Story out today about how it’s almost impossible to get into the major 7 marathons without ponying up the money. Only 3% of those who entered the NYC lottery got in. The London Marathon received more than 1.1 million applications this year for 50,000 to 60,000 spots.Makes getting into Leadville or Unbound look much easier.
I could totally see Lifetime in the US, Gravel Earth, or the Epic series embrace the same idea of awards for riders who complete the whole series or key races in a series in a year’s time. Problem is that like they mention in the article it turns into a lot of gate keeping and elitism. Pile on the fact that you can’t get as many bikes on a lot of courses the way you can runners, the supply is that much more constrained.
If you say NYC or Boston Marathon, almost everyone will say “Oh, that big isn’t it?” If you say “I did Leadville or Unbound.” most responses are “What’s that?” and it has to be explained. On one hand I like that the off road cycling orgs are raising the profile. On the other hand, it’s kind of nice to just have our own thing we’re doing. As an age grouper that’s striving for finish lines, not podiums, I kind of like our secret little world.
I think lifetime’s current approach is a reasonable balance. They used to give out quite a few spots based on race results, but seem to have cut that way back in the last several years and are only giving out spots for folks who win their category (at least at the races I’ve attended). Even though that approach reduces my chance for entry in some cases, it opens up more spots for lottery spots (either general lottery or lottery at end of races). I think it incentivizes more participation in their qualifying events by folks who aren’t die hard bike racers. And allows a more diverse field at the races. Which is a good thing in my opinion. And you could call that approach a money grab for their tier 2 events, but lifetime isn’t a nonprofit. In reality, they could probably double the price of Leadville and still have excess demand. Instead, they have a charity path where people can write big checks for entry, but it’s for good causes.
If you want to get into London, sign up with a charity. That’s where a lot of places are held, with charities. It’s become all about raising money, rather than the running.