Footlocker is the well established National Championships. Of course it is better than that wannabe fiasco in Portland. There is no comparison.
The nike people are crazy. It