In the wake of a registration snafu, organizers of the Beach to Beacon 10K announced that anyone who entered last Friday’s bib lottery by 7:30 a.m. will be guaranteed a spot in the race.
The bib lottery – initially planned for 1,950 slots – is for those who were not able to obtain one of the 4,000 awarded on a first-come, first-served basis during registration last Friday. A computer glitch during that registration process frustrated many would-be runners who were unable to secure a spot. The 4,000 bibs were taken in 10 minutes, 42 seconds – nearly three times longer than in 2016.
On Friday afternoon, organizers apologized for the technical problems and announced a refund of the $5 fee to all those who had signed up for the lottery by noon.
The lottery process remains open until midnight Sunday with a drawing scheduled March 21 for those who entered after 7:30 a.m. Race organizers declined to be specific about the number of runners added to the field, but described those early lottery registrants as lottery winners.
That would suggest a significant drop from 1,950 of the remaining slots available to runners who entered (or will enter) the lottery between 7:30 a.m. Friday and midnight Sunday. But organizers said they will slightly increase the overall field size to approximate the odds of success of recent lotteries.
“Although this action by the race organization does not provide a remedy for every individual,” reads part of a statement posted on the race’s Facebook page, “it does provide a solution for most.”
According to post-registration press releases from the previous five years, between 1,500 and 1,870 runners generally sign up for the lottery within three to four hours of the registration window closing. Race organizers said this year’s lottery entrants “will retain good odds for getting into the 2017 race,” to be held Aug. 5 in Cape Elizabeth.
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