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Online entry 1st phase for FLM 2009 closed
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Hi all.
Well the 1st phase is shut already.
Just a total mater of interest but do you think the FLM have made a boob of opening it so early. Someone at swimming said tonight that there are probably loads of people who watched it on Sunday heard about the online entry and thought " I can do that". I have always thought of doing it whenever I watched it on telly but never actually followed it through because I was not in good enough shape and would not have known how to apply.
Please don't shoot me down because I mean anyone can apply and why shouldn't they, is it going to be a mass of armchair runners next year though? 
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I agree totally James. There have been a lot postings on this in the last few days.
I ran this year, via Golden Bond, and I was happy to do so. They have made a total mess of this, opening up the entry on the same day of the race. What fool decided that one?
I do think a lot of people will have watched the race at home, and thought, "Hey yeh, that looks a laugh, I can do that..."
Running a marathon, and I mean running it, not walking round in 7-8 hours because you didn't train, involves dedication, and a respect for the distance. I do fear we will get a whole bunch of deferrals this time next year.
I agree with the online system, it saves paperwork for London Marathon HQ, but they should have left it a month until they opened up entries. By that point, spur of the moment entries will have gone by the way, and genuine entries by people prepared to put the time, effort and fundraising into the it, will have entered.
You might wish they had some other strategy that means that you have a better chance of getting in and others have a lower chance, but that isn't a sound business decision. How about just dealing with it? Enter phase 2 or get someone else to do it for you if you can't, or call and ask for one of the postal entries?
I'm entered and I'd be very happy to run, but if I don't I'm not going to blink before I enter Paris or somewhere else. Life is to short as far as I'm concerned.
I got my ballot entry in on Monday, no bother, but I still think they should not have launched on Sunday...
I have read Nick Bitels posting...
I aggree Martin.
The marathon is for everyone but I do think like you they should have held off for a month.
Alhill just because a professional makes a statement of conviction does not mean he or she is right and the online system opening on Sunday may be right or it may be wrong..
The fact it sold out in record time say's something,thanks James
Since he took over as Chief Executive of the London Marathon in 1995, viewing figures and profits have risen year on year as the world’s largest and most successful marathon goes from strength to strength."
If you suppose, as I do, that lots more people won't turn up after entering the marathon signing up on marathon day on their PC whilst eating a pizza watching the marathon on TV, that still doesn't make it a mistake. Perhaps they'll go out for a few runs before giving up which they wouldn't otherwise have done. Whatever they do, Nick and his team will have a model for predicting how many people will turn up and it will be pretty accurate I'm sure.
Does anyone out there understand the intricacies of the 'Good for age' entry route?
I have a situation whereby I am 40 at present but will be 41 at the time of the next FLM (I'm 41 in June 08).
I ran 3hr 12min this year which is outside my current GFA limit (2:45 to 3hrs for 18yrs to 40yrs) but is in my age range when I would actually be running for which the limit is sub 3hr 15mins.
Has anyone out there been in this position of between age limits and does anyone know whether my time at London this year will qualify for 09 of whether I will have to run another marathon after my 41st but before the Oct closing date?
Trying to get hold of anyone at FLM at the moment is like trying to wake the dead.
Hope someone out there can help!
They sold out in a record time and they completely messed up? You might think so, but Nick Bitel of the FLM has posted on this site in the last few days and I'm pretty sure he's satisfied he made exactly the right decision for the marathon and the charities foundations it supports.
You might wish they had some other strategy that means that you have a better chance of getting in and others have a lower chance, but that isn't a sound business decision. How about just dealing with it? Enter phase 2 or get someone else to do it for you if you can't, or call and ask for one of the postal entries?
I'm entered and I'd be very happy to run, but if I don't I'm not going to blink before I enter Paris or somewhere else. Life is to short as far as I'm concerned.
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I'm getting so fed up with all the smug gits who entered on Sunday making posts like this. Why not just say "I'm alright Jack", and be done with it?
