I haven’t run a standalone marathon since January 2009!! (I don’t really count the Goofy Challenge as a standalone marathon.) 
Initially I was going to make 2014 the year of the marathon and aim for a fall race. Then somehow Ironman Boulder came on the radar and I knew the marathon I was targeting wouldn’t work out very well. But then I was so excited to hear everyone’s experiences around the New York Marathon that I knew I wanted to throw my name in the lottery. I figured there would be enough time between IM Boulder and the NY Marathon that I could make it work. On the very first day that the lottery opened I signed up right away.
Fast forward to Wednesday’s marathon lottery drawing. Talk about the most distracting thing ever! I kept refreshing my account on the New York Road Runner’s page and I kept seeing this, all day long:
However NYRR said that it could take awhile for our status to change on our NYRR account but that a credit card charge would appear right away to show you were in. It takes a couple of days for US$ charges to show up on my credit card account so I kept up hope. Refresh…repeat…refresh…repeat…
Then finally I got home and checked my account one more time and I got the bad news…womp…womp…
Thanks for putting that alert in red to just twist the knife a little bit more…
Yes, I would have loved an excuse to go back to New York this year and run this iconic race. This year it just wasn’t meant to be. I can’t be sad because I have a lot of great races planned for this year…Ironman Boulder…the Tower of Terror 10 Miler… I will likely try the lottery again next year!
Did you apply for the New York Marathon? Any luck getting in?
Oh no, sorry to hear that 🙁 Do you have to pay to enter the lottery?
Sorry to read this! I read somewhere that people in the lottery had a 12% chance of getting into the race….
I also lost the lottery. 🙁 Hopefully I’ll get in eventually! It’s something like a 1-in-10 chance of getting in, though, so don’t be too discouraged.
Boooo! I really REALLY wanna do this one day…so is it after 3 years of applying they put you in? Is that true? Had you applied before? the half in March would also be so ace! Well, any NYC run would be rocking!!!
Two of my friends got in (one on the first try & another on her fourth). I got in on my first try in 2011. Totally random and my four other friends did not. It sure is the luck of the draw. I might apply again next year. I had so much fun but I am a complete newbie & it hurt like hell 🙂
I didn’t apply this year, but I think I’m going to apply for 2015.
I hadn’t really thought of throwing my name in but this just might be something I think about for next year. And you’re right, the alert would have been much easier to swallow in a calm colour like blue!