Lace up the running shoes
The odds are in your favor: It's not too late to enter the Houston Marathonlottery, but hurry!
The annual Chevron Houston Marathon may not take place until January 2013, but now is the prime time to begin training. The first step? Getting selected in the lottery, which closes at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.
The registration rules this year may present the best odds yet for getting a coveted spot: The Houston Marathon Committee added 1,000 more slots to the Aramco Half Marathon (now with a 12,000-runner cap) and instituted a "third time's a charm" rule for repeat (and repeatedly denied) applicants.
The registration rules this year may present the best odds yet for getting a coveted spot in the race.
The entry cap for the marathon was raised to 13,000 in 2011, for a grand total of 25,000 runners in the Sunday race. The 5K fun run has been moved to Saturday.
"Following a smooth early registration period in May for time qualifiers and veterans, we had heavy volume [of applicants] when when the lottery opened on June 6," wrote Wade Morehead, Houston Marathon Committee executive director, in an email.
Morehead explained that the amount of applicants has spiked as the lottery deadline approaches.
To bypass the gamble and ensure a spot in the race, runners can donate a minimum of $350 (plus the registration fee) to one of 60 charity beneficiaries and sign up for one of the limited HERO or charity entries.
The registration fee for the marathon is $125, and $105 for the half marathon.