I never said that they sucked, you did. I only insinuated that true professionals (like the ones that are in the hunt for medals) do prepare for such contingencies. I am sure that not everyone in the trials races in 2000 prepared themselves as best they could, and the results are hard evidence of that fact. Aside from a notable pair, they simply were underprepared to race in unseasonably warm temperatures. End of story, litany of weekend warrior excuses DENIED.
store guy wrote:
if you actually read what i wrote, i never stated or insinuated that anyone other than those that were sent were the ones that deserved to go. I whole heartedly agree that marathoning was at an all time low, and is only now on an upswing (at least on the men's side).
Saying people suck is one thing, but saying that they suck because they decided not to prepare themselves is another, and that's what i take issue with. I agree that most at the 2000 trials were not worthy of being olympians. All but 1, as it turns out. I'm sure everyone in the trials races in 2000 prepared themselves as best they could and worked as hard as they could. All I'm really saying, i guess, is that there are a load of reasons why someone might not run a great marathon on any given day, many of those reasons of course have to do with one's preparation. But a number of those can also be completely beyond one's control. I've known runners who have had stomach and intestinal issues even though they used the same stuff they always use. I've known runners who had blister problems even though they used the same socks and shoes as usual. I know people who have fallen ill, gotten hit by cars, had family issues, been dumped, and the list goes on.