So how does NYC marathon qualifying work?

Revivingthedream wrote:

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"these spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, with details available after December 31, 2017.”

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https://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/plan-your-race/run-in-2018/2018-time-qualifying-standards

I guess what I’m wondering is what are my chances of getting in the race with a qualifying time from a non-NYRR race. Will the spots allocated for that qualifying method be filled very quickly?

I got in on a non NYRR half marathon time by 8 seconds. It was a certified course. I think in general they accept most of these applicants, I haven't seen anyone post they didn't get in with a qualifying time. I think they would want some of the "faster" runners in those age groups to spread out the madness. I'm going this year so I don't have to do lottery and in case (never know) I don't ever run a qualifying time again...

I am doing NYC this year for the first time. I ran RnR New Orleans and ran a 1:17. I registered for NYC marathon the second the registration opened and was accepted the next day. My cousin used Philly Marathon 2:45 and waited a day to register, but finally heard back at the end of the lottery period that he was accepted.

What I have heard is there is a small number of automatic slots for qualifiers available on a first come first serve basis. The rest go into the lottery. So if you register literally right when it opens, you have a good shot of being accepted.

Revivingthedream wrote:

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So how many of these spots are available? What are my chances of getting one? So faster times have a better chance of being accepted?

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FWIW, I've never heard of anyone who submitted a qualifying time being rejected.

Thanks for the personal experiences, guys. Looks like I'll be registering as early as possible. Gives me a little extra motivation for the half marathon I have coming up. i guess it's 1:21 or bust!

It also gets you early sign-up for the Brooklyn Half.

derp wrote:

It also gets you early sign-up for the Brooklyn Half.

What about the Bronx half? Every other borough is too pretentious for me at this point.

I heard from someone that if you run a qualifying time at another World Marathon Major you are guaranteed a spot in the NYC Marathon. I qualified by over 5 minutes at Chicago. Anyone know if this is confirmed? I also ran a non-NYRR Half where I qualified by over 6 minutes. Just to be safe I plan to register as soon as I can on January 15 when Registration opens.

Run a sub 60 min half marathon and they should invite you.

Bumping this thread to see if other non-nyrr qualifiers have gotten their acceptance yet. I was on the fence about registering for a few weeks and only registered on 2/1. Qualifier was sub 2:40 at Boston and my status is listed as "Time Verification Pending"

If it is truly first come first served, I may have missed out despite being well under the qualifying time.

revivingthedream wrote:

derp wrote:

It also gets you early sign-up for the Brooklyn Half.

What about the Bronx half? Every other borough is too pretentious for me at this point.

In the Bronx you'll have to run a 10 miler - halfs are too mainstream.

BouldeRunner wrote:

Bumping this thread to see if other non-nyrr qualifiers have gotten their acceptance yet. I was on the fence about registering for a few weeks and only registered on 2/1. Qualifier was sub 2:40 at Boston and my status is listed as "Time Verification Pending"

If it is truly first come first served, I may have missed out despite being well under the qualifying time.

Not yet. I registered the day it opened.

OP here. Wish that I had something more to add, but decided not to register for NYC. Prefer a cheaper marathon within one day’s driving distance and less logistical hassle.

Likewise. Their website said we should hear back in two weeks but it's been over three, so I wrote NYRR. They responded quickly. Quote:

"Hello,

Thanks for your email and for your inquiry regarding your application for the 2018 TCS NYC Marathon. We have received your application and it is under review. We have received a high volume of submissions and it is taking longer than expected to verify them all. If your application is accepted you will be entered into the race via our end, and will receive an email confirmation upon acceptance. Please make sure you have a valid credit card on your profile so that we can easily accept you into the event. If you are not accepted you will receive an email from us letting you know that you have been moved to the drawing for a chance to be selected. Please see the link below for more info on our time qualifying standards:

https://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/plan-your-race/run-in-2018/2018-time-qualifying-standards

We appreciate your patience."

Just got the same email to "patiently" wait. Anyone else still waiting to hear back?

FWIW, when I registered as a qualifier, it took *much* longer for processing that the NYRR website said - AND - they were absolutely NOT processed first come first serve. So, just hang in there guys, you should be fine. :-)

I qualified in a local (small), non-NYRR half marathon by 3 minutes for my age group. Applied at 12:10 on Jan. 15 (day registration opened) for the NYC Marathon and haven't heard back. It's been 4 weeks. I emailed and they said there is a delay due to a 3rd party processing the applications this year. So, there is still hope as far as I know for non-NYRR time qualifiers that haven't heard.