London Marathon Good For Age

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  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭
    seren nos wrote (see)

    there is a campaign that you can sign that is going around asking VLM to look at those cases that had the correct time prior toi the change

    The selfish side of me thinks...  "for everyone who does get in via GFA, that's one less place available via the ballot"

    But in truth, what they've done (i.e. the lack of notice) is a long way from being fair, and should be reversed for 2014.

  • It does seem unfair.



    I suspect there's only about 1000 places in the ballot once all the other places are taken. Now with this change there may be as many as 1500.
  • what is worse is tbhey realease after th ballot has finished so that people who thought they had a place can't even enter the ballot.bad organisation...

    but i agree that the times needed to be adjusted.........

    why should 23 year old slip of a girl be able to get the same time as a 48 yr old woman

  • It's tough.... as someone said all those years ago we only had 2:35 to aim for - with a 3:04 I failed to get through the ballot for about 8 years - that was the way it way.  The times look incredibly fair now though could still do with a bit more space for the over 50s.

    The times were in before the ballot closed though

  • I too agree with the adjusting - it really needed to be done, BUT agree with Dave Falconer, they should given us a year's notice and applied this to 2015. I am a 2:35 runner at best and so could quite easily have run 3:05 yesterday rather than 3:06. (I splitted halfway at 1:26 comfortably yesterday) Just assumed I'd done enough - damage limitation like in a heat for a track meet. Serves me right for coasting at the end I guess, but 'forewarned is forearmed' as they say. Just have to re-adjust training plans and psyche up mentally for yet another marathon now and throw my BUPA 10K place out the window. Just plain annoying!

  • Hang on everyone, there has been knowledge VLM was planning to change GFA. Even some speculation on this forum. This has been on the books for some time. They even removed the GFA times from their website before changing. So everyone thinking they were going to get through were leading themselves the wrong way. Ok, pretty heavy-handed VLM change GFA times the same day as the ballot. But its their event and they have every right to change this without notice. Every much as they have the right to change the route without notice or the start, the finish. If those don't like it, complain, boycott but whatever way, they will not listen and will not change it.

  • One thing I know for sure, the LM Limited will not be kicked out and no one will be replacing them. The London boroughs which the race goes through are more than happy. Even the fact LM Limited have the Bupa 10,000, the Corporate Challenge, Ride London as well with a possible future London 1/2 starting from the Olympic Park. For LM to organise a marathon which includes assembling the best runners of the way, getting all the runners from three starts, organising the exhibition, applying for road closures, planning with local councils, the police. Cannot see many others filling their shoes.

  • macemace ✭✭✭

    The impact of the GFA change is that, based on last weeks VLM results, there would be approx 90 less men qualifying ( 200 less 18-40's and 110 more 50-65's ) and 225 less women qualifying ( no gains for the women, all bad news )

    Over the past 3 years the GFA success % has been gradually increasing so i guess if that continues there would be less charity places available. So the cynic in me says that those who have lost out will be replaced by more charity runners as opposed to ballot places ....

     

  • Really?  So just how would you go about kicking them out, David?

  • DS2DS2 ✭✭✭

    Well said runnerman! It is a magnificently organised event even if I did wish they would let more higher quality runners in with slightly more relaxed qualifying times.

    I am obviouskly happy that I have an extra 5 minutes to meet my new GFA of 3:20 but I still think this is harder to achieve than when I was easily running Sub 3 in my late 20's.

    The organisers keep many, many people happy and unfortunately we are talking of a very small group in the 3:05 to 3:09 category so I can't see them being too bothered.

  • DF3 - VLM aren't ever going to please everyone. OK so a few people are put out by the changes - but they've made it massively easier for a bigger number of people.



    They won't get kicked out at all.
  • a a small group of under 40 women who have to get 5 mins faster than the over 40's now....

    they made it a lot easier a few years ago for the youngsters so this just balances it back a bit

     

  • Steven SSteven S ✭✭✭

    I missed with the GFA changes, can qualify for Boston marathon with my 3:09 ran in Paris. Thought Boston was harder to get into?. Does not make sense to me, should have same times for both race. I suppose thats coming from someone without a time.

  • I likewise had no joy when phoning them, after finally getting through after trying all day!

    unsure if  I can do a run in the summer before cut off, considering I have a baby coming in 3 weeks image 

     

    im just so disappointed... If they had advertised 3:05 I would have went for it, and at least now I would either have made it or not, but at least tried! I did what I had to do, and enjoyed the run... It's a real shame and a real let down by vlm

  • *Biggles**Biggles* ✭✭✭

    Wow the ballot closed quickly, just got home from a trip and its all over!!! Still have a GFA even with new qualifying times. Feel very sorry for those who miss out with new times.

     

  • @runnerman until after the run they had last years times on display. This us the issue, they can, and will need to change times according to need. However, there was nothing posted on their official website until after the race. The issue for me and many others is we structured our run accordingly... If they gave notice (as with other majors) then at least we would know what to aim for!

  • seren nos wrote (see)

    a a small group of under 40 women who have to get 5 mins faster than the over 40's now....

    You've missed the point of the problem - it's not that they've changed the GFA times, it's that they've changed them without enough notice for anyone who's now missed out to re-qualify. GFA applications are due in July, and the bulk of the spring marathons are over. Even if you are lucky enough to have a marathon booked between now and then, there's no real time to change your training and go for the new, faster time. And if conditions happen to be unfavourable (like Ediburgh's 30+ degree freak heatwave last year) then you're SOL, even though up until last week VLM's own staff were telling people who rang up that the 2013 GFA times were definitely NOT changing.

    No one is saying they should've change their GFA qualifications - they're saying they need to be done with ample notice.

  • squirrellypoo wrote (see)
    seren nos wrote (see)

    a a small group of under 40 women who have to get 5 mins faster than the over 40's now....

    You've missed the point of the problem - it's not that they've changed the GFA times, it's that they've changed them without enough notice for anyone who's now missed out to re-qualify. GFA applications are due in July, and the bulk of the spring marathons are over. Even if you are lucky enough to have a marathon booked between now and then, there's no real time to change your training and go for the new, faster time. And if conditions happen to be unfavourable (like Ediburgh's 30+ degree freak heatwave last year) then you're SOL, even though up until last week VLM's own staff were telling people who rang up that the 2013 GFA times were definitely NOT changing.

    No one is saying they should've change their GFA qualifications - they're saying they need to be done with ample notice.

     

    I am not arging with that squirrel poo..as I have said earlier i also think its bad organisation  to change this so late......

    The post above mine was saying that it only affected a few blokes..........i was just clarifying that it has affected a group of women as well

  • David......it isn't a total cockup......and you are aware now of whta time you need to do next weekend for your GFA.so just go away and devise your race plan so thaqt you can achieve itimage

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    Champs times are staying the same; it's a sub 1:15 half for the blokes though. image Good thing I'm a girl.

    If you're not a club member you could just make sure you are one by December.

  • MinniMinni ✭✭✭

    The GFA times on the London site always just apply to that year.  Because they rarely change them people always just expect they will remain the same but there's no reason why they shouldn't change. 

    Its interesting that a lot of people think that if they'd known about the changes a couple of weeks, or a couple of months, before they could change their marathon result on the day.  Since most runners target a marathon and train really hard to achieve the best time possible on the day I'm not sure many people could actually do this.  

    If you got close then you've run a really good marathon and you know that you can now run a much fast one next time to secure a place for 2015.  image

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