The 100 Marathon Club has two levels of membership. Full and Associate (100 and 50 marathons respectively).
Anyone who has run 50 marathons/ultras or more can join the Club as an Associate Member. You will be a member of the club with all the same rights as a full member, but cannot wear the blue and yellow kit, which is the right of Full Members only.
It is currently a rule (as from September 2017) that anyone wishing to join the Club as a Full Member must be an Associate Member for 3 months before applying for full membership.
It is also currently a requirement that you must have run 15 UK/Ireland marathons (of which 5 must be road marathons) to join as an Associate Member, and 25 UK/Ireland marathons (of which 10 must be road marathons) to join as a Full Member.
Once you are an Associate Member you should continue to log your races in your spreadsheet. This should be vetted regularly, say at every 6 months or at 75 whichever comes sooner, and then again once you reach 90.
People wish to mark their 100th marathon in different ways and the onus is very much on the individual to organise whatever celebration they wish to have. Some associate members like to notify the club some months in advance as to which marathon will be their 100th in the hope that other members will wish to join them there and share their celebration, in which case this will be listed on the Club home page. Others want no fuss and don’t join till after their 100th has passed in which case nothing will happen at all and they’ll simply become new Full Members quietly.
If you would like the occasion of your 100th to be marked then it is up to you arrange this. Ensure that the Club knows to list the big day on the website, and choose the member that you wish to make your presentation. If you wish for a senior member of the 100 Marathon Club to make the presentation of the shirt/medal (e.g. Chairman or other committee member) then make sure you ask them in plenty of time!
As mentioned in the joining instructions above, ensure you order your kit at least 6 weeks ahead of the big day and we will do our utmost to ensure you have your kit in plenty of time. It is up to you to get your name printed on your shirt or vest, if that is what you want.
It’s traditional that once a member announces that they’ll complete their 100th marathon at any given event then another person wouldn’t also declare that as their 100th marathon without consulting them in advance. Many people enjoy having a special day “just for them” – a 100th marathon is a very memorable occasion for runners and we should all respect their wishes.