014 this will be your last chance before the July deadline. 

  • Hi. I was lucky enough to get a ballot place on my first attempt in 2012. Had to defer as I got injured during my training. Picked up another injury and a chest infection just before 2013, and was debating dropping out until the terrible events in Boston.

    I thought that my niggles and lack of quality training were nothing compared to what those runners went through in Boston.

     

    Best decision I ever made!!

     

    I had the most fantastic day, ended up doing 5.28.26 due to my injury, but you know what, that doesn't matter!

    Still limping but also still on a 'high'.

     

    I said I would only do it once, but guess what, I've entered the 2014 ballot!!

     

    Good luck everyone!

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