Most people know about the lottery to get into the New York City marathon but few seem to know that there are qualifying standards that will give you a guaranteed spot if you submit a qualifying time and then register by April 30th.

I really cut things close, with being so busy and was trying to register last night at 11 p.m. and ended up utterly confused by the process and the instructions I had received earlier regarding my claim.  I sent an email with a plea for help and received an auto-answer saying it might take up to a week to receive a reply.  Thus, I was thrilled to check my email a few minutes ago and find a personal reply from a Janet, telling me that I am in!

Nice . .

So there is my quick bit of news and back I go to gala planning.  Two days to go!

New York City Marathon Standards for Guaranteed Entry

Runners who meet the following qualifying time standards* in a half or full marathon whose results can be certified online:

	Open (Age 18-39)**		Masters (Age 40+)**
	Marathon	Half-Marathon	Marathon	Half-Marathon
Men	2:55:00	1:23:00	3:10:00	1:30:00
Women	3:23:00	1:37:00	3:38:00	1:44:00
	Veterans (Age 50+)**		Veterans (Age 60+)**
	Marathon	Half-Marathon	Marathon	Half-Marathon
Men	3:30:00	1:40:00	3:45:00	1:48:00
Women	3:52:00	1:50:00	4:13:00	2:00:30
	Veterans (Age 70+)**
	Marathon	Half-Marathon
Men	4:00:00	1:55:00
Women	4:35:00	2:11:00

* All times must be run at, or faster than, the posted time. Times achieved outside of NYRR races must be verifiable online.
** Your age on the day of the qualifying race.

You must have met the appropriate qualifying time between January 1, 2010 and January 31, 2011 (2011 NYC Half-Marathon and Boston Marathon 2011 times will also be accepted, provided you applied by April 30, 2011). Include the race name and date with your application. Please contact us via e-mail at marathonmailer@nyrr.org if you qualify.