Anyone who did not get in the ballot stil has a good block of time to put in some training and hit the GFA qualifying times if they're really that bothered about doing it.
In fact FLM's decision to open it up so early might boot a few backsides into actually fulfilling their potential by having to train for a GFA place rather than relying on the ballot to get in.
If you suppose, as I do, that lots more people won't turn up after entering the marathon signing up on marathon day on their PC whilst eating a pizza watching the marathon on TV
To be fair, I was sitting on my sofa eating bacon sandwiches
How can they "sell out in record time" when in the past they have never had an upper limit to sell out to ??????
Surely anyone who posted in their paper form before the dealine got in to the ballot.
I agree with RunningCommentary and think there is an incredible amount of smugness and arrogance amongst many people who got into the ballot. At the end of the day, the only comment I've had from the orgainsers is that the ballot is open from race day until late summer (can't remember the date). I've never received anything which said I had to apply at alloted times in that period.
Consider the following groups of people who have been left out by this system:
* People who decided to run another marathon last weekend, and were unable to find a secure internet connection until they got home on Monday night. I fit in that category having run in Rotterdam and getting a late flight on Monday.
* People who are yet to make the GFA time, but have another marathon coming up. If I was rejected from London but expected to get a GFA time in Edinburgh, for instance, I wouldn't be applying now since the Marathon people themselves have said we have months to apply. I wouldn't even be looking at the FLM site to know its shut or when its reopening.
* People who don't have credit/debit cards. Now everyone has the ability to pay for things online and are reliant on postal orders. People in that position are now being asked to phone up for 5,000 forms - I wonder how much they will be selling for on Ebay next week.
* People on low income who have just had an expensive month travelling to London to support the race and wish to enter in June when they've saved a little. You need to have the entry fee as easily expendible income to be considered at the moment.
* People who don't have internet access. How exactly are those people who can't get online supposed to know there is a phoneline being set up next week for a limited number of forms. If people are waiting until they visit relatives with internet access to apply, they could end up missing out.
There are probably many, many more groupings of people who won't be able to apply next week for a place and therefore haven't bothered to look yet since the Marathon people themselves have told us previously there is no reason to rush.
There seems to be a lot of people with the idea that the marathon should become an event solely for middle-class runners, with expendible incomes, credit cards and internet access in their own homes. People who haven't run before, or are on low incomes shouldn't be allowed to enter. The application process this year appears to be supporting such a view. If the marathon wants to go down that route and become elitist, it will lose any respect I have for it.
Wirral Dave
As I see it, the ballot system of old was open to abuse.
People were submitting multiple entries from different addresses. Where is the fairness in that?
No system is perfect.
We criticise applicants who enter on a whim but we fail to recognise that committed runners have the option to run many 'other' UK marathons or even going down the Charity route of entry.
Let' s be honest who are we to judge if we are just hankering for a ballot place in the FLM, purely because it is a spectacle and a 'big' occasion. What does that say of us, really (I include myself in this)
In conclusion a ballot place is a lottery, due to the popularity of the event another level of lottery entry has been introduced.
It's not fair but that's life!!
Previously people had to make some minimal effort to find out how to enter the FLM, fill a form in, write a cheque and post it off. Believe it or not, that put off a lot of people. By announcing that online applications were available on the day of the marathon, thousands of people who would otherwise not have made that effort decided to enter the ballot. Believing that was likely, the FLM organisers decided to put a cap on entries so that if you did manage to enter you wouldn't have a 1 in 50 chance of getting in. So if you do get in the ballot you'll have about a 1 in 4 chance of getting in (120000 entries, 30000 accepted in ballot plus 15000 or so charity entries/GFA/championship entries). Chances might be a bit better than that since they'll assume more people will drop out.
I agree with a lot sentements here. However.
