The Marine Corps Marathon lottery is open now. I’ve run it three times and enjoy the course, spectators, on-course support – everything. I’d like to run it again. But I’m not entering the lottery, and here’s why:
Time.
The marathon is in October. It is March. That’s seven months away. Pat and I share a relentless wanderlust, and as of right now I’m just not sure what’s gonna go down over that kind of time. The same problem plagues this race as plagues all runDisney races – registration is just too far out.
I kinda get it for marathons; after all, they take awhile to train for. And if this system is working for most people, then great. I take my place among the minority. But I’m not prepared to scramble for a spot at this time.
After all, there are other ways. I don’t think I’d want to be a charity runner again – I’m not extroverted enough to raise money efficiently – but MCM does allow bib transfers, and an official place for people to offer up their bibs. I’m willing to bet that if I decide I want to run after all, I’ll be able to pick up a bib somewhere. I mean, I could be wrong, but two years ago I was offered two bibs the weekend before the race, so…
Even the insane fear surrounding runDisney race registration doesn’t frighten me like it used to. Time spent following the runDisney Facebook groups has led me to glean that if you’re willing to toss a night’s worth of hotel money at a travel agent, there are bibs for the taking. Naturally there are no guarantees, but every inquiry I’ve seen posted has quickly been met with a travel agent eagerly declaring “We have bibs for all the races!” (Except sometimes the 10K. People are all about that 10K life.) I’ve even seen Dopey and Goofy available a mere handful of months in advance.
This somewhat runs counter to my personality, as I am not a fly-by-the-seat-if-your-pants kinda gal. I prefer to know exactly what I’m doing and get my registration in early. But I also hate the idea of tossing out large amounts of money for a race I won’t be able to run – and as MCM registration has gone up by $20 this year, I want to be sure before I make that commitment.
So there you are: why I’m not as crazed about registration now, and why I think that’s okay. Now to adjust my natural aversion to spontaneity…
What do you think of my new attitude? Have you ever signed up for MCM – or runDisney – or some other popular race through unconventional channels? Am I playing it way too fast and loose?
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