---
title: Alas, no NYC Marathon for me this year. Unless...
author: George Mandis <george@mand.is>
date: 2014-03-26
tags: post, post, running, marathons, ouch
---

<p>I entered the <a href="http://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/how-will-i-know-if-i-was-successful-in-the-drawing">drawing for the New York Marathon</a> at the end of January but was informed today that I was not selected.</p>
<p>Too bad. I was enjoying the idea of having something with a designated destination and time later in the year on my calendar. At the moment the only thing fitting that description will be my friend's wedding in early July.</p>
<p>As an alternate approach I could look to join a team, but there is a fund-raising requirement to this approach. The one that they're really pushing is <a href="http://runwithtfk.org/Page/2014NYCMarathon">Team for Kids</a>. The commitment is $2,620 which I find more helpful to think of as 131 sponsors at $20 a pop. I could probably find some people willing to give more, but that's a reasonable ballpark. That also excludes what would be about a $366 general fee to join the team and register for the marathon. Oof.</p>
<p><em>Is it worth almost $3,000 to go wreck my body on the other side of the country?</em></p>
<p>The answer is not an immediately 'no'.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Maybe I should simply register for the </span><a style="line-height: 1.5em;" href="http://portlandmarathon.org">Portland Marathon</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> now and be happy with that. Though a big part of the appeal was getting out of town and being somewhere a little less familiar...</span></p>
<p>Hmm.</p>