By: Peter Delaney
“So, when will the marathon fill?”
It’s a question that we hear every year at about this time but even more so in January as runners are considering their personal race calendars for the year. January is usually the time when we have enough data to take a decent guess at when the race will fill.
The short answer to the question remains the same as always…we don’t know. Our crystal ball just isn’t that good.
But this year there’s something different going on, and that’s why we’re writing this post now, earlier than normal. If marathon registration continues at its current pace it’s possible the race might fill earlier than at any time in the last several years. Here’s a few facts that we can share about this year:
- Registration is almost 50% ahead of last year at this time… and we did not hit our cap last year
- Registration is 40% ahead of where we were 2 years ago when we did fill
What’s going on? While we can’t say for certain, but we do know there is some excitement about being here to run for the 25th anniversary of the race. Additionally, we’ve been attending some other fall marathon expos to generate awareness. And there’s an awful lot of people who have shared their prior experiences at the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon with their running friends. And we thank you for that.
A couple of other thoughts for consideration: just hitting the newsstands and mailboxes across the country is the January issue of Runners World with the annual marathon issue. We’re very fortunate to have been one of a handful of races featured in this issue, a distinction that will likely bring a few new runners to the event. And to help us celebrate our anniversary we have a few surprises up our sleeve, which when announced, are sure to motivate a few folks to join us in May.
So the RunVermont crystal ball is suggesting that for 2013, the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon is going to fill sooner rather than later. So if you don’t decide to run with us this year, you’ll just be another year older when you do.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go order some more cowbells.
PD
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Registered and enjoying my early runs. Need to set my training schedule. My first VCM…looking forward to it. Sign up soon!
Ran my first VCM last year and really excited about my 2nd this year. A great event and a fabulous city!
I am flying up from Washington, D.C. for this race. I saw the event in Runner’s Magazine. I also chose this race because Burlington is one of the the homes of the punk band Gogol Bordello! Seriously, I have bad allergies and plan on running a Spring race in Vermont because I hear there are not a lot of allergens in the air this time of year. DC is rough for pollen in the spring. I plan on staying an extra few days in Burlington, VT to appreciate some fine local burgers and brews post race! Also, I recall there is a really cool record shop downtown where you have to walk down a flight of stairs to get to the shop. I keep hearing about this ‘sugar on snow’; however, I assume it will be out of season.
Ran four marathons back in the early 90′s. Running again and considering your marathon. Sounds like a very nice race. Early into my training now. Along way to go. Hotel info would help me. Is there a hotel or two most runners use and do they have runner rates?
Bryan,
Many hotels offer special rates for our runners. Here is an updated listing: http://www.runvcm.org/page.php?pid=55&pname=lodging
Leandre