Who's waiting for the London Marathon ballot ?

24 watchers

sallykate Oct 2018 11:35am, 10 Oct 2018 5,680 posts	0 sallykate And yes, Virgin did get rid of it but honoured it for people who'd already accumulated rejections, apparently.
BexleyKev Oct 2018 12:53pm, 10 Oct 2018 276 posts	0 BexleyKev @mattglen - Have helped out at 'parkrun volunteer teams' for the past 9 years - Red Baggage, Fast Good For Age Baggage ( there is , Blue Water. The FGA group also cover some of the Green start roles. Quite a few come over from Ealing and SW London, Brighton; Joanne SH and family, plus ( as mentioned by sallykate) the large contingents from Bexley and other SE London parkruns. Running Clubs also cover a lot of the water stations along the route. Those parkruns that provide teams usually put a call out in the New Year.
Fragile Do Not Bend Oct 2018 1:03pm, 10 Oct 2018 3,476 posts	0 Fragile Do Not Bend Can someone who hasn’t run at a particular parkrun still volunteer at the marathon as part of that parkrun’s ‘team’?
icenutter Oct 2018 1:10pm, 10 Oct 2018 153 posts	0 icenutter The official reason for getting rid of the automatic entry thing based on accumulated rejections, was that so many people were getting in that way, that effectively the 'ballot' was would be meaningless as they'd be no space.
Pothunter Oct 2018 1:11pm, 10 Oct 2018 654 posts	0 Pothunter We usually have a few extra friends and family who come help out on the baggage trucks. If we have any spaces available after the regulars have had a chance to put their names down I’ll be happy to let you know. Due to security at the start you have to be allocated a photo pass so it does need to get organised a little in advance. It can’t be quite as last minute as it was a few years ago.
Fragile Do Not Bend Oct 2018 1:29pm, 10 Oct 2018 3,477 posts	0 Fragile Do Not Bend Thanks Pothunter. I wouldn’t want to do one of your regular runners out of a place, I didn’t know if there was a limit on numbers. Which is your parkrun?
larkim Oct 2018 2:02pm, 10 Oct 2018 5,800 posts	0 larkim With only a 1/25 chance in getting in, do you think VMLM will look to reduce the size of the ballot applicants in the future so that the chance of success if you get into the ballot is higher? e.g. only allow 175000 ballot applicants, so its a 1/10 success. They could do that by having a ballot to get in the ballot for example - have the current "open door" policy, then rapidly progress only a certain number to the second round. Then only the reduced cohort would be getting excited around this time but have a more realistic chance of getting in etc.
mattglen_ Oct 2018 2:06pm, 10 Oct 2018 53 posts	0 mattglen_ I always wondered if anyone who got in via ballot the year before, should be allowed to enter via ballot the next year. Despite the even slimmer chances of getting in back to back, this person would get a place that could go to a runner who hasn't run before.
mattglen_ Oct 2018 2:08pm, 10 Oct 2018 54 posts	0 mattglen_ They have to do something, otherwise it'll quickly get (even more) out of control
larkim Oct 2018 2:18pm, 10 Oct 2018 5,801 posts	0 larkim I can see it both ways - if 414000 people want a shot at running VLM, give them all a chance. And if there are serial runners who want to do it many times, good luck to them however they get in. Running London isn't a "right" and as many will say there are plenty of other marathons out there. But it is an interesting dilemma for them and I'm not sure there is a right answer they can come up with.