Nationals Cross Country in Charlottesville Sold Out

Any one have any way to buy extra tickets?

I thought you don’t need a ticket to get into the venue; the tickets are for bus ride only. If you can get there on foot or bike, go ahead with it. Nobody can stop you as you are using a public road.

You must be new here.

Coach Lanana said "it’s the greatest thing in the world that this meet is sold-out."

No - it's poor event planning. Hosting 7,000 (or 10-15k) at an outdoor event of this type is not a huge logistical challenge for a decent planning team. Shocker - more people hoped to attend than in recent years with the race closer to large population centers.

I just think (as Gault said on podcast) that in the small are that most will want to be in (by the 3K mark and then the finish) you can only fit so many. Presumably whatever screen they have for showing the broadcast will be around there as well?

I'm sure that is true - but it's still poor planning. Large population centers also have companies that rent bleachers/grandstands, and professional event planners who could analyze the site constraints and event requirements and actually figure out how to make it work in terms of ticketing, parking, shuttles etc.

Instead it's amateur hour at UVa, and an opportunity for a bigger and better event is flushed down the toilet...

Madison only sold 4,000 tickets despite being close to Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Indianapolis, yet you expected UVA to plan for 3 times as many people?! Absurd. Some people just like to complain.

Having a sold out national cross country championships with 20 percent more tickets purchased than any other in the last 5 years is an unequivocal success.

My bad. It’s 25 percent more tickets purchased this year than the previous high within the last 5 years. Even more impressive!

The point is simply that they could have handled the demand with better planning. 25% attendance boost compared to snowy Madison should not be cause for congratulations.

And NO - Madison is not closer to population centers than Charlottesville. NYC, Philly, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, DC, Richmond, Va Beach, Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte, Knoxville, Columbia SC, etc are all within 6 hour drive of UVa. Far greater population in 6 hour radius compared to Madison (or any other recent NCAA XC site). Fans and coaches may not know the demographics and geography - event planners should.

Wisconsin had thousands of Badger fans there. They didn't buy tickets. There were way more than 5000 spectators.

Virginia bars get you drunk. Most other bars give you zits.

I bet more than 5000 cars parked in neighborhoods to the north and west of the Zimmer course and fans just walked on to avoid the shuttle bus headache. There was 11,000+ paid fans at the Wisconsin State Meet this year and the crowd at the last NCAA Meet in Madison seemed larger to me.

. . . as long as you put it in a paper bag and set it on fire

7:08 am, first shuttle should have left already. How were things at the mall this morning?

They did not really check our tickets getting on the bus

Wisconsin’s athletics communication department told Letsrun there were likely more than 6,000 people on the course in Madison in 2018. So that’s 4,000 paid spectators plus about 2,000 runners, coaches, staff, etc. Today will have 5,000 paid spectators plus the standard 2,000 runners, coaches, staff, etc. for a grand total of 7,000.

Couple police cars at the entrance to panorama rd but one could cut through the field next to it. Hypothetically

Where did I say there are more people near Madison than Charlottesville? Never did.

The meet planners are trying to balance both quantity and quality. I commend them for their efforts.