I don't think you are thinking about this very logically... The difference with Western States (or even the Boston Marathon for that matter) is that a fast runner can literally guarantee themselves entry into these races. They earn an entry slot with a time (with Boston) or place performance at a qualifying race (Golden Ticket). That's it. The entry and qualification (for Western States or the Boston Marathon or the Olympic Trials) is transparent and open to all. So it is "more fair" objectively. Same goes for UTMB actually with a defined ranking/ITRA score and enough qualifying long distance race "points" (but because of the bigger field size that race is easier to get into anyway). Obviously the filed size vs high demand makes it harder to get into an actual drawn "lottery" (think Hardrock)...but even for a mid packer whose dream it is to run Western States they still have a way in based on merit, patience and running the qualifying races over a period of years. Sure it might take them years to get drawn, but they have a "fair chance" as lottery odds increase over time. So it's the process and transparency of entry (or lack thereof) that is the "exclusive issue" here IMO. You're not comparing the same things between these races. Entry into Barkley appears to be totally left up to the subjective terms which adds another degree of exclusivity. Now again that's all fine as it's a private event run by Gary and his group friends (and they can do what they want) -but don't pretend that it's on the same level as these other races.
Roof Inspector Gadget wrote:
FHlover wrote:
The problem with Barkley is that there are 40 entrants. Laz gets thousands and thousands of application. The only way to allot those slots is through reviewing the applications - a "Barkley lottery" would never work. Because of the uniqueness of the event, it has to be resume-based.
There are also plenty of people who don't get back in, so it's not always the same folks. But you have to remember this was a race started by Laz and his friends when it was just a bunch of locals running in the woods. It's always been a "family" type of event.
Very good point. With such a small field, and a level of interest in participation that significantly exceeds the number of slots available, of course the selection process is going to be somewhat random, or "unfair".
Western States may seem more fair, but that's just a function of the fact that with 400 slots each year (or whatever the # is), and the size of the ultrarunning community being what it is, it happens to work out that if you're a pretty good runner over the course of a few years, you'll be able to get in. If, on the other hand, there were literally millions of competitive ultrarunners in the US who wanted to run WS100, and there were still only the 400 slots, the perception of it being inclusive and open to anybody willing to make the appropriate effort would vanish.