Marine Corps Marathon registration lottery opens March 22

WASHINGTON — The 42nd running of the Marine Corps Marathon may not be until October, but the lottery to earn a spot in the 26.2-mile race opens next week.

Registration for the Oct. 22 marathon is through an online lottery, which opens March 22 at noon and goes through March 29 at noon. Only runners 14 or older are eligible for the lottery.

There is no fee to enter the lottery, but runners must pay the race cost of $160 to complete the lottery registration. Charges will apply only if the runner is selected.

Notification emails regarding 2017 registration status will be sent March 30.

‘What if I don’t get in through the lottery?’

If you don’t get into the race through the lottery, have no fear — there are other ways in.

“Once the lottery closes, runners who do not obtain a spot will still have an opportunity to register for the 42nd MCM through any of the MCM’s 89 Charity Partners. Those will be featured on the MCM website following the lottery,” Tami Faram, PR coordinator for the Marine Corps Marathon, said in an email to WTOP.

Also, should a runner not be able to participate, the marathon allows runners to transfer their entry to a nonregistered runner.

Often, runners are able to connect via the marathon’s Facebook page. A $50 fee is associated with this service, which is available to runners from June 13 to Aug. 31.

Read more about the transfer and different race registrations on the Marine Corps Marathon website.