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More Runners, Fewer Bibs, And A Growing Debate About Whether The Marathon Lottery Is Fair
(marathonhandbook.com)
this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2026
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I ran Dublin six times. Then, I skipped due to injury, and instead of a guaranteed place I had to go through the lottery. Lost five years in a row, and gave up. I heard from friends, though, that last year there were no longer guaranteed entries for people who run the previous year, and nearly everyone had to go through the lotto. The main problem this caused was the breakup of long-term running groups, of people who trained together and ran the race together through many years.
I solved the issue for myself: I'm signing up for smaller marathons, usually outside cities. Little chances for PB's, smaller (if any) crowds, but the views more than outweigh these small issues.
Smaller marathons are definitely the way to go, but there can still be an opportunity for PBs. In the past few years, I've run Newport marathon in Wales, Pisa marathon, and most recently Düsseldorf, and they were all fast courses perfect for a PB.
Thanks for the suggestions. I ran the Connemarathon and Dingle marathon, and both were pretty hilly (but the views were really awesome). Another I have on my list, Flanders Fields, seems to be flat, but looking at the finish times from the past few years, doesn't seem to be too fast. I'll check the ones you mentioned, especially Wales, as I could just take a boat there and make it a weekend.
Regardless of what time you're going for, I do recommend the Sub-3 World Marathon Index if you're looking for a fast course.