Is every team subjected to the lottery? Even if you have a team that should finish in the top 3?
Is every team subjected to the lottery? Even if you have a team that should finish in the top 3?
Yes. However, once in you could renew your spot if you continued to finish highly.
You might not be surprised but HTC (like 99% of races these days) doesn't really care about teams that can run fast. Actually they present more organizational problems than a typical team.
The above poster is correct. Even if your team has the "potential" to win the race, you won't get in based on that. You might be able to persuade someone who already has a team in to give you their entry, but generally that kind of thing happens at the last minute - and by then, it's tough to get those 12 fast people together.
To enter, you need to get in the lottery and submit an application and the full entry free ($1320) with it postmarked on the exact date they specify. Then you wait to see if you are in.
Once you are in, if you place in the top 6 in your category (and some categories are easier than others), you are 'invited" back. In order to get in the next year as a "category winner", you still need to submit the full team fee and the application on or before a certain date (a couple of weeks before the regular date) to get in. if you miss that date, your entry is thrown into the lottery.
You don't have to have a full complement of 12 runners to enter - you just need to find them and sign them up before race day.
And, yes, I'd agree that HTC doesn't cater to fast teams. Most of the teams are there for the experience. If you win your division, you get a plaque. If you place in the top 6, you get a medal. Obviously, no one is doing it for the glory or the prize!