Act Fast! Register Before the Chicago Marathon Lottery Closes

Tomorrow's not tax day. Nor is it Marathon Monday where we'll all be watching the 118th running of the Boston Marathon. But Monday, April 7, is a special Monday if you are in the market for running a fall marathon, specifically the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. It's the Monday when registration closes for the October 12 race.

Sure, it seems odd to be announcing that a race's registration is closing. Usually we're waiting in anticipation for registration's to open (hello Ironman) so we can grab one of the coveted spots before they're gone. But after last year's Chicago Marathon registration debacle where runners flooded the registration system and caused it to crash, the race turned to a lottery system to randomly select entrants who weren't running with a charity partner, had completed the race multiple times in recent years, or were fast enough to use a qualifying time to enter.

At noon central time tomorrow, the registration period will end for those runners who'd wish to enter the marathon's lottery system or register as a legacy finisher or time qualifier. Lottery entries are not guaranteed, but those entrants will be notified of their status on April 14. Time qualifiers need to have run verifiable races after Jan. 1, 2012, of sub 3:15:00 for men and sub 3:45:00 for women. Legacy finishers need to have finished the Chicago Marathon five or more times within the last 10 years (2004-2013).

Will Wait for Chocolate?

Is it Black Friday? Are we waiting for the handfuls of TVs, toys and other steals to be released to the first customers in line when the stores open the day after Thanksgiving? Are we attempting to ride the newest, scariest roller coaster at Six Flags? Are we trying to score tickets to a once-in-a-lifetime event (like the Cubbies going to the World Series)? Nope.

If only it were that exciting. This is the line to pick up bibs and goodie bags for Hot Chocolate 15K/5K on November 4--and the above picture only shows about two-thirds of it. The line stretched south to McCormick Place and wrapped around to the north end of the parking lot with people waiting in line for at least an hour (I caught up with ZachRunsChicago after he had been in line for more than an hour, then I left the expo empty-handed--not having the time or warm clothing to wait--and biked home, with a chilling headwind, before he received his bib and hoodie). Um, registration fail?

Tri-ing to Save Race Money in Chicago

The weather might have us fooled that summer is just around the corner. The mercury is pushing 60 degrees in Chicago, and we've left our winter coats and layers behind to sport short-sleeves, shorts and capris on the run, maybe took the bike off the trainer for the rare opportunity that it's warm enough--and not too icy--to ride outside mid-winter, and maybe even thought about being one of those Lake Monsters that take a dip in Lake Michigan regardless of time of year or water temperature. OK, that last one might be a bit of a stretch, but who says we can't dream that we'll soon be swapping pool laps for open water?

But there are still a few hours left of January. Before the month comes to a close, there's one thing many a triathlete (or a wannabe) might want to consider: registering for the Life Time Chicago Triathlon. You see, race registration opened on January 1--talk about a way to kick off a New Year's resolution to complete a triathlon by already confirming a race to the schedule--and a price increase is right around the corner. And when you're a regular racer--one like me who's trying to save any buck she can get--you know how much the wallet can start to hurt as the race registrations add up.

At the Chicago Triathlon, the race registration fees will increase by $15 when the clock turns over to midnight, Feb. 1. The sprint race is currently $115 and will increase to $130, while the international distance will increase from $150 to $165. If you have to pay for a one-day USA Triathlon license, there's your cost right there.

The sprint and international distance races are set for Sunday, August 26. Plenty of time to learn how to swim, bike, run or perfect the disciplines. For more details on the 2012 event, visit chicagotriathlon.com. Who's thinking about racing?

You Can Still Register for Ironman

So you didn't wait in line at Madison's Monona Terrace Convention Center to register for Ironman Wisconsin 2011. You didn't volunteer and have a volunteer shirt and wristband in hand to wait in what should have been the shorter of two lines (the volunteer line looked pretty darn long, even at 7:15 a.m.). You skipped the regular registration line figuring it would be just too darn long to wait in. But instead you went online, hoping to score a spot into this roughly 3,000-person event only to find that Active.com couldn't handle the registration load and the system crashed--or rather "experienced technical difficulties" according to a release sent out by Ironman.com.

Whether you were inspired by some of the participants at Sunday's Ironman Wisconsin or you have "complete an Ironman" on your bucket list, you can still sign up for the 2011 Ironman Wisconsin, which will be held on Sunday, September 11, in Madison, Wis. Registration will reopen today at 1 p.m. EST, noon CST, for Ironman wannabes to register for this popular race, which also will be celebrating its 10th running in 2011 (as a side note: I wish I hadn't figured that out the other night as now I'm tempted to sign up again even though I told myself to take a break after Sunday).

Yesterday Ironman posted this message on Facebook: "Due to high demand, Active.com experienced technical difficulties during the initial 2011 Ford Ironman Wisconsin registration opening. Online registration for the event will re-open tomorrow, Sept. 15, at noon CT (1 p.m. ET). Visit www.ironmanwisconsin.com to sign up or learn more." The glitch on Active.com has since been fixed and registration will open shortly. Registration costs $600 plus any processing fees, but the experience and crossing the finish line is priceless. Don't I sound a bit like the Mastercard commercial?

For more information, check out www.ironman.com or www.ironmanwisconsin.com. And stay tuned...I promise to write a race report about Sunday's Ironman before more than two years elapse. Yes, it's true, I never finished documenting my first experience and have only relied on the pictures and random memories instead.