NYC Marathon Bid for Olympic Trials

1. You guys complain about how weak U.S. runners are then you want to hold a championship on the easiest course available.

How do you expect to compete with the seasoned marathoning world? You just seem to want to make it easy for the U.S. Runners eh? As long as they make the team it doesn't matter.

2. All anyone does on this broad is complain about how obscure running is as a sport and how no one cares about it. Well then, keep hosting your major championship meets in bumble fudge Alabama and Indiana and see how many people tune in and come out to watch. Marathoners are the biggest demographic in our sport as far as what they spend and involvement in the running community. NYC can and WILL host more runners/spectators than anyhwere else generating more dollars for the sport. Not to mention get some badly needed name recognition out into the world. NYC has without a doubt the biggest media market in the country and whichever network picks it up locally and nationally will get far batter ratings in NYC than anywhee else. MORE VIEWERS FOR RUNNING E.G. FANS!!!!!

3. Why make the course challenging and make the race actually interesting for once? No one wants to see that right. We just want to see Meb and Culpepper and (insert new name) cruise to new PR's. That's really exciting. I'll tune into that for two hours.

Go back to your textbook and finish your social studies homework. NO strike that work on your economics. I think I hear yor mom calling.

fyi

I am not MillroseDave!

David Katz

Meet Director

Millrose Games

Friday seems like a horrible day for a race. Why not do it Saturday the day before the marathon? Then people can actually go out in the park in watch out.

How many major sporting events can you name that are during the week during work hours not on a holiday? I can't think of any.

Any does anyone else find it strange that they announced the details of their bid? It seems like in a competitive process you would want to keep the details secret.

1) Probably so they have an extra day to get the Park ready for the 35,000 runners on Sunday. There's a Friendship Run on Saturday but that could easily be canceled.

2) The Boston Marathon. I doubt the Men's Trials will fit into this category but there's something special about an important game that takes place during work hours. The Red Sox - Yankee playoff of 1978 comes to mind. I'm old.

3) Obviously to thwart letsrun conspiracy theorists who would later complain that NYC pulled the wool over USATF's eyes with other promises.

4) I see a couple of problems with the Park as the course. Quite simply, it's impossible to marshal. Some eccentric society matron will be walking her poodle and absolutely refuse to leave the course. Let alone the cyclists who will make it a point to cycle that day.

MillroseDave wrote:

call it, The Less Marathon for Men

HAHAHAHAHAHA

I would rather see a Feb. or March race basically to allow the window to qualify to stay open longer. I think 6 months between the trials and the Olympics is enough time for preperation.

Doing a five loop course would suck for the competitors. Great for spectators, abysmal for athletes.

Why not do it on the track at Randall's Island?

Better yet, why not do it on the millrose track. Both Daves would like that. It's only 288 laps.

Ah hell, why not just set up a couple of pylons in a circle on the great lawn and blow a whistle?

I disagree. This gears the event toward the marginal qualifier rather than the medal hopeful.

Easily cancel the friendship run on saturday!? Hah! NYRR will offer to host the Olympic Trials as long is it does not interfer with gratuitous photo opportunites for its execs running 10 minute miles with Greta Waitz, German Silva, and others......

You guys sound like the millions of New Yorkers who didn't want to host the Olympics because of the traffic.Ignorance.

Once again

1. Friday: 8 million more people in the city on a weekday to watch...generating sports interest for once.

2. As if it were easier to keep cyclists off the roads in all 5 boroughs rather than the park.

3. Running a course on a loop makes for great viewing, competion and great racing. As all of you know running a long run on a route you are familiar with is much easier than running blindly. The central park loop can't be all that difficult given that Meb has run 22:16 for 8k on it shortly after he raced a Marathon in 2004.

4. The sport of running is currently at the tail end of a downard spiral that it seemingly cannot recover from. Everyone's hopes of a "Great white athlete" on the medal podium at the Olypmics or World Champs will do nothing for U.S running or the sport in the long run. So all you white American guys saying prayers for a new Pre save your energy. As the poster of the Running Shoe thread is pointing out common sense and the elite competitive side of running has lost out to the cash money generated by overweight, half stepping, Sunday joggers. The only way to win is to get those half steppers interested in competitve running. This NYC marathon trials idea is a step in the right direction. It is a small and valiant first step in trying to pull out of this tailspin.

5. If you disagree with this you are either a sub-elite runner hoping and praying to get a PR at the Marathon national championship or somehow involved in the bidding process for another city. You're either for the sport moving forward or your against it for personal gain$. I'm calling all of you out right now!

BTW why should NYRR give a damn about elite running anyway? They make plenty of money off of the half steppers. Good for them for showing support for competitive running.

Have you ever done a long run in Central Park, Tire Dof He Aring It?

The 8k course isn't so bad because it's only one loop. By the fifth loop, it's not so easy.

You my friend are a half stepper.

That is exactly what I would expect a half stepper to say.

I am neither a half-stepper nor your friend. I have a horse's long galloping stride and the mighty, ferocious kick of a mule.

And you didn't answer my question. Nice evasion technique, though.

You half stepping jackass, I mean mule.

It sounds like a pretty good plan to me. Of course it will never be perfect, but we aren't going to ever get that. NYC is good. The time isn't great (November) esecially for people that are right on the border to qualify like myself. I could always use an extra chance or two. But that's not what the Trials are about. Friday isn't ideal but I can see why they would have to do it then. By the way they are going to do a Criterium course no matter where they go because it's "spectator friendly" so you aren't going to get away from that. Hopefully I won't have to worry about getting lapped this time around, ha.

So what time would they start the race so all 8 million working New Yorkers can stop and come to Central Park on Friday?

2-3-4 pm?

yessirree wrote:

2) The Boston Marathon. I doubt the Men's Trials will fit into this category but there's something special about an important game that takes place during work hours.

The Boston Marathon is held on Patriot's Day, a holiday in Massachusetts. The crowds are great for the marathon in part because people don't work that day.

The review process for all OT candidates should prove to be thorough & extensive. The merits of all bids will be weighed and discussed by a corps of USATF officials and others w/a nose for the sport w/a final decision due by April '06. There are some solid candidates.

MillroseDave wrote:

So what time would they start the race so all 8 million working New Yorkers can stop and come to Central Park on Friday?

2-3-4 pm?

Don't think they are looking for 8 million spectators, but I think no matter what time they started it they would get more then Birmingham and St. Louis got combined.