NEW YORK -- The New York City Marathon will hold a lottery for this year's race after all, though it's likely fewer runners will get in through that route than in past years.
About half the entrants from November's canceled event opted for a refund, organizer New York Road Runners said Thursday. The rest picked the option of a guaranteed spot in the 2013, '14 or '15 race or in this month's NYC Half.
When NYRR officials announced the policy in December for the runners who never got a chance to compete because of Superstorm Sandy, they were unsure whether there would be any space this year to allow entrants in through a lottery. For 2012, close to 15,000 people got in through U.S. and international drawings.
As in past years, several categories of runners will be guaranteed spots, including those who participated in a certain number of NYRR events, posted a qualifying time in an NYRR race, are taking part in a charity partner program, or entered through an international travel partner.
Runners who posted a qualifying time in a non-NYRR event will be placed in a lottery.
Registration to apply for the Nov. 3 race will run from April 24 to May 24. The number of slots available through the lottery will be determined following that period, and the drawing will be held soon thereafter. NYRR plans to stick with the same expected field size as 2012, about 47,500 people.
