Runners hoping to register online Friday morning for the 2018 TD Beach to Beacon 10K are advised to be patient with a new software system trotted out Thursday to fill 600 race slots for Cape Elizabeth residents.
To avoid the panicked rush of past registrations, race organizers this year are employing a “controlled queue entry” system. The queue format notes a user’s position in line and allows for a more relaxed procedure of filling out the entry form.
RACE DAY
WHAT: 21st TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race
WHEN: 8 a.m., Aug. 4
“Having that queue thing, I didn’t feel as frantic,” said Cape Elizabeth’s Jennifer Morris, who registered Thursday morning alongside her daughter, each using a different laptop. “It was very easy.”
Still, there were a few glitches Thursday morning.
Sindee Gozansky, a Cape Elizabeth resident with more than a decade’s worth of Beach to Beacons under her belt, said she twice got to the stage where she was filling in information, once all the way to her T-shirt size and another down to her credit card number, before being booted from the system.
“I had to get back in the queue,” she said. “And it wasn’t like I was being slow. I can type.”
Gozansky said she never refreshed her screen or opened multiple tabs. Her screen saver didn’t kick in. She followed instructions, but still received error messages. She said she hadn’t decided yet whether to try Friday’s registration for one of the 4,000 race bibs available to the general public, beginning at 7 a.m.
Jeff Morris, Jennifer’s husband, was rewarded for his patience Thursday. He logged on from Boston, where he had business.
“He was in the queue, and then he got a ‘register’ button,” Jennifer Morris said, “but when he clicked on it, he was back in the queue.”
The cyclical process repeated itself even as her husband tried different web browsers. When she received a text from him 20 minutes after registration opened at 7 a.m., Morris figured he was out of luck and would have to try again on Friday.
Instead, “he was patient and he was able to get in at 7:22,” she said.
Race organizers acknowledged a few users – fewer than 20 – may have been mistakenly swept out of the system as part of an attempt to weed out nonresidents of Cape Elizabeth attempting to register early, and most were able to sign up between 7:20 and 7:25.
“This was an isolated technical glitch and has been resolved,” said a statement from race organizers.
“Overall, the process was close to flawless and the race organization … is looking forward to another successful day (Friday).”
The whole process Thursday took roughly 25 minutes, more than double the 10:42 of the 2017 general registration.
“It wasn’t that bad,” said Melanie Tennyson, who registered her husband Thursday morning and then, out of curiosity, went back in the queue to see if it would be possible to register a second person.
“It took quite a while,” she said, “but eventually I got to another registration form.”
Organizers cautioned would-be registrants against opening multiple tabs or refreshing their page. Entering the queue is no guarantee of successful registration; users remain in line as long as bibs are available.
Whether the thousands of runners who attempt to register Friday morning remain patient through any further glitches remains to be seen.
“I’m curious to know what’s going to happen,” Morris said of the general registration. “I’ll have my popcorn ready and start waiting for the angry (Facebook) posts.”
This year’s race is scheduled for Aug. 4. The entry fee is $55.
A lottery for an additional 1,950 slots will begin Friday after 4,000 runners successfully register.
Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or
Twitter: GlennJordanPPH
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