wet ankles from the road-sweeper bus
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No rejection email yet. I got a ballot place in 2011, I got injured in the January at the Southern XC Champs and didn’t run until about 2 weeks before. I got to halfway in under 2hrs but as we entered the tunnel at about 15miles the wheels fell off spectacularly. I to this day don’t remember a thing from about 16miles to 20 when I stopped to pee exiting the Docklands. I could barely start walking again after. I finished, 4:50 iirc but had to go back. I won a club place in 2013 but was sick for about 6 weeks with chest infection so deferred. Had a good build, but thought I’m going to enjoy this and just run all the way. I set off with the sub 4 group as I thought it would be fun, I was in 3:45 shape, but at about 19miles it narrows through the docklands and got held up somewhat, so just settled and had fun for the end but ran the whole way and ended up 4:09ish. That was a fantastic day out. I think Id like one more go, but no luck since. Id never bother for a time again as its too busy in and about the 25-75% field range. Garmin had me run 27miles in the end that time due to never being ale to follow the actual blue line through the course and weaving around the walkers in the last 4 miles.
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Hello, Poet?
Is that you 
Same, I’ve done it once through GFA and really enjoyed it. It was a lovely day and I wasn’t going for a time so could just enjoy the atmosphere
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Another rejection for me. Lost count how many times I havent got it. Not sure if I am bothered or not.
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Not guaranteed a place with GFA these days
Looks “soft” at 3:05
I’ve ran a 3:08 as part of a 50 miler
But…bloody hell!!!
Champs places are now sub 1:12:30 half.
They were sub-75mins before the Nikes came out 
Unlucky @Hammerer
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I can’t believe it, at least I’ve got 6 months to train
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Any chance of a piggy back round the last 10 miles?
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I thought with the normal April time slot it was traditional for ballot winners to start their training on 1 January, so if you start now you’ve got a 2 month head start
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DOn’t get me wrong, the running bit was awful. I went into it with a knee injury that fired out of a cannon at about 17 miles and struck me down. Was very close to walking off course, but convinced myself to MTFU and just trot it in.
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Yep, stuff got a lot harder.
I always thought (pre nikes) that i was in with a chance of hitting a sub 75. It would have had to be the perfect day, but i think i was capable.
There is absolutely no way, even with Nikes, that i could go under 72.5 though. Not a chance.
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Now received my rejection!
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A no for me. I think that makes it 15 years of rejections now.
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I guy from my club ran Cambridge Half with me. He only started running aged 58, now in his mid 60s and set a PB of 1.34. His son was there, out of shape and went 1.15.30. Clearly good genes.
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Its deliberatly hard though to stop people just half-assing a half rather than getting champs through another Marathon. 72 half is quite a bit more difficult than 2:40 marathon in my opinion. 2:40 marathon is more like 1:16 half but you could run a lot more 1:16 halfs in a year than 2:40 marathons.
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Not in
way things are with Achilles happy to just sit on a bike for a while. more civilised
Run it twice and two rejections, plus was accepted in 1995 postponed to ‘96 and never ran - up in Scotland doing foundation course
2012 - 2:47 , position 443rd
2021 - 3:48 , position 1149 or something - absolutely shite 
Ran a 1:16 half marathon in Helensburgh, Summer 2011 which was my purple patch - first sub 3 in 2:52 up in Lochaber, won a 30 mile race in 3:35 and 4th in Clydestride 40 in 5:15
For all the faff of getting to start line the atmosphere is pretty amazing.
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No dressing up this year for me
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Yeah, I too think (with zero evidence!) that a <75 half would be easier than a <2:45 marathon (which I think it was at the time it was 75?)
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I reckon I am on 6-7 years in a row, think I missed one year couple of years back. Some one in my tri club got in twice, once first year of trying, he also got straight into Ride London. No idea how he managed it.