London Marathon Ballot Week
It's that time of year again when magazines depicting famous London landmarks start popping through letterboxes, breaking hearts and making dreams come true. I got a 'no.' It didn't faze me much. I signed up for the London marathon ballot because I had a vague aim to run a marathon in 2019. London seemed the logical place to start. But I wasn't holding my breath. In all honesty, I wasn't sure whether I was hoping to get in or not. However, I was adamant that if I did get a place in the ballot I would take it as a sign that it was meant to be, I was ready and I would give it my all. If I didn't get in, perhaps that would be for the best also.
Some people, however, are distraught to have been unsuccessful in the ballot, particularly those who have been applying for years with no joy. I suppose it's a bit like trying for a baby. Some people try and try for many painful years and others hit the jackpot straightaway, often the ones who hadn't really thought it through and didn't know if they were ready for parenthood. You congratulate and try to feel happy for the successful ones but it hurts. Life, in so many ways, is not fair. We probably all know one annoying person who always seems to win a prize when they buy a raffle ticket or gets more wins on the scratchcards than they surely deserve.
If you're a member of an online running group, the London ballot is what everyone will be talking about right now. It might be wise to give social media a break for a week or two, let it all die down, otherwise you'll be sick to death of scrolling through photographs of Big Ben and reading delighted, despairing or downright ranting posts.
Unhappy people will be up in arms about the unfairness of the system. Others will insist that a random ballot is surely as fair as it gets. Well, yes and no. In theory a ballot is the fairest way to do it as it means that everyone who enters has an equal chance of being picked. However, that system also means that the person who has run half a dozen London marathons previously has just as much chance of getting in as the person who has been rejected 25 times. It means the non-runner who impulsively signed up for the ballot after a few too many drinks and promptly forgot about it has the same chance as the person who trains hard every day in all weathers.
Being random and being fair are not necessarily the same thing. Sometimes to make something fair you have to rig the system a bit. 'Fair' means different things to different people. Is fairness about providing equal opportunity or is fairness about giving the more deserving people the upper hand? Should those who have already run London on a ballot place be prevented from entering the ballot again for a couple of years, to give the unlucky ones a better chance of achieving their dream? That's one suggestion that regularly does the rounds on the forums, and I think there is something to be said for it. Others point out that you don't stop someone playing the lottery just because they have already had one win. True, but it's hardly comparing like with like, is it? You can play the lottery every week if you want. There's only one London Marathon a year.
The only truly fair way (and I'm not seriously suggesting this) would be for applicants to submit a sort of running CV and for the organisers to study every single ballot application with care and allocate places to those who were considered the most deserving, but of course that would be completely unrealistic in terms of admin and that's never going to happen. It's not a job interview. Even if it were possible to somehow screen people and decide who should get a place, you wouldn't be able to please everyone. What makes someone deserving anyway? We are all deserving in our own ways. I can just imagine the bitchiness online if it was thought that people were using 'sob stories' to get a place.
Some think that we should have some kind of moral responsibility and that we should only enter the ballot if we really, really want it and not go into it with a 'see what happens' mentality. This probably means that I'm one of the culprits, clogging up the already over-subscribed ballot with my half-arsed approach. However, many of us really spring into action when fate gives us a kick up the bum. Just as people with unplanned pregnancies often turn into great parents, those who find themselves 'accidentally' running a marathon can get totally into it and do themselves proud.
As far as my own running ambitions go, I'm not too worried about whether or not they ever include the London Marathon. Sure, I understand that it's an iconic race and it's something amazing to tell the grandchildren, but to me the important word here is 'marathon', not 'London.' If you run 26.2 miles, I don't care whether you run it in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Brighton, Loch Ness, Cleethorpes or any other place on earth. It's still a fantastic achievement. What's more, I don't care if you run it on your own in the woods with just your dog for company or whether you run it in an official race set-up. I take my hat off to you. You're still a marathoner and that's just brilliant!
For many though, the London Marathon ballot and the disappointment that comes with it is part and parcel of the bitter sweet life of a runner. It's impossible to pretend they don't care about it. Not entering the ballot isn't an option for them. Maybe I'll care about it more as the years go by but at the moment I see races everywhere that I keep adding to my wish list. I see so many beautiful looking routes, so many cool-looking medals. If for some reason I can't do one, I always find another that grabs my interest pretty quickly. As runners we really are spoilt for choice.
So, I hope people get over their disappointments quickly. Rejection is never nice, even when it's just a computer that's rejecting you. There's a tendency to think it's 'bloody typical' that you weren't selected and to think of yourself as whatever the exact opposite of a 'jammy bugger' is. Despite my general nonchalance at getting my rejection, for a few seconds it took me back to being at primary school when my hyacinths came 2nd in the school bulb show and the headmaster forgot to give me my prize at the presentation evening. Whilst I knew it was just an oversight on his part, I remember thinking that it was kind of obvious that if someone had to be overlooked, it was going to be me. It's stupid how totally random things can make you feel a little unworthy.
