Originally Posted by Duke of Kent

I would recommend signing up via mail as soon as race registration opens. Seriously. They call you up based on order of registration. Rows of 10 guys at a time, and they know because they give you your race number based on registration. First row is numbers X01-X10 (x being a random number), second is X11-X20, and so on. They DQ anyone who tries to move up a row.

In the lower categories, if you're in good shape, if you aren't in the front two rows, your race will be an individual time trial because you'll be passing people pretty much the entire race. Or get caught behind them up the Snake, either at the start when someone (plural) inevitably falls over the first time up the Snake because its so damn crowded, or later on, when you're lapping a fatty. What makes it even worse is that the guys who registered early AND are in great shape (always a few) end up working together and usually lap a good portion of the field.