New York Guaranteed Registration Process

You just sign up like everyone else and provide the details of your

It's actually a pretty flawless process, like everything with NYRR.

More details will be forthcoming, but I believe you are not supposed to sign up until January. Last year, I signed up earlier (misread the instructions) and was listed as being in the lottery. They did correct this for me, but it made me nervous until they fixed it in January.

If you are auto qualified, there is no big hurry to register. The huge caveat on that is (I think) you have to register before some rather early cut off date. If memory serves, it was March 31, but it has probably changed since I did it. I remember there being a space for qualifying mark and where it was set, but it has been a few years since I did it. The marathon site should have clear instructions early in 2012.

PS - the sub 1:29 does not kick in until 2013. They left the old time standards in place for one more year so as not move the goal post in the middle of the game. (and as a 1:22 guy, I appreciate it!)

BradW wrote:

PS - the sub 1:29 does not kick in until 2013. They left the old time standards in place for one more year so as not move the goal post in the middle of the game. (and as a 1:22 guy, I appreciate it!)

Yes, but you mean 1:19, not 1:29

Here is a question...

Lets say you are a 1:21 Half Marathon guy... Do you have a better shot at getting a bib than a 2:10 Half Marathon guy? Does time play any factor at all after the 1:19 cutoff?

I am just asking as a hypothetical since I am a 59:32 Half Marathon guy and a 2:04 Marathoner.

Well, as a 1:21 half marathoner, which we all know you aren't, you are guaranteed entry for 2012. The window for 2013 hasn't opened yet. That opens 1/1/2012.

When you are in the lottery, your time doesn't really effect your lottery chance more than where you live, because NYRR has stated that is does a weighted lottery splitting the lottery acceptances up by tri-state area, rest of U.S. and international and I think they evenly distribute the lottery slots, so people in the tri-state area that are going in through the lottery have a crap chance of getting in that way. Let's just say I think I was 1/5 and I live in the tri-state area.

Also, last year the last day to apply for guaranteed time entry was the day after Boston I believe. 4/19 if I am not mistaken.

The qualification window for 2012 is 1/1/2011-1/31/2012 + NYC Half + Boston Marathon.

If you get in, and run a faster half or full time I would let them also to get a better bib, corral placement.

I got it. Thanks man.

Obviously, even if I am a lottery choice, my time is used as a way to guage my corral placement, right?

So, if I were actually a 1:21 Half Marathon guy and not a 59:32 guy, whereabouts would that put me?

Thanks again, I appreciate the input.

Sorry, I meant to write "gauge," not guage.

Really Fast Runner Guy wrote:

I am just asking as a hypothetical since I am a 59:32 Half Marathon guy and a 2:04 Marathoner.

You got to be a little more vague than that when you're making things up. No one has ever run a 59:32 Half Marathon and a 2:04 Marathon. Maybe you're getting a chuckle that you got me to look that up, but it took longer to type this than to look it up.

The deadline for entries has changed over recent years so check to see what it is for 2012.

My guess is that an HM time like that (whether you get in via guarantee or lottery) would get into corrals 1, 2, or 3. Each of these corrals (there are three starting lines) starts behind another group, one of the following: elite men, sub-elite men and women, local competitive. So you won't be that far back and should have relatively clear running within the first mile. I did hear, however, of people getting put into crazy corrals this year so who knows.

I agree with Joe. Last year I was in the 2xxx corral with a full time of 2:52. That is the 1st corral behind the sub-elite.

This year I was in the 1xxx corral with a seed time of 2:48.

I think a 1:21 half time will get you in corral 2. You would be over the start in 5-20 seconds.

One thing I did notice about the 1xxx corral (which is the 1st blue corral behind the elites) is.

1. They brought us out to the start way before anyone else. I guess they wanted some runners behind the women before they started.

2. You run more of the bridge uphill, but there isn't that much uphill after you scream down the bridge.

3. It was pretty narrow this year and they also manage to somehow squeeze some slower runners up front so they can trampled by the faster runners right at the start.

4. It was weird when the Green/Blue courses merged, got a little crowded then.

I must admit it was cool to be on the top of the bridge after been in the green start my only two other times.

Thanks for the help everyone.