Gonnachange

Yes the organizers do limit the participants. The number of starters is about 50,000 which makes it the largest marathon in the world. Other than the lottery, which I participated in this year, the selection is absolutely not random. I can give more detail if you want. At the high end this is a professional race; the elite athletes get appearance money and the male and female winners are paid a six figure prize, probably about $250,000, but I'm not sure. With additional bonuses based on finishes on the other big pro races that figure can be much higher. Regular folks like me pay to run and although I will say it's the best marathon I've ever done, it's also the most expensive. Come next November I'll be 57 and still slow so nobody's paying me to show up. :-)

Tonight

Quiet evening at home with my wife. Dinner was shrimp scampi served with mashed cauliflower and a salad. Liquid of choice has been seltzer; there may be a tea in my future, but probably not. Plans for the balance of what will be an early night is reading a book I started earlier today.