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London Marathon 2020

2 lurkers | 60 watchers
Aug 2020
3:33pm, 17 Aug 2020
17,251 posts
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Bazoaxe
I think 7/8/19 was the cut off date when we applied so it doesn’t seem unreasonable to use that date.
Aug 2020
3:46pm, 17 Aug 2020
11,713 posts
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larkim
There's always been a slight disadvantage to Autumn GFA applicants as the window for GFA is usually spring Y1 to spring Y2 inclusive, so spring runners get 2 bites at the GFA cherry for each year of VLM application. Is this just another facet of that?
JR
Aug 2020
3:49pm, 17 Aug 2020
713 posts
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JR
I initially thought the virtual race was only going to be an option for those renewing 2018 GFA times but a few people from our club have now suggested to me I have misread it and that they are going to open up GFA to others & that they will be able to use the Virtual event to qualify. I messaged VLM for clarity several days ago but, surprise, surprise - no response from them! I know lots of others have asked this too so I don't think it's unreasonable for them to clarify as obviously a lot of people are confused.
JR
Aug 2020
3:54pm, 17 Aug 2020
714 posts
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JR
I've decided definitely not to do the Virtual Race - well, I may run with clubmates who ar doing it but not pay £20 to enter it. When I thought about, this year has been so crap that frankly I don't think I want a medal or t shirt to remind me of it - even before we get into the issues of being ripped of ref GFA times! :)
Aug 2020
4:08pm, 17 Aug 2020
6 posts
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Chrismean
@jr certainly from the comments on twitter, people have read it as a general route to qualification. However, the VLM email says:

If you complete The 40th Race, your result may make you eligible to apply for a Good for Age or Championship place in the 2021 London Marathon and for the London Classics medal. (Please note that you will be asked to provide supplementary evidence if you apply for a Good for Age or Championship place.)

it doesn't say anything about you needing to have a prior GFA or champ place. but then again, it doesn't say much at all!
Aug 2020
4:13pm, 17 Aug 2020
11,714 posts
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larkim
The FAQ (copied with the irrelevant question from in between the relevant questions below) helps to provide the uncertainty:-

Can I run the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon if I don’t have a place in the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon?
There are a limited number of places available in the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon. Places will be offered first to participants and charities who had a place in the 2020 event. We will then open entries to all on a first-come, first-served basis on Wednesday 26 August.

Will there be official results from the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon?
Yes. All participants will be asked to upload proof of their time and official results will be published.

Will my time be eligible to apply for a Good for Age or Championship entry in 2021?
Yes, results from the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon will be eligible for you to apply for a Good for Age or Championships entry in 2021.

Runners will also be asked to provide supplementary evidence.

Full details of the application process and qualification period for Good for Age places in 2021 will be published on the website by 31 August 2020.


So yes, you can run the virtual if you aren't in London 2020 already. And yes, results form the virtual can count for GFA.

On that simple reading, it is possible that *some* people who aren't already entered into 2020 could run a virtual GFA. They might not mean that, and the FAQ may just be misleading through trying to simplify things. Or they might accept that the small numbers involved aren't an issue.
JR
Aug 2020
4:19pm, 17 Aug 2020
715 posts
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JR
larkim - It might not be a small amount. There are quite lot of people who may want to run and are prepared to use less than honest means to obtain a GFA or Champs place. If the "supplementary evidence" is results from other races then I agree that makes it harder to cheat but what if you haven't run a marathon before? I am wondering what other evidence they could use other than times from previous races? (answers on a postcard :)

)
Aug 2020
4:31pm, 17 Aug 2020
11,715 posts
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larkim
No, but see above - the places for the virtual are described as "limited". And then a first come first served basis. If it looks like there might be 20,000 such "limited" places, then I can see the temptation to enter and be clever with the GPX file; though I would suggest that I doubt that most people are smart enough to be able to create something that stands any degree of scrutiny. e.g. nick a GPX file from anyone that's run a marathon at GFA pace and you'll find most of those files are linked to official courses and routes which would give the game away.

As it happens my son ran a genuine 2:55 during lockdown just around the roads near home to me. I could very easily modify that to showing as being run by me on 4th October and bag myself a decent GFA, but I'm quite savvy with manipulating GPX files. It's not as straightforward as it sounds if it's going to need to stand some scrutiny.

Equally, though, if they are expecting to sift through 20,000 GPX files before confirming the "results" then good luck to them!
Aug 2020
4:32pm, 17 Aug 2020
431 posts
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Spideog
There could be up to 50% of championship and GFA places up for grabs just assuming an even spread of people having used times from 2018 and 2019. That's a lot of people who will have to be racing to try and keep their spot against others without places potentially running equally dubious courses to get times.
Aug 2020
4:41pm, 17 Aug 2020
11,716 posts
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larkim
There's about 6000 GFA aren't there? Champs start is much smaller.

So yes, potentially 3,000+. Of which a percentage will rise to the challenge, though could be a small number.

So much depends on:-
a) the take up of the virtual places from the existing entrants and

b) the overall size of the virtual that VLM allows

There's no real limitation on the numbers in the virtual beyond an adequate supply of medals and t-shirts, so they could turn it into a 100,000 place event. Or they could leave it as the 40,000 "normal" size. Or they could just allocate 1,000 places.

If I'd run Chester 2018 GFA and now was looking at the prospect of only having a guaranteed London place in 2023 I would be fairly irate about this, especially if I was in a position where I'd not been training for anything for Oct 2020 (or injured etc).

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Maintained by larkim
Endless discussion about will it happen, won't it happen for VMLM 2020
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