But onwards and upwards! London isn't the be all and end all, Find another marathon, sign up and don't look back. As with so many things in life, an apparent disappointment can lead you to places you never would've gone otherwise and where marathons are concerned, there are many paths that lead to awesomeness.
Some people, however, are distraught to have been unsuccessful in the ballot, particularly those who have been applying for years with no joy. I suppose it's a bit like trying for a baby. Some people try and try for many painful years and others hit the jackpot straightaway, often the ones who hadn't really thought it through and didn't know if they were ready for parenthood. You congratulate and try to feel happy for the successful ones but it hurts. Life, in so many ways, is not fair. We probably all know one annoying person who always seems to win a prize when they buy a raffle ticket or gets more wins on the scratchcards than they surely deserve.
If you're a member of an online running group, the London ballot is what everyone will be talking about right now. It might be wise to give social media a break for a week or two, let it all die down, otherwise you'll be sick to death of scrolling through photographs of Big Ben and reading delighted, despairing or downright ranting posts.
Unhappy people will be up in arms about the unfairness of the system. Others will insist that a random ballot is surely as fair as it gets. Well, yes and no. In theory a ballot is the fairest way to do it as it means that everyone who enters has an equal chance of being picked. However, that system also means that the person who has run half a dozen London marathons previously has just as much chance of getting in as the person who has been rejected 25 times. It means the non-runner who impulsively signed up for the ballot after a few too many drinks and promptly forgot about it has the same chance as the person who trains hard every day in all weathers.
Being random and being fair are not necessarily the same thing. Sometimes to make something fair you have to rig the system a bit. 'Fair' means different things to different people. Is fairness about providing equal opportunity or is fairness about giving the more deserving people the upper hand? Should those who have already run London on a ballot place be prevented from entering the ballot again for a couple of years, to give the unlucky ones a better chance of achieving their dream? That's one suggestion that regularly does the rounds on the forums, and I think there is something to be said for it. Others point out that you don't stop someone playing the lottery just because they have already had one win. True, but it's hardly comparing like with like, is it? You can play the lottery every week if you want. There's only one London Marathon a year.
The only truly fair way (and I'm not seriously suggesting this) would be for applicants to submit a sort of running CV and for the organisers to study every single ballot application with care and allocate places to those who were considered the most deserving, but of course that would be completely unrealistic in terms of admin and that's never going to happen. It's not a job interview. Even if it were possible to somehow screen people and decide who should get a place, you wouldn't be able to please everyone. What makes someone deserving anyway? We are all deserving in our own ways. I can just imagine the bitchiness online if it was thought that people were using 'sob stories' to get a place.
Some think that we should have some kind of moral responsibility and that we should only enter the ballot if we really, really want it and not go into it with a 'see what happens' mentality. This probably means that I'm one of the culprits, clogging up the already over-subscribed ballot with my half-arsed approach. However, many of us really spring into action when fate gives us a kick up the bum. Just as people with unplanned pregnancies often turn into great parents, those who find themselves 'accidentally' running a marathon can get totally into it and do themselves proud.
As far as my own running ambitions go, I'm not too worried about whether or not they ever include the London Marathon. Sure, I understand that it's an iconic race and it's something amazing to tell the grandchildren, but to me the important word here is 'marathon', not 'London.' If you run 26.2 miles, I don't care whether you run it in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Brighton, Loch Ness, Cleethorpes or any other place on earth. It's still a fantastic achievement. What's more, I don't care if you run it on your own in the woods with just your dog for company or whether you run it in an official race set-up. I take my hat off to you. You're still a marathoner and that's just brilliant!
For many though, the London Marathon ballot and the disappointment that comes with it is part and parcel of the bitter sweet life of a runner. It's impossible to pretend they don't care about it. Not entering the ballot isn't an option for them. Maybe I'll care about it more as the years go by but at the moment I see races everywhere that I keep adding to my wish list. I see so many beautiful looking routes, so many cool-looking medals. If for some reason I can't do one, I always find another that grabs my interest pretty quickly. As runners we really are spoilt for choice.
So, I hope people get over their disappointments quickly. Rejection is never nice, even when it's just a computer that's rejecting you. There's a tendency to think it's 'bloody typical' that you weren't selected and to think of yourself as whatever the exact opposite of a 'jammy bugger' is. Despite my general nonchalance at getting my rejection, for a few seconds it took me back to being at primary school when my hyacinths came 2nd in the school bulb show and the headmaster forgot to give me my prize at the presentation evening. Whilst I knew it was just an oversight on his part, I remember thinking that it was kind of obvious that if someone had to be overlooked, it was going to be me. It's stupid how totally random things can make you feel a little unworthy.
But onwards and upwards! London isn't the be all and end all, Find another marathon, sign up and don't look back. As with so many things in life, an apparent disappointment can lead you to places you never would've gone otherwise and where marathons are concerned, there are many paths that lead to awesomeness.
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