Marathon Lottery Odds

Some people play the lottery every week, hoping that this time will be different. I, on the other hand, like to enter marathon lotteries.  So far, I have entered the Chicago Marathon lottery (twice), the Marine Corp Marathon lottery, the Big Sur Marathon lottery, the New York City Marathon lottery, the London Marathon lottery, and the Berlin Marathon lottery.  So far, I’ve gotten into Chicago and the Marine Corp Marathon.

If you’re thinking about entering any of the big marathon lotteries, you’re probably wondering what your odds are of actually getting in.  Here are the marathon lottery statistics, based on the most recent data I could round up.

Marathon Lottery Odds What are my Chances?

New York City Marathon <15%

Marine Corp Marathon 70%

Chicago Marathon 70%

Berlin Marathon 50%

London Marathon 7%

Tokyo Marathon 12%

There is nothing like running a big race, which is why I will continue to enter lotteries every year.  I’ve heard of runners trying for races like the NYC and London Marathons year after year, 7+ years in a row and still not getting in, while the lucky few get in on the first try.  I guess it’s all up to the running gods.