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Originally posted by bigapplepie:

The New York City reserves more places for foreign runners than any other marathon. I think this fits in to the NYC image as "cross roads of the world".

In 2006 there were:

3,483 finishers from the UK
2,896 from Italy
2,577 from France
2,439 from Germany
1,024 from Scandinavia
740 from Canada
615 from Mexico
511 from Japan
406 from Spain
288 from Brazil (including the winner)

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That's almost 15,000 for foreigners alone!  I don't believe the marathon's 50% odds claim for USA lottery applicants.

quote:

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Originally posted by chrisuletz:

I also don't believe that. Last year, me and four friends applied, and we went 0 for 5.

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We'll be able to prove our point in a few weeks by doing searches for Jones, Smith, Johnson, etc.  I think 25% odds is much closer to the truth.

I ran the NYC marathon in 2005 and I thought they reserved 1/3 of the spots for applicants in the NYC area, 1/3 out of NYC area and 1/3 of them for foreign runners.  Maybe I pulled that out of my ass but I'm pretty sure that is what it said in the official race "program"

quote:

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Originally posted by bigapplepie:

Remember most of the overseas applicants came through tour companies. I'm not sure whether they go through the lottery process.

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I'm pretty sure they don't - for the prices they pay for the travel arrangements, they SHOULD be guaranteed entry.

QUOTEOriginally posted by PacerChris:
[B]I'll be there - I'm hoping Lance gets his buttocks in 2:45 shape because I know that what MY goal is (big PR for me - I'll be ready, though!).

PacerChris - if you're lucky maybe you can be one of the runners that hand him his cup of water! 

So...anyways I'm in!  I bust my behind in Phoenix in January a so I could get a guaranteed entry...makes it that much better.  Already got my plane ticket and hotel!!

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Originally posted by PacerChris:

Boot the foreigners out!!

Just kidding - I don't blame them. In Cincinnati, they try and recruit people from states that have no entrants so they can legitimately say they have people from xx # of states in the marathon. At Air Force one year, they announced they had people from 49 states and the commander made a point to ask the runners "If you know anyone from Rhode Island, tell them to run this race next year!!"

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Well...Rhode Islanders are slackers, you know! Just kidding. Though that is funny, I am from Rhode Island and was just reading up on our sole marathon which claimed participants from 42 states last year. Other than people trying to log 50 marathons in 50 states, I can't see many people travelling to run here -- not that it isn't a beautiful course.

That said, I ran NYC last year, it was my first marathon and I was accepted via lottery.  (And for those of you who have not experienced it, it is unreal...in a good way!)  This year, well, we shall see.  If I am turned down, maybe the organizers in Cincinnati will make it worth my while....  

Just to clarify things, there are 38,000 places available. 98,000 people applied.

There must only be about 15,000 lottery places available so the 75,000 applicants that applied through the lottery have about a 1 in 5 chance of getting in.

Around 50% of the finishers last year registered for countries outside the US though over a thousand of these were US residents. New York is the crossroads of the world.

If you had $127 deducted from your credit card today you are probably in.