Despite the fact that running is an environmental wreckjob, Houstonians still do it in droves. The Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon soundly prove this theory, as they seem to sell out in record time year after year.

In 2011, however, it's going to take more than a quick pair of fingers and a registration fee for some runners to get a foot in the door.

On Monday, race officials decided that the luck of the draw was the way to go for Houston marathon and half marathon hopefuls. The 2011 field will remain at 22,000, with 11,000 runners per race, but each one of those participants must have survived the lottery in order to secure a spot.

"Demand for our races has never been greater, and we believe the lottery is the fairest system to offer all runners the same opportunity to participate," Wade Morehead, Executive Director of the Houston Marathon Committee, told the Houston Chronicle.

Registration for both races opens at 6:00 a.m. CST on Tuesday, July 27, 2010, and will remain open until 11:59 p.m. CST on Thursday, August 12, 2010. According to the Web site, "All individuals who enter the lottery, regardless of the date and time they register, will have an equal chance of being selected for the marathon or half marathon races."

Runners, modify your training regimens now. You'll have to tuck a little luck under the tongue of your running shoes if you wanna find yourself carousing down those ivory Houston streets come January.

What do you think of this newfangled lottery? Will you enter and take your chances, or will you opt out altogether?