The luck of the draw just got luckier.
On March 8, more than 19,000 running hopefuls got a surprise in their inbox: “Congratulations! You’ve been selected to run the TCS New York City Marathon.” This is the highest number of “non-guaranteed,” or lottery applicants the NYC race has accepted in its history, and an increase of 4,757 runners (33 percent) from 2015, and 9,913 runners (108 percent) over the past two years combined.
The floodgates opened after race organizers received a record low in applications from guaranteed runners – partly a result of the 2012 marathon cancellation policy coming to an end, which assured runners who couldn’t race due to Hurricane Sandy guaranteed entry to a 2013, 2014 or 2015 race. Outside of this policy, the qualifications to be a guaranteed runner include: having completed 15 NYC Marathons, being a current time qualifier or being a member of the 9+1 or 9+1K Program.
The increase in non-guaranteed accepted runners to one of the country’s largest marathons could provide a boost to running specialty footwear retailers, who despite a 1.35 percent increase in running footwear dollars over the trailing 52-weeks through February 27, have seen that growth rate slow over the past two years, according to SSI Data Footwear*.
Spending in this channel could potentially increase the time leading up to the November 6 race, as the almost quarter-larger percent of accepted non-guaranteed runners are for the most part thrilled about the announcement. Some took to Twitter, expressing their joy:
In total, 125,000 applications make up this year’s combined field of guaranteed and non-guaranteed entries to the TCS New York Marathon, featuring runners from more than 125 countries. The application period for all entrants was open for one month, from January 21 through February 21. Race officials said that 50,000 runners are expected to finish the TCS New York City Marathon this year.
Photo courtesy NYRR
* SSI Data Footwear, powered by SportsOneSource, is the industry leader for weekly point-of-sale (POS) data platform serving the active lifestyle market. To schedule a demo or to learn more, contact Client Solutions at 303.997.7302 or email Solutions@SportsOneSource.com.
