I will be running. 

Heading up today to do the 50 and see the area for first time.  Given my recent ankle sprain not sure if I will be able to have much fun although feeling much better this a.m. 

A1, Chris etc:

When does registration open for Leadville 2011?

Do you know what the dates are yet?

I am trying to keep an eye open for cheap flights and when they will be announced.

How'd the Silver Rush go, HoosierDaddy? 

Good.  Just shy of 11 hours - will post a race report once I get it done.  Course was challenging but weather & conditions great.  If nothing else I learned that I have room for improvement and will continue to find ways to improve.

The Leadville bike race already has a lottery, even with 1500 riders accepted. The run is the only 100 in the Grand Slam that does *not* have a lottery and a service requirement. The run is nevertheless full after accepting 780 runners at $250 to $300 each. (see entry list at http://www.leadvilletrail100.com/lt100races/LeadvilleTrail100MileRun/LT100un2010EntrantsList.aspx ). In fact the run has no qualifying requirements at all. That is probably why the finish rate is around 40%.
 
The entry fee for the Leadman/woman is $700. That includes the marathon, Silver Rush 50 bike or run, 10K, 100 bike, and 100 run. I believe names marked with an asterisk are entered in both the bike and run. Rumor has it that is one way around the lottery. (It worked for me).
 
I would rather see popular events use their popularity for profit rather than restrict entries using lotteries. Either way, some people are going to be unhappy, but I would rather be excluded by a steep entry fee or an out of reach qualifying standard than by a random number generator. Hardrock will never see a showdown between the top elite runners like Roes, Krupicka, Jurek, and Carpenter, because they have to enter the lottery like everyone else and the odds that all of them get in at the same time are minuscule. I would prefer to see stricter qualifying standards (like finish in the top 20% of a qualifying 100) or a steeper entry fee (Hardrock could get $500 to $1000) than the current system where I actually have better odds of getting in than most elite runners just because I have 4 prior finishes. By doing this, Hardrock could comp the entries of elite runners like Leadville and Western States probably do. That wouldn't bother me. It would just motivate me to try harder. A lottery just motivates me to dismiss the race results as meaningless. Who knows if the winner was slower than 10 guys who didn't get in?
 
I realize that entry fees can get out of hand. Some popular marathons and triathlons sell out within minutes, then sell "charity spots" for $2000 to $5000. Ironman regularly auctions spots on eBay for over $30,000. I won't pay that kind of money. But I will be running Leadville. I don't mind if they run it like a business, because it doesn't make sense to run it any other way. Races that lose money disappear, and that would be worse.

29:10

 

Can't wait until next year.

Whooppeee, a silver lining indeed Tom