The 2009 Application Process!

The Dipsea Race is one of the more challenging athletic events in the Bay Area. Because of the potential environmental impact that would result from uncontrolled use and the risk of injury from crowding on the steep and narrow trails, the number of runners has for several years been restricted to no more than 1,500. That's less than half the number of people who apply every year. So, an elaborate system has been developed to fairly apportion the scarce racing slots.

The surest way to get a racing number is to do well in the previous Dipsea. The first four hundred and fifty Invitational runners who finished in 2008 are automatically eligible for the Invitational section of 2009 race. All they need do is get their entry forms completed and sent back before the deadline of April 1, 2009. Also eligible for the 2009 Invitational are those from the Runner section who were among the first 750, overall, to cross the finish line in 2008. For everyone else, it's a little trickier, partly because the system still is subject to the U.S. Postal Service.

Once the pre-qualified runners are assigned their numbers, the remaining 800 or 900 slots are apportioned according to the following system:

• Five hundred racing numbers are allocated on a basis of first come, first accepted. For the last several years, the official applications are available for downloading only on our website. That evens the playing field because everyone has access at the same time. But the completed applications can be sent back to us ONLY through the mail. That tends to favor the local Bay Area residents. And that's fine with the race committee, because the Dipsea is essentially a local event, even though racers come from other states and other countries.
  
  In previous years, the fastest way to get your application to us was to hand-deliver it to the Mill Valley Post Office. The officials there tell us they won't accept and hand cancel letters directly for our post office box in Mill Valley. We understand that Dipsea applications posted at the Mill Valley post office will go to a regional facility for sorting and then will be delivered to the Mill Valley Post Office. So it might be fastest to mail the application from a regional center near you.
  
  
• For those who are really desperate to run in The Dipsea, there's always money. After the first 500 applicants have been assigned, another hundred entries are accepted based on a silent auction. One hundred race numbers are awarded to applicants who send checks in excess of the $50 entry fee, $35 for children under 16, (the "bribe" money, anything over the $50 for adults and $35 for youngster under 16 goes to the Dipsea Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that awards scholarships and maintains the trail). The auction bidding goes higher every year.
  
  
• The final 300 places in the 2009 Dipsea race will be filled by lottery. After the three above scenarios are completed, all remaining applications received in our office by April 7, 2009 are eligible. No special application is required. The drawing will be conducted randomly. We cannot predict the chances of success. The odds will be based on the total number of applications received.

There are actually two more ways to get into the race. One is to send a convincing sob story that will persuade the race committee to make room for the applicant. They're reasonable, but they've heard just about everything, although serving previously as a volunteer in the race may help, but not necessarily. Finally, on the Friday before the race, there's the Annual Dipsea Race Foundation banquet where two Invitational race numbers are auctioned to the highest bidders, starting at a bid of $500.

This 2009 Annual Dipsea Race will be Sunday, June 14th, 2009 starting at 8:30am, downtown Mill Valley. If you were entered in the 2008 race, whether you ran or not, you will be mailed an entry form on March 13, 2009. Enter as soon as you receive your entry form. If you have moved, notify us of your new address no later than March 1, 2009. ONE application per applicant. You can make a copy of the application for a friend, but Invitational Runners must submit the original with attached label.

If you were not registered in the 2008 Dipsea and wish to enter the 2009 Dipsea, you can download an application from our web site, www.Dipsea.org, on or after March 14, 2009 after 12 noon PST (the exact time may vary). Runners who attained Invitational status in 2008 must submit their original mailed application, not the online copy.

The fastest and best way to get an application is to download and print the application from our website when we post it. Also note that the application will be available on the website before most other runners receive it in the mail. However, if you don't have access to the Internet we'll mail one to you. Requests for an application may be made via email: or via USPS write to:
The Dipsea Race
P.O. Box 30
Mill Valley, CA 94942

Address changes and application requests must be received by March 1, 2009.