Marathon Information

Marathon Sign-Up Round-Up

Here's how to get into the Marine Corps Marathon in 2001 (Oct. 28) Applications will be available on Feb. 15, 2001, with a field of 16,000 accepted this year.

There will be a a three-tiered acceptance plan: MCM will accept 5,000 on April 10, beginning at noon; another 5,000 on April 18 -- online, beginning at 8 p.m.; then the remaining number will be selected via lottery on May 10 -- online or by mail. Your application must be postmarked by May 1 for the lottery edition.

Check out the MCM website by clicking on www.marinemarathon.com. You can register online or by mail, your choice. Or write MCM, P.O. Box 188, Quantico, Va. 22134; or call 800-RUN-USMC. All "winners" will be notified by mail of acceptance.

Footnote: The New York City Marathon has also completely revamped their selection system for 2001. We'll fill you in next month.

Boston Marathon 2001 Update

Entries for the 105th mega-marathon on April 16 must be submitted by Mar. 1, 2001 -- or by time max field is reached at 15,000. Check the Web: www.bostonmarathon.org.

(Scoop: Excellent sources tell us that BAA big shots did not reserve the expo site at Haynes Convention Center in time, so a new site will be used which is not downtown, or conveniently located within walking distance of a train station. Read your acceptance papers carefully when they arrive for complete details!)

New North-Country Marathons!

We're pleased to announce the arrival of two new local marathons (well, kind of local and pretty new… you remember our motto: "if it's news, it's news to us!")

The first one is really new and pretty local: the Arthritis Foundation in Rochester is holding its first Ontario Shore Marathon, set for May 5, 8:30 a.m., near Hamlin Beach State Park. It will include a full marathon, a 3-4 person relay, a half marathon (note: we think the half is for walkers only), and a 2.62 fun run. For more info, call the Arthritis Foundation at (716) 264-1480 or e-mail: bpuckett@arthritis.org.

The second one is not quite so new (this is its second year… duh, how'd we miss it last year?) and not quite so local.. It's the Run for the Border Marathon starting from Clarkson University in Potsdam on April 29th. Not sure whether this one really REACHES the border, but anything that bills itself as a "Co-Ed Marathon" (and you just know that the university administration made them take that "naked" out) and is held at the school that gave the inventor of the Zamboni ice-machine an honorary doctorate (take that, Big Red!) has GOT to be worth a look. More seriously, from the pictures, it looks fast and flat. Check out their website (still under construction at www.runfortheborder.org), e-mail them at border@slic.com or call Matt Tessier at (315) 353-2853 for more details. Roadtrip, anyone?