# How do I enter the Unbound Gravel 2027 lottery? > The Unbound Gravel 2027 lottery runs 1 to 15 November 2026 with results on 21 November, free to enter. Plus the Leadville Trail 100 MTB lottery, 1 to 15 December 2026, and the routes that skip both draws. - Canonical: https://theticketlottery.com/guides/unbound-gravel-2027-lottery - Published 2026-10-12, updated 2026-10-12, facts last verified 12 October 2026 - Source: The Ticket Lottery (https://theticketlottery.com); not affiliated with Life Time or the Unbound Gravel and Leadville Race Series organizers The Unbound Gravel 2027 lottery is free to enter and runs from 10:00 AM Central Time on 1 November to 11:59 PM CT on 15 November 2026 at unboundgravel.com. You enter one distance, your card is only charged if you are picked, and results come out on 21 November 2026. The race is 3 to 6 June 2027 in Emporia, Kansas, the 20th anniversary edition. Unbound has grown from 34 riders in 2006 to about 4,000, and the organizer says it cannot take everyone who wants to ride, so a random lottery decides who gets in. Its sister event in the same Life Time family, the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, runs its own free lottery a month later. ## Unbound Gravel 2027 dates - **Life Time Club members' early entry:** 25 October 2026 - **Lottery opens:** 1 November 2026, 10:00 AM CT - **Volunteer registration (for past volunteers):** 1 to 15 November 2026 - **Lottery closes:** 15 November 2026, 11:59 PM CT - **Results:** 21 November 2026, by email - **Race weekend:** 3 to 6 June 2027, Emporia, Kansas ## How the lottery works 1. Go to unboundgravel.com/registration between 1 and 15 November 2026. 2. Choose one distance: XL (350 miles), 200, 100, 50 or 25 miles. All five are allocated through the lottery. 3. Enter your card details. Nothing is charged unless you are selected. 4. Enter once. The organizer allows one entry per person. 5. Wait for 21 November. If you are selected, you are charged the registration fee, a processing fee, state sales tax and any add-ons you picked. If not, you get an email saying so. The 2027 entry fees were not on the organizer's page when this guide was published (it reads "Entry Fees Coming Soon"), so check the price on the page before you enter. The organizer does not publish how many riders enter the lottery or the selection rate for each distance, so there are no official odds. ## Routes into Unbound that skip the lottery - **Qualifier races.** At least 50 qualifier coins are handed out at each qualifier: half to the top riders in each category, half by random drawing among finishers at the awards ceremony, and you must be there with your qualifier tab. Coins give entry to the 200 or 100 mile distance. The qualifiers for the 2027 race are Crusher in the Tushar (11 July 2026), Heathland Gravel in Belgium (9 August 2026), The Rad Dirt Fest (26 September 2026), Big Sugar Gravel (17 October 2026, Bentonville, Arkansas) and Sea Otter Classic Gravel (16 April 2027, Monterey, California). - **Volunteer.** Ten or more volunteer hours at Unbound, or at the Life Time Big Sugar Classic (limited to the first 100 volunteers who choose an Unbound option), earns an entry. Friends and family can donate their hours to help you reach ten. Past volunteers register from 1 to 15 November with a code sent by email. - **Charity entries.** Partner charities offer entries, first come, first served. - **Training camp.** The official Camp + Entry package includes guaranteed entry to the XL, 200 or 100. - **Coaching and membership.** A one-to-one coaching package and Life Time Club membership routes are also listed on the organizer's page. ## Leadville Trail 100 MTB 2027: the December lottery The Leadville Trail 100 MTB, a 105-mile out-and-back at 9,200 to 12,500 feet in Leadville, Colorado, uses the same model: a free lottery where your card is only charged if you are drawn. - **Lottery window:** 1 to 15 December 2026, on leadvilleraceseries.com/lottery-qualification - **Results:** 7 January 2027, by email to every entrant - **Withdrawals:** by 11:59 PM MST on 15 December 2026, by emailing the support team - **Entries:** one application per person, individual entries only (the team option was removed in 2025) - **Donations:** you can add one at entry, but it is charged straight away and does not improve your chance of selection If you are drawn, your card is charged the registration fee plus a processing fee and any add-ons. If the card is declined, you get one week to update it before the place is forfeited. The 2026 race was on 15 August 2026; the 2027 race date had not been published when this guide went up. The main route around the Leadville lottery is its qualifier series: each Leadville Race Series qualifier hands out at least 35 coins, split between performance places and a lottery at the end of the awards ceremony, and you must be present to claim one. Qualifier registration opens in January on a first-come basis. ## If you miss out Unbound and Leadville both keep qualifier, volunteer and charity routes open after the lottery, so a non-selection email is not the end of the road. For a European alternative with a draw of its own, the Maratona dles Dolomites 2027 pre-entry runs from 14 October to 10 November 2026. ## Quick answers **When is the Unbound Gravel 2027 lottery?** From 10:00 AM Central Time on 1 November 2026 to 11:59 PM CT on 15 November 2026, for the XL, 200, 100, 50 and 25 mile distances. Life Time Club members can enter early from 25 October 2026 and are emailed instructions. **Does it cost anything to enter?** No. Registration for the lottery is free, but your card details are collected and charged only if you are accepted. If you are selected you are charged the registration fee, a processing fee, state sales tax and any add-ons you chose. The 2027 entry fees had not been published when this guide went up on 12 October 2026. **When are the results?** 21 November 2026. Selected and non-selected riders are both notified by email. **Can I enter more than once?** No. The organizer allows one lottery entry per person. **When is Unbound Gravel 2027?** 3 to 6 June 2027 in Emporia, Kansas, the event's 20th anniversary edition. **When is the Leadville Trail 100 MTB 2027 lottery?** 1 to 15 December 2026, on the Leadville Race Series lottery page, with every entrant notified on 7 January 2027. It is free to enter, with the card charged only if you are selected, one application per person, and individual entries only since the team option was removed in 2025. **How else can I get into Unbound without the lottery?** Qualifier races (half the coins by performance, half by random draw), volunteering 10 or more hours, charity partner entries, the official training camp package with guaranteed entry, a coaching package, and Life Time Club membership routes. Details are below. ## Event pages - [UNBOUND Gravel 2027 (Life Time UNBOUND Gravel presented by Shimano, 20th anniversary)](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/unbound-gravel-2027) - [Leadville Trail 100 MTB 2027 (Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB)](https://theticketlottery.com/ballots/leadville-trail-100-mtb-2027) ## Sources - [unboundgravel.com: Registration and ways to race](https://www.unboundgravel.com/registration/) - [leadvilleraceseries.com: Lottery and qualification](https://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/lottery-qualification/)