I think this mainly because I am a Londoner* and want to run the marathon (again). And i'm too shit to get a GFA place. I think I have a valid argument.
Us people who regularly run along the embankment and up round Buckingham palace (perhaps imagining we're at the finish line, with the crowds roaring, coming in second or third....or whatever) should have priority over the rest of youse.
Stuff you lot. There IS only one marathon. And no civilised life outside the M25
*by Londoner, I mean half Austrian/half Yorkshire lass who now lives in Zone 2.
Comments
I like.
I think Londoners shouldn't be allowed to run at ALL. I think I have a valid argument:
1) you get to run around London all the time. You're probably bored of it by now anyway.
2) the city benefits from the money brought in by marathon tourists booking all its hotels and eating at its budget pasta joints. Londoners are just going to stay in and cook the free rice out of the expo goody bag. What good is that going to do the city?
3) if they don't let the Londoners in they'll have to get out on the streets and watch, add a bit to the atmosphere.
Only if the definition of Londoner is stretched to include "Brummie who lived there for 5 years but is now living in Hertfordshire"...
I agree but only on the condition that you dress in all your pearly gear and refuel during the race by consuming jellied eels.
You also have to sing "knees up Mother Brown" and "My Old Man" and do exaggerated elbow and knee actions the entire way around.
if it was only londoners then it would be very very boring
because
1).there would be no elite race
2).there would be no atmosphere as Londoners are very boring people who all run with ipods in their own little world so that they do not need to interact with anybody
Hang on, I've just realised how pointless those stipulations are given that it is impossible for a londoner to go more than 30 minutes without eating jellied eels and having a bit of a knees up.
Gawd blimey, jellied eels?!
Literatin - ohhh, you and your totally badly argued reasons can just...erm...enter the ballot.
2wheels- you lost me at Brummie..... *shiver*
Listen, you lot are justjealous cus you know I make sense.
Now stop hogging those jellied eels. And anyone actually know the words to knees up mother brown?
I believe some of the words to the chorus are;
"Knees up mother brown,
Knees up mother brown,
Knees up, Knees up,
Got to get your knees up,
Knees up mother brown."
And how true those words are, even today.
I am not sure whether there are actually verses. I have usually fled in terror of rampaging cockneys before I hear any more. Or turned Eastenders over.
I'm never going to remember that.
Don't all Londoners live in Brighton these days anyway?
Or Stoke.
It depends what class of Londoner you're talking about. Yummy mummy's move to Brighton. The jellied eels to Southend/Clacton/Chatham
allocate londoners 500 places.
londoners can apply for special londoner ballot.
all others can apply for the general ballot. (londoners can't)
problem solved.
Maybe there is a 'pearly park' on the isle of dogs or something.
Cockneyism is a natural force that emanates from the location. Anything exposed to it for long enough will be cockneyised.
Expect to see the Somali community in their pearls within the next decade.
I managed to live in London for 39 years before being exposed to jellied eels. I wish I'd held out a bit longer.
36,000 runners looking at their feet as they run, not speaking to anyone and glaring at anyone who dares to say "Hello" to them? No thanks.
I think anyone who was born in London, grew up in Upminster and Romford moved to Thurrock and then down to Clacton, and who used to run along the embankment every monday to friday lunch time and early evening and is 53 should get an automatic place - everyone else go into the ballot
Re knees up mother brown, isn't there something about "under the table you must go, e-i-e-i-e-i-o"
I'd like some special places for londoners as I forgot to enter the ballot. It would be the first time I could enter having moved back here last year. I might have moved away again by 2015.
"If I catch you bending I'll saw your legs right off"
May I urge participants of the 'Londoners Only' VLM not to 'bend' as this will make for some very slow times. Many thanks
Why not ban non Londoners from even going into the city? A Ghost town with no money
If it gets Greatest Living Cockerknee Dick van Dyke an automatic place, then I'm all for it.
I think we need 2 london marathons
one with the current setup- a parade and charity event
and another one for the "runners" which have done at least another Marathon already.
We don't have a 'pearly park' in the Isle of Dogs, but we do have llamas. Will that do?
http://www.mudchute.org/
but then you will get the old arguemnet back of what constitutes doing a marathon..........sub 3 hr or sub 8..........and who wants to watch a pile of club runners and wanna bes running around london.........would get no sponsorship and no crowds