When your race bib becomes a cherished trophy…

The New York City Marathon is approaching. New York is the city that truly inspired a global running movement which has been growing year after year. There was already the Boston Marathon, that’s true, but it was the road running movement originating from New York that transformed the sport into a worldwide phenomenon.

From what I read now in the American press, far from waning, the running craze in New York is becoming increasingly intense, with the New York Road Runners Club as the main attraction, inspiring a vast number of running clubs in other countries.

Every success has its price, and the price in New York is that the continuous popularity of road races has made registration itself an obstacle course. People stay glued to their computers, waiting for the moment when the blessed message appears: Registration is open!

Then, it’s up to you to register as quickly as possible because the entries sell out in the blink of an eye.

The solution then is to enter the “lottery.” But even so, many will be disappointed. After all, if five thousand people manage to get registered, but ten thousand are left out, those who are left out will be frustrated.

And those who do manage to register will treasure their race bibs afterwards, as a cherished trophy.