Nabbing a spot in the New York City Marathon has never been harder: Of the 200,000 people who entered the lottery for this year’s race, between 2 and 3 percent were accepted.

It isn’t just an issue for New York City or the rest of the world majors — the Philadelphia Marathon and Half-Marathon sold out faster this year than any other time in the races’ 32-year history.

Enter the unsanctioned race, an alternative gaining momentum for those shut out of more organized affairs — or for runners just looking for something different.

With looser organization, these types of events operate without closed streets and often feature only starting and finish lines.

Unsanctioned Athletics, based in Nottingham, U.K., expanded its varying race formats to Europe amid much fanfare. And Take the Bridge

See Full Page