These people shouldn’t be allowed to enter the London Marathon

[Notbeinggoadybut]

Like most runners I put my name into the ballot every year, and have never been picked not bitter at all.

The footage of the “last finishers” sets my teeth off a bit. I think if you can’t finish the marathon in say, 6.5-7 hours, you shouldn’t be taking a ballot place that could be allocated to someone who actually wants to RUN the marathon. There are plenty of walking marathons for people who prefer to walk, don’t be selfish and take a slight after place for a RUNNING race. I mean the key is even in the slogan, “We run together”.

AIBU?

Couple of years ago there was a massive fuss because they took away the barriers and left stragglers to use paths

Lines were removed off the road

But the backlash was huge and London marathon had to change to keep race conditions for slower runners

They won't go back on that

You just sound incredibly jealous OP

You are being goady though aren't you???

For some people finishing at all might be a massive achievement. They might have spent hours training to be able to do it in what you call a slow time.

I have run marathons. Currently I can barely walk 5km due to long covid. I had a charity place this year that I had to give up. Why should I not be allowed to run/walk it to the best of my ability? One of my goals is to recover enough to be able to complete a marathon again in whatever time I can manage.

Sorry OP but I think you are just bitter. If you are so desperate run for a charity. To be honest the fundraising is harder than the training!

What about those runners who got injured during training but don't want to let their charity down, what about those who walk or run with a health condition, what about those that have trained hard but still run at walking pace and what about the elderly or those in very heavy costumes. I have run London twice and it is made even more special by it being for all.

You need to improve your time op.....it's just not good enough

@Notbeinggoadybut the last finishers are usually people doing it for charity, and they're much more likely to make their target or exceed it by taking part in a high profile event like the London marathon. Must be such a high to begin with everyone and then be at the back with hardly any spectators. There's room for the runners, ample, and there's room for those who are pushing themselves to even walk a marathon distance, and usually are doing so for charity.

You're being totally goady despite your username.

I hope you think back to this conversation if you ever get old, ill, or need to access the services these slower finishers have helped fundraise for.

It’s an inclusive event that brings together people from all walks of life and that’s what makes it special for me.

To turn it into an event solely for the lifelong pavement pounders just seeking a new pb would be incredibly dull.

There are plenty of other marathons
Try Brighton,Manchester,Liverpool

Lots of places

Why London?

@Notbeinggoadybut can you tell me what running group you're in so I can avoid it please? Rather not join one where someone is so openly judgemental of runners abilities

I won’t be entering the London marathon ballot if I am old and ill!

I’ve already said it’s understandable that some people’s’ training won’t have gone to plan. I ran a half marathon last year 3 weeks after having covid and didn’t reach my time goal. I was too late to transfer my place and I did the race, had to walk for a bit but I still did my best. I refuse to believe that the masses of people who took 8 hours yesterday have given their best since their name was pulled from the ballot.

I did a walking marathon (London Moonwalk) in under 7hrs so 8hrs would be very slow if you were attempting to run at all.

Exactly. My mum did the Moonwalk. She still trained, but walking.

I’m a GFA runner… you’re being ridiculous. It’s a bucket list for so many people. That man who finished last was overtaken by the sweeper and fought tooth and nail to catch it up to not be cut off

Who says they were all ballot places??

The final finisher this year was a man who finished in just over 8 hours.
He has raised over £6000 for his charity, and it appears to be going up as time goes on. Why shouldn’t he be allowed to take part, just as much as anyone else?

What a nasty thread OP. My uncle ran the London Marathon a few years back. He did it in 7:20-ish. He did it for charity. He did it because he had just lost his mum and running that marathon was the only thing he was living for. He was in his late fifties and had trained with a proper running coach to be able to complete the marathon at all.
It really doesn't take much imagination to think why the slower runners are doing it and this sort of elitism smacks of jealousy that you haven't got in. Anyway, there's already a time limit on the ballot places.

I actually agree with you. Two days ago I would have felt otherwise and would have thought it was great they were giving it a go.

The track goes past my house and when we were out yesterday there were people who, 3 hours later, were only on mile 7. To be fair there may have been injuries, etc but there were a couple who clearly had not trained and were not even dressed for it (ie wearing casual sportswear, the fabric of which would not be fun to run in). I did actually think it’s a shame they took those spots from people who want to take it seriously

I've been successful in the ballot once in 15 years. I trained properly and did a respectably average time.

I go to watch every year and usually know a few people who are running, either ballot, charity or club places. I've also volunteered a number of times.

Everyone has their own reasons for running/getting round and it's a massive challenge for all of them. In many ways it's harder for the very slowest, they're out on the course for much longer after all.

The people I know who ran this year finished in times ranging from 3:17 to 7:21. They are:

• A mother of a young child and a severely autistic teenager who uses running as her only down time but who has limited time to train
• A recovering drug addiction and alcoholic who has found a love of life (and probably another addiction) through running.
• A usually very good runner, who hasn't been able train consistently because of illness and injury
• A severely obese woman who has terrible struggles with her mental health and who really did train very seriously to achieve her 7 hours.
• Someone who can do a marathon in 3.5 hours but who decided to this one in fancy dress, interact with the crowd and soak up the atmosphere whilst raising 1000s for charity
• A woman with such high levels of anxiety/lack of self belief that she sobbed for all of the last week before the race, for much of the run and afterwards too. But she did it.
• And one very good runner who stuck religiously to their diet and training plan, really living training for the last 6 months.

You judge all you like, but do you really think you're more worthy of a place than any of them? Every runner has a story and the most unlikely runners have the biggest stores of all IME.

Miserable sod. I much prefer seeing the stragglers than the elite runners.

I overtook firefighters on my last 10k run. Admittedly they were wearing full gear! That's what I like to see, not skinny elites who wee on themselves, however much they train.

Yabu.

I say this as a runner that has only ever got a place through a GFA time. It is a mass participation event, it's not the olympics! How would you feel if someone said you don't "deserve" a place on the start line because you can't run a good for age time?

On your logic you could argue anyone who walks at any point during the race shouldn't be given entry though the ballot as their place should have gone to someone who would put in the training needed to run it all.

Just seen the final finishers bib

He ran on a charity place not a ballot

The London Marathon has been known as a mass participation, for people of all abilities, for many many years. One of the reasons it attracts so many viewers in TV is for the mass participation runners. I remember my dad running it a few times in the 80s - so 40 years ago - and it was very much mass participation for runners and walkers even back then. I really doubt it will change - and I don’t think it should either.

That's really shitty attitude. Why do you want to do it? Because it's the London Marathon that's why, not just any old marathon. But people who are slower or less able for whatever reason shouldn't be able to have that too? I'd never enter, I'd still be going a week later but I utterly support anyone who wants to do it. And if you don't like it why don't you take your snotty self off and do a different one?

@QuickGuide all very inspirational. But do you really think everyone has a story like that?