I'm not running PTRR and have only done so once -- in 2019 when I happened to be there for work. Yet I got a thousand emails from them up until last week, practically begging me to register! When I did it in 2019 I had to get a spot in a lottery, and now they are looking for entries less than a month before the race. What's up with that?
I have also been inundated with emails and even postcards in snail mail. In the past, the race has sold out quickly and they even instituted a lottery for the final 5,000 or 10,000 slots (I forget the actual number).
To see them still with slots this late is totally new.
My guess is that I'm not the only person that decided that the price, the PITA factor, and lack of swag just didn't make it worth it. I can go run in races 10 minutes from my house and get as nice of a shirt for less money. Going all the way downtown to the expo to get my race number can take 2-3 hours, plus paying for parking, just to get the number and a coupon for a waffle at Waffle House. Or pay $15 per bib to get them mailed. I have noted that what comes in the mail is exactly the same as the envelope at the expo other than being sealed shut and postage.
My thought is that those who opt for mail are paying for all of the envelopes to be stuffed, making it a defacto penalty for not going to the expo. It's probably not as big a deal for people coming into town for the race and/or staying near a Marta station, but it is a big PITA for those of us living in the metro area outside of the city. But the mailing fee and the credit card "convenience" fee combine to be a large percentage of the race entry fee.
Wearing a PTRR shirt around Atlanta is a big thing, especially in the days following the race. In the past they have been cotton and (usually) nice to wear. Last year's shirt was moisture wicking, but a material not like any such shirts I already have, and with the large race applique on the front, it was like wearing Tyvek. I feel like I ought to be painting in it. Will that return this year? I dunno.
The shirt is also one of the annoyances, in that they seem to change shirt vendor every year, so the quality of the shirt itself varies year to year, plus the question of whether the design is a good one. After the horrible 25th anniversary shirt (plain white shirt with a design that looked like it was done by an untalented child, but selected because it was "artsy") they started selecting 5 final designs and letting the public vote on a winner. The quality of the offerings is still subject to what the Atl Track Club decides for the final 5, but general public usually votes for one of two most appealing designs.
I may enter again in the future, but not this year. I'll get off my soapbox now.
Thank you for listening.