London marathon mags

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  • Anyone still waiting to find out (or is it just me)?

  • my son in law is still awaiting reply, to put it in context; approx 100 park runners at pegwell bay asked at pre run briefing  if anyone had a yes? for VLM  there was only one person!

    go european.. London is for charity and the elite! or if you're lucky a club place...

    my euro marathon exploits link below (old fart having a plod)

    https://rickryderblog.wordpress.com/

     

  • Don't think that gfa is elite....lots of club runners can hit the standard required....London is so great because of the amazing range of runners that they have.. If it wasn't for all the charity runners in fancy dress then the crowds wouldn't be there

  • I got my rejection mag ....... 6th year running.

    back to charity place again, I would love just one place....... same old faces etc 

  • Oh and mine arrived on 1st October ????

  • I received my rejection magazine on Friday, entered the Manchester Marathon and hoping to get a GFA time for 2017, so fingers crossed I guess. image

    Have a good day. image
  • at 55 GFA for me is sub 3.20 im chuffed knocking on the door of 4.20 which incidentally is pretty average looking at finish time graphs.. but its not for Mr or Mrs average is it? I prefer to get my place and then run for charity raising a realistic amount, working in Thanet on the minimum wage where are we going to find 2k for a charity place?

    but my message is yes London is great infact its the best! but there are fantastic European Marathons only a short flight away so do not be down hearted.. Barcelona anyone? link below

    http://www.zurichmaratobarcelona.es/eng/

  • Rick Ryder wrote (see)

    my son in law is still awaiting reply, to put it in context; approx 100 park runners at pegwell bay asked at pre run briefing  if anyone had a yes? for VLM  there was only one person!

     

    1 out of 100 parkrunners doesn't seem that bad odds when you take out all the children, people who might have GFA, people who don't want to do a marathon, people who don't want to do London etc. to leave the ones who actually entered the ballot.

  • i was thinking similar literatin........many parkrunners are at the start of their running life...

     

     and what graph are you looking for as an average time for finishing........if you look at all the big marathons then they have lots of runners who are not regular club runners......and it will include many runners who are new to the sport and many who are not willing to put in 50 miles a week or more for most weeks in a  year,..

    You are right to pleased with your times.they are the times you work hard for......but that doesnt make it average for a regular club runner......like all things some will be slower than average...some will be faster.........in the end it doesn't matter..unless you want a place in a oversubscribed marathon....and then you have to be good for age.....not average...

  • But wouldn't you just love to know the statistical odds of a ballot place at say an average (for VLM) finish time of 4hrs 20 ? my guess 1 in 20+ and why not publish them? save a lot of angst!

  • if thats using global figures.....I expect its of big races....how many of those are in Amercia where there are even more VLM type races which are great at encouraging non runners to run....

     look in the UK at any smaller marathon and I would be surprised if the average male finisher was anywhere near 4:20   and  once again we are looking for Good for Age ... not average..

     

     and I would say the odds are closer to 1:25 nowadays.......but they do not need to publish anything......they are an amazingly successful event and can do what they want as its supply and demand...

  • no London Graph average is as stated for all finishers about 4.15 to 4.45

    http://foot4ward.co.uk/2011/05/03/more-marathon-statistics/

     

    but if ballot is done for expected finish time spots i agree more like 1in25 or i suspect greater "they do not need to publish anything......they are an amazingly successful event and can do what they want as its supply and demand..." i agree but it would relieve expectation, bottom line is I'm trying to encourage better support at the other great european marathons that you can easily get a place in and offer comfort to fellow unsuccessful applicants, good for age? good for you!

    i agree with all you say!

  • i would say...look at all the great local races on your doorsteps....so many marathons to choose from in this country without the need and expenses of going abroad

     support your local races or they might not be around for ever  image

     

  • Good stuff, Jokey.  Would be great to see you down there.  I haven't done anything about travel yet; was probably going to book up a train once they become available. Hotel's sorted for Friday-Saturday, and looking forward to getting in a parkrun down there too.

