I have never had the pleasure of running the actual Marine Corps Marathon (I ran most of the route a couple of years ago on my run around the world – beautiful!) but thousands of people have and it is one of the more popular marathons in the US. As a result, the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon, like the previous MCMs, uses a lottery system to determine who the lucky runners are that will take part in the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon. Here are the details about it.
2017 Marine Corps Marathon Lottery Open
Link: 2017 Marine Corps Marathon Lottery
The 2017 Marine Corps Marathon lottery is now open for applicants (March 22, 2017). Here is what you need to know about the lottery and race:
- The 2017 Marine Corps Marathon will take place on October 22, 2017
- The lottery window opens March 22, 2017 at 12:00 pm eastern
- The lottery window closes March 29, 2017 at 12:00pm eastern
- The entrants selected in the lottery will be announced March 30, 2017 at 12:00 pm eastern
- The registration fee (payable only if you are selected) is $160
- Link
How To Guarantee Entry
There are some other ways to guarantee entry if you are not selected in this lottery or you just want to go a sure way. But, it will cost you more in some avenues (you can do fundraising as well but there are minimums to raise so you may find you need to pay for that as well if you do not raise enough):
- Active Duty – if you are active duty, the MCM has held 3,000 bibs for runners like you. Click on the link to sign-up for that.
- Four Star Package – this package comes with 2 nights at the host hotel as well as an extra bib (for either the 10K or another one for the marathon). It is pricey, though – $1,899 – but it does come with a lot
- Runner’s World VIP Package – this package comes with some VIP perks as well as a training program and includes a guaranteed entry to the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon. It costs $449 and there are only 300 slots
- Other opportunities – visit this link for other options like the charity fundraising, travel agencies, or more
Travel for the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon
With lotteries, the best time to secure travel can be before the lottery results are announced. I will have posts this week to help you select the best hotels and air options before you even find out if you are selected! If you aren’t we will cover that as well so you know what your choices are. So, stay tuned for the best hotel options and airline options for the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon!