I'm not being smug by announcing how I got in the ballot. I was merely making the point that I think it's been a shambles, despite getting into the ballot. I got in last sundays race by Golden bond and I have raised the cash. I'll happily give up my place given the fact I ran it for the first time on Sunday.
No system is perfect, but I agree with Wirral Dave on many of his points. They just should not have opened up online entries on Sunday, it's as simple as that. I agree that moving to online entry is positive, as it makes it easier to process, and less form filling, but the bottom line is, many people will have entered this at home on Sunday, on a whim. Leaving it a few weeks, would have seen the hysteria die down, and the genuine entries to go in. I'm happy to be proved wrong though.
It does seem ridiculous to open the entry for next years race, as the race is still happening. New York do online ballot entry, but don't open it for a while after the race.
I didn't enter on a whim. I really want to do it. I've got a rejection already under my belt and expect another one in October, but I'll keep trying!
I knew full well it would close in days. You had to be quick. I think it would've been better to wait for a few weeks and let people caught up in the emotion calm down!
I don't have a problem with them opening for entries while the race was on. It clearly makes good business sense for FLM (1st time runners are best for advertising revenue, etc as they will buy more than the rest of us) and if it gets some more people into running it can only be good.
My problem is with closing the ballot when a certain entry level is reached. Why? Never happened with paper entries, and from an FLM-business viewpoint I would have thought the more the better. Perhaps keeping entries open for a month would have been better?
BR
Are you telling me that I didn't "put some training in" for this year''s FLM? Until they sort out sensible GFA times (perhaps consistent with the UK:a "Power of 10" rankings?) I'll have a problem with a system which ranks a 3:45 marathon from a 25 year old girl as equivalent to a 3:15 marathon from a 59 year old man...
Reading lots of these comments - agree and don't agree:
Dont agree "you will have lots of time to train to get a GFA place"!?!?!?! Are you kidding. I am a 38 old avid runner and my PB is 4hrs 26 mins. Yes not lightnight fast but no matter how hard I trained I can't see me knocking 1hr off my time to get a GFA without killing myself !!! Ha ha....
Agree: "they should have waited until a little after the post race hype to open entries". I just logged on to put in an entry and it's closed....
Never mind - you win some you lose some. It's a great marathon (i ran in 2003) but have entered every year since but been rejected. Which reminds me what about those they used to promise 5 rejections and you are automatically in??? Answer please forum...
Oh and I ran chicago in 2006 - better time of year to train, great support, yes expensive to get to but I combined it with a holiday and loved it. I am thinking another USA marathon next year....
....but plan to be on line at 9am tomorrow too!!!!
Zed
I mnclineto agree Zedwith he GFA time.
I am 36 and have been running for 20 months and have seen big improvements but you can only do so much, the running gods touch you when they are ready.
I think some runners can get GFA but it happens over a few years rather than months, we could all do it if we did not have jobs and kids e.t.c IMO
So, anybody who has successfully entered on line already...
what info was required to complete the online application please? (Need to know for a friend)
Cheers
At the risk of sounding a smug git because I managed to enter the ballot:-
The usual London Marathon entry details plus payment card details which will only be debited if you are successful in the ballot.
ff
Don't they ask for your Competition Licence number to get the affiliated discount? All races from 1 April this year are meant to do that...
I don't recall being asked for it. I'd had a few beers at the time so my memory may be a little hazy. I got an acknowledgement straight away so whatever I'd antered seemed to go down well.
I've entered 5 other races this morning and none asked me for my number.
It is a little funny that FLM have implied that there were two phases in the online ballot entry.On the card in front of me the blurb "the closing date will be either September the 5th 2008 or earlier if the entries exceed 120,000". Or until the sytem clogs up.
Name, address, email, credit card details, occupation, predicted time, previous best time, number of times entered in ballot, number of times rejected in ballot, bequeath or not.
You could also tick to get info from some charities asking you to run for them if you don't get a place.
That's what I remember anyway!
Slugsta
Thought that might be the case; naughty London Marathon Limited...