Virgin marathon ballot scam

Anyone out there who took the option to give your entry fee to charity in exchange for a second chance at 1000 prize draw places get in? Doesn't seem likely. its a pretty clear cut line between those who paid up front and those who didnt. Those who didn't seemed to have been chosen over those who did, which raises the question, did I pay to be excluded from the ballot? 

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Comments

  • Of course you did.
  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭

    The only time I donated my entry fee to charity I did indeed get a draw place.

  • I take it that you were unlucky?

  • someone posted on here that they paid and got a place.........

    where did you get your info from......

    if you are basing it on the people who posted on here then your findings will be wrong...most people on here are regular runners who won't be persuaded to get that slightly better odds of getting in for the donation.....

    but out of those thousands who watched the marathon on the tv and entered the ballot for the first time then most of them would have donated and would not have posted on here......

    in this house 3 people didn';t donate but none got in...

    have you won the millions on the national lottery yet.......no.......then just take it you are unlucky and chuck the conspiracy theory

  • Do you have lots of evidence for this Marathon Rookie? Because it doesn't seem "clear cut" to me.

    My OH got a place in 2003 - he bequeathed.

    I got a place in 2011 (deferred till 2012) - I didn't.  

  • " Doesn't seem likely"

    I dont get how you can possibly draw this conclusion, unless ........ and I have a feeling we'll never hear from you again, but lets see ........ you can provide evidence of the number of people who were in the second chance draw.

    If there were only 1001 people in the draw, I could see how you might feel there was a conspiracy if you didnt get in.

    If there were 20,000 people in the draw, then simple basic math can help you work out the likelyhood of gaining a place.

    So how many people did enter the 2nd chance draw ...... since if you dont know the answer to that, then your whole post becomes null and void.

     

  • Sounds like you could be on to something there Marathon Rookie.  Maybe you should report this to Watchdog, or perhaps flagging it up with Mulder and Skully might be a better bet.

    If you do ever manage to get a place in the ballot (i.e. by NOT bequeathing your entry fee) then make sure you wear your tin foil running shorts and vest, in order to block the radio signals being broadcast by secret intelligence. 

     

  • ' Those who didn't seemed to have been chosen over those who did.' 

    So other than just completely making that up based on a few folk on here who have paid and not gotten in, where are you getting your information from???  Just because you obviously paid, then didn't get in, it is a bit of a stretch to call the entire thing a scam.  Also, if you'd really thought about it, over 100,000 people apply, god knows how many pay for the extra chance at a place, so your chances of getting one are not likely to be that great. 

    I do get annoyed that so many people seem to slag off the London Marathon - usually those who didn't get a place.  It makes me wonder why all the moaners applied in the first place?!?!

     

  • I got a phone call from one of our group which started with the line, 'I didn't get in, and neither did you' . Obviously curious to know how he knew this, I quizzed him on bis intel. There are roughly 20 people in our collective group, all different ages, all geographically separated, not related, different standards etc. and guess what? All those who paid in advance were rejected and all those not paid, without fail, got in. My question is, who did get In this way? And how many?

  • I didnt pay ......and I didnt get in.

    My girlfriend didnt pay ...... and she didnt get in.

    If we were in your group, there would be 2 for a starter to skew your statistics.

     

  • What is "your group" out of interest?

  • I bequeathed my entry in for the 2012 VLM and got through on the 1000 place drawimage

  • theres always one to stir the pot!

     

  • I didn't pay - I got in.

    My wife didn't pay - she didn't get in.

    My dad didn't pay - he didn't get in.

    My work colleague didn't pay - he didn't get in.

    What does that tell you MR?  Other than the fact that we're all tight arsed Northerners who didn't want to risk paying and not getting a place? 

  • Well I think that's pretty much blown your theory out of the water Marathon Rookie.

    Your "group" (whatever it is) clearly isn't a broadly representative group. Nothing more than that.

  • 2Old2Old ✭✭✭

    I've entered the ballot three times-first time got in, second rejected,third time donated fee and got in . In all cases donated. I wonder if your chances inrease if you put down a fast estimated finish time?

  • Perhaps the "collective group" is an angry mob bearing pitchforks. They do tend to get more noticed than those who say "oh well, maybe next year".

    My advice is to let the wounds heal, and then hire a bus for the collective group to run Milton Keynes. I heard it was better; in fact everyone I asked said it was better.

  • I've gotten in twice once when I bequeathed and once when I didn't. MR there are other marathons.

  • DeanR7DeanR7 ✭✭✭

    i guess as they want a representation spread across all the times for the race i would have thought anyone putting down a time that is around the GFA or better and trying to get through the ballot is at a large % disadvantage. as majority of these places are already taken.

     

  • Very good point Dean.

  • Got in 1st time I applied - didn't bequeath

    5 rejections in a row - didn't bequeath

    in for 2014 on 5 rejections in a row, but thought it strange that they asked if I wanted to bequeath to be in the extra chance ballot

  • I've organised entries for a company - we put in about 20 applications a few years back - when the odds of getting in were often quoted as 1 in 4. None of us got in through the ballot. It doesn't prove anything.



    I dont believe that the estimated time is a factor either -

    1. if it was then people would have sussed and be getting round the system this way.

    2. How many people hit their target time anyway

    3. A random selection would give a random time dispersion - which is what they want anyway ?
  • I paid upfront this year and.... I got in.

    I can see the theory as to why it would be advantageous financially to not allow those who paid upfront to get in but really, if they ever got found out doing this there would be absolute uproar. Can you imagine it, a charitable event with as enormous a profile as the London Marathon essentially conning people out of money? Can't see it.

  • AbbersAbbers ✭✭✭

    I paid upfront this year, my first time trying in the ballot, and got a place. Unusual, possibly, but it does happen.

  • DeanR7DeanR7 ✭✭✭

    i did read somewhere about how the marathon randomly selects through the ballot and finishing time is a measure. logistically they want steady streams of finishers.  it was part of their algorithm. 

  • I do find it amusing how many people are getting all foamy at the mouth at this. This is not my conspiracy. I got my jacket through the post and my sorry magazine as did many people. I was quite content that I tried and I failed, still disappointed but not victimised. But since my friends revelation and further investigations, this just gets bigger and bigger. the ratio of people who paid up front, compared with those who didn't is disproportional in a random selection process. Bear in mind that there can be anything between 100,000 and 250,000 entries per year, it is reasonable to suggest that not everyone, even those who didn't pay up front, will get in. what does seem unreasonable is the weighted outcome in favour of the non payer. This is not a new revelation either by the way. last year was the same (this I found out too late) and who knows how long it has gone on? So I would say to that person who got in and pre paid, you are in a very small and select group so count yourself extremely fortunate and go a buy a lottery ticket too this week as its a sure thing.

  • Whose conspiracy is it then?

    You called it a scam, with no evidence, and have since been given plenty of information that contradicts what your "investigations" have led you to believe. 

    And if you do still believe it - perhaps you should contact the VLM themselves rather than ranting about it on here.

     

  • Apart from anything else, I don't see how you can make any allegations at all without knowing how many people entered the ballot.

  • I'd be careful about using the word 'scam' in a public place. Prima facie case of defamation if ever I've seen one. I've entered a few times and paid up front on the basis that occasionally the 'free' jacket is quite nice.

  • What I have done, is poke the hornets nest with a stick. What a lot of angry hornets there are flying out? Don't take my spurious finding for yourself people. Ask around and then decide. One thing I do know. I wont be paying up front next year and I will be very vocal about this come next years ballot as well. Its a SCAM!

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