Invitational Ultras

You might get invited.

The Few, The Wowed, The Chosen

Soon top-tier ultras will be invitationals. Demand, and instant online signups are driving this. The HardRock 100 is a conspicuous example. Their field is capped at 145, because of remote aid-station space/logistic constraints. Nobody is particularly happy with the lottery for whatever reason; full qualification details here. 

Solution: make it an Invitational. That removes the whole lottery/convoluted entry process/RD Sharpie Thing. Then the disgruntled can bitch about that too. Most ultra-lotteries are cryptic events anyway. Correct me if I'm wrong. 

Further down the list, change the qualifications. Like maybe have 2-5 qualifying 100s done before you enter the inner circle of elite 100s. Ditch the 100k or 50miler as a qualifier. It hasn't been 1986 for a long time now.

Flying Wait-List Standby

So you didn't get in to your dream 100, now you're wait-listed. Great! Lets say you're 93rd at the venerable AC100. Based on prior years, that might mean 80+ aren't going to show for whatever reason. You've been watching the Wait List...and holy fuck, the RDs waved in a couple of people, and your line hasn't moved! Burns, doesn't it?

Welcome to ultras as they are now. RD's want their race to stand out, so if they can lure talent to their venue, they will. The parallels to the music business and concert promoters are inescapable. Read up on that, here. 

Then Economy Class

On the other end of the spectrum, multi-race same-day events are happening where the fields are expanded, now approaching the 2,000 entrant threshold. Imagine being in a conga-line for 60 miles on single-track somewhere. 

When the Leadville 100 ownership passed from founder Ken Chlouber to LifeCycle, the field jumped to 1200. There were howls, in addition to exponential traffic jams on trail and dirt roads for crews, spectators, etc. The entrants were reduced somewhat in later years, but the die was cast. 

The economics are simple: you've got an infrastructure in place, you can put on 2-4 different -length events for different market segments. Attract the newcomers, while giving the veterans something to care about.

This is the Brave New World

The days of the ultra put on by the RD as a labor of love or hobby for a relatively few people are long gone. Ultras are a business now, and that brings its own set of challenges. Like what happens when catastrophic wild fires torch the mountains your events are, and you're completely burned out? I doubt most small ultras carry insurance to cover that. 

Now Go Where Others Aren't 

Still hacked off? Find an event out it the middle of nowhere. Get there before all the crowds show up. Then someday you'll be saying how cool it was when you raced Whatever Event when it was cool and unspoiled. Chances are also good you'll discover more about yourself than you dreamed possible.