MONTREAL — The delegates who will choose the next Liberal leader came from near and far, while some flew and many drove.

Many were waylaid by weather, others sat on the highway for hours waiting for a car crash to clear. As Friday's morning deadline to register approached, several delegates raced through the cavernous halls of the convention centre, luggage in tow.

They weren't too happy to meet stern-faced Liberal officials placing a 'Registration is Now Closed' sign outside the sign-up booths.

After a brief brouhaha, the officials relented and let them plead their case with their best excuses.

Huey Quach, a 26-year-old from Saskatchewan slept at the Toronto airport after he was told his airline couldn't find a pilot for his connecting flight.

He arrived at 9:01 - one minute after the deadline.

"We can't control things like the weather and what have you," said John Lyras, a Toronto delegate who denied he was cutting it a bit close with an early morning flight from Toronto.

Freezing rain only delayed his flight an hour or two, but it was enough to push him beyond the deadline.

"We don't think that something like being late by one or two minutes as a result of an unforeseen circumstance...should prohibit us from registering and allowing us to vote," said Lyras, a Gerard Kennedy supporter.

Others arrived even later and ended up pounding on the door to the registration area. Most of them ended up out of luck.