  • yes i agree on local having done the Kent Coastal 4 years out of my 5 years running its very well reviewed too! London also local only an hours drive, i suppose Brighton is fairly local im supporting that! i'd be curious to know your cost of hotel and train for London.. i do not find it expensive abroad, Moscow is £88 rtn via easy-jet and hotels in Barcelona £16! the secret is early booking! Berlin annual ballot places are being very elusive for me too.  anyway those still waiting i hope its good news in the post tomorrow... London is voted the best in the world and every runner should get to do it at least once. Rome Marathon...because its Rome! Athens because that's where it all started (but did it?)

  • NayanNayan ✭✭✭
    you have a massive over subscription for places. Not only that, you have an even more extreme overdubs option when it comes to 4-5 hour finishing times.



    One solution would be to make the marathon ticket much more expensive - that would cut some people out but really would be elitist. THe other way is to have a random ballot, or to have ballots in each pace band.



    The london marathon has always been a charity event and is now very successful at raising money. When charities ask you for a minimum pledge it just shows you how successful that fundraising is. Incidentally, plenty of charities set the bar at 1300-1500 quid. plenty of folks up and down the country raise it. Good skills to them for doing so.



    You also hear people slagging off 'greedy' charities for 'destroying their sport.' This really gets my goat- charities take a gamble on people when they investment in golden bond places, and lay on cheering teams and massage tents. They are obliged to raise as much money as they can for their causes. So when folks bitch about greed they should ask themselves what sounds more greedy and selfish- what the charity does or one middle aged man in Lycra angry that he can't run walk around and get his Facebook pic running by Big Ben in 5 hours, and has to pay to go to Manchester or some other race.



    And yeah- if you're in the mass start than the club or elite champo- you my friend are a fun runner. Could be 5hrs, could be sub 3. Makes no odds. You really shouldn't moan about charities 'spoiling' what has always been a charity event.
  • Having got a club place and then ran for Demelza i have benefited from the support structure charities put in place, i have also waited until 0300hrs on ballot opening in the false hope the early bird would catch the worm!

    higher cost (entry fees to charities would work because a realistic sum could be raised) imagine if it was over two days in may.... say the Sunday and a may bank holiday Monday? 80,000 running for charity £250 entry?

  • NayanNayan ✭✭✭
    The race will always be oversubscribed and the marathon is a charity anyway. So if you make the golden bond pricier it will mean that only larger charities will dare taking down the bonds In the expectation that many folks will raise funds. They will also have to skew it towards folks who can pledge largest sums just to be site of getting their money back.

    The net result would be a bit more money for the marathon to dole out but it would squeeze smaller charities out in favour of the big boys. Plus you'd see more affluent runners dominate the fundraising places.

    In other words it would take the marathon the same way as premier league football.

    Shit idea.



    People need to think carefully. I can see the frustration and the marathon has to balance these site for broad participation with the aim of raising as much money as possible. You might be able to do that by limiting charities to x number of bonds or making sure they can only keep bonds for fewer years say. The idea would be to spread the bonds around and not have them gobbled up by the bigger charities. Still when people moan about charities and tacitly want to have lowering mum pledges it sounds like 'wag wag wag. Bollocks to the kids with cancer or whatever, all that matters is me me me and my desire to run a marafun, innit'



    It's a charity fun run with an elite race just before it. If you get in great. If not move on.
  • I still haven't had my magazine.. fingers crossed.

  • Still nothing here for my daughter either.  Hope lives on ! 

  • I had an email. Rejected. Oh well, I didn't expect to get in.

  • Skylarker still waiting...

  •  

    Come and run The Kent Coastal Marathon September

    Video of our coast https://vimeo.com/127724317

    Event Page Kent Coastal Maratho.. - Events - Thanet Roadrunners AC

     

     

  • I received a 'Youre in' magazine (GFA) and a rejected email (Ballot)

  • Still waiting! Do you suppose if I have to call them tomorrow they will just tell me if I'm in or not? Can't really be bothered hanging on for another magazine or email!



    I've always received it within a couple of days before (always a no) is it quite normal for lots to go astray in the post? Or could this be lost emails?
  • have you checked spam

     

  • Yes. Have checked spam..........

  • it's pretty poor really, can they not just send out a mass email? All this messing about with magazines over a week is pretty stupi in this day and age! !

    I'm losing interest very quickly, I've got plenty other races planned for next year ... God only knows why I keep entering the farce LM ballot every year!
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