The Chicago Marathon will use a lottery to determine who gets the race's remaining 15,000 open numbers, race officials announced this afternoon. The announcement was made nine days after technical issues with the registration site caused the race to suspend registration.
“After reviewing our options, we determined that a lottery is the most equitable solution to this unique situation,” race director Carey Pinkowski said. “This is not a decision that we made lightly and realize the frustration that these registration challenges have caused. We’re extremely thankful to our supporters for their continued understanding.”
The lottery will open at 12:01 a.m. Central time on Tuesday, March 5 and will close at 9 p.m. Central time on Thursday, March 7. There is no charge to enter the lottery. After the lottery closes, 15,000 names will be chosen at random. Those runners will be notified by email on March 12 and will have until March 14 to register for the marathon, scheduled for October 13.
If someone selected in the lottery opts not to register, that runner's slot won't be offered to another lottery applicant.
Registration opened on February 19 at noon Central time. Almost immediately, runners reported technical difficulties when trying to register at Active.com, the marathon's registration provider. Registration was suspended after three hours, and has remained suspended since. Approximately 25,000 runners were able to register on the 19th.
The marathon has posted more information about the lottery here.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including CA Notice at Collection, Advanced Marathoning, and Meb for Mortals. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
