Can I get last minute entry to London

My wife is doing VLM and I'm coming down to support her.  However, I'd really like to run it myself as I have an Ironman in July and this would be great prep/  So 2 questions;

1. Is it every possible to get very last minute entries i.e. on Saturday afternoon at the expo...either officially or unofficially

2. if the above fails...would there be anything to stop me running with her for, say, 25 miles then stopping to let her finish...they're public roads right, surely I can run on them without a number I just clearly wouldn't be an official finisher which I'm not bothered about anyway.  or will marshalls haul me off if I don't have a number?

 

Thanks

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Comments

  • 1. No

    2. Marshall would stop you.
  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭

     

    Kurt Gold wrote (see)

    A few of us in the family entered the ballot and just myself and the mother-in-law got accepted.  I'm not keen on rooming with the m-i-l the night before and my wife is mad keen to do the VLM so I wondered if I'd be able to transfer my place to my wife.  On the form I got asked to verify my details so could I inform them of a change in details (i.e. sex/name/dob - address still the same).  If this can't be done "officially", does it happen unofficially...i.e. what's to stop me just picking up my number and chip and then giving it the wife on the day.  

    According to this, you already have an entry.

  • Detective Millsy is on to you Kurt..........

  • I know from an insider that every so often one of the numbers from no-shows at the expo 'disappears' - they take a very very dim view of this, because all no-show numbers should be shredded. I believe the last LM employee who did this was banned forever from running in it.

  • Haha, go on detective Millsy!

    It's good to know that as DF3 no longer appears to be around that we have someone ready to step in and scour the Brighton marathon results for an "interesting" set of split times...

  • Unofficially you can do any of this stuff. Whether you get away with it is something no-one can answer. 

  • K.G. you could always go to the expo and approach people on the way out, I am sure that there are some who would sell you their running pack, if the price is right. We did witness this happening in the expo car park in 2012

  • Running a marathon isn't great preparation for an ironman anyway.



    You can't join in at the start. You could wait a mile down the road and join in but there are bouncers before the mall so you can't finish.



    Just take in the spectacle. Save your legs.
  • Praps he is looking to get a last minute entry to Ironman as well ?    image

  • So how did your wife get her place?  Thought it was the m-i-l running.

  • there's no mystery fellas, although I admire the inspector cleusos out there!  yes I originally got a place but my wife really wanted to do it so I've said I'll give her the place (my first posting!)...since then I got into an IM I've been trying for years so that is my goal for this year but I'm down there with the missus (and m-i-l!) to watch her so figured rather than standing around getting bored for 4 hours (and missing valuable training time) I might as well run with her...hence the question.  If all else fails I'll have a run round London on the non-marathon route, at least it will be quiet!  But it'd be nice to do most of it with her.  Re timing, my IM is in July so knocking out a marathon in April would be perfect timing I would think. 

  • So how did you give your wife your place?
  • Running a marathon in IM training is rarely perfect timing ...  image

  • The bottom line is that if you do ever want to run London and your wife ever wants to run it again, are you prepared to take the risk of either giving her your place or running the course with her because it would mean a lifetime ban for both of you?

    If it doesn't bother you and you want to try to get away with it (you might not get away with it) that's fine. 

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Hopefully none of the VLM officials are regulars on the site.
  • Ouchie! Good point Millsy  :-S

  • Cinders wrote (see)
    So how did you give your wife your place?

    I imagine he's just going to collect his number from the expo and give it to her.

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Someone did get busted on the Bath Half thread the other day trying to flog their spot.
  • You could always plan to run between various viewing spots - the marathon course loops back on itself a few times so there are a few ways of doing that.  Your wife & m-i-l will be up early to get to the start anyway, so you could get a long run in before you head off to the course to watch.  Or take your bike and ride down to Surrey & back.

  • cheers cheerful, good suggestions...for sure if I've got a few hours spare I'm not going to waste it standing around, I may as well be in the pub.

  • yes screamapillar has it right, I'm going to the expo on Sat to collect my stuff then will give it to the wife...I'd hope it won't cause a problem, I'm hardly looking to sell my number or upset anyone...it'll simply be a case of my wife running instead of me, I don't really see what the big deal with that is although of course there are always jobsworths that want to spoil your enjoyment!

  • btw my real name is not Kurt Gold...that's my p0rn name lol

  • Kurt Gold wrote (see)

    yes screamapillar has it right, I'm going to the expo on Sat to collect my stuff then will give it to the wife...I'd hope it won't cause a problem, I'm hardly looking to sell my number or upset anyone...it'll simply be a case of my wife running instead of me, I don't really see what the big deal with that is although of course there are always jobsworths that want to spoil your enjoyment!

    It isn't anything to do with people being "jobsworths". The rules of the race say that pales are non-transferable. You take that or you leave it.

  • If you get found out - you'll both be barred for life. Worst of all - what if your wife records a slower time than you should get ? That'll be on the interweb for ever.





    People will talk of Kurt Golds slow marathon for yeaaaaaars to come.
  • of course it is jobsworths...the rules about non-transferable are there to stop people with no interest in running applying for loads of places then trying to sell them on, which is what they should be used for I completely agree....does it really matter if I give my place to a mate/relative?  If you're one of those folk who blindly follow any rule despite the logic behind it then fair enough, but I'm not 

  • cougie wrote (see)
    If you get found out - you'll both be barred for life. Worst of all - what if your wife records a slower time than you should get ? That'll be on the interweb for ever.


    People will talk of Kurt Golds slow marathon for yeaaaaaars to come.

    LOL...how will I ever be able to face my imaginary running friends again?!

  • XX1XX1 ✭✭✭

    KG -- It wouldn't matter what the rules were or why they were there...  There would always be someone, like you, who thinks they don't apply to them image

  • Kurt Gold wrote (see)

    of course it is jobsworths...the rules about non-transferable are there to stop people with no interest in running applying for loads of places then trying to sell them on, which is what they should be used for I completely agree....does it really matter if I give my place to a mate/relative?  If you're one of those folk who blindly follow any rule despite the logic behind it then fair enough, but I'm not 

    The non-transferable rules also allow them to give out 55,000 places, knowing that only 40,000 will turn up on the day.  If everyone who couldn't run transferred then they'd only be able to give out 40,000 places to start with (or whatever the real numbers are - many thousands fail to start every year)

    I doubt they're all that fussed about the odd one or two who let their wife run in their place, but thousands doing it would cause them problems. 

  • The logic is that the race is fair. Men vs men. Women v women. Age group runners against each other.



    If you don't apply the rules - then its a nightmare - you'd get a 25 year old bloke winning the womens 40 AG or something.



    It'd be awful if they have different colours for mens and womens race numbers this year - your wife wouldn't even get into her pen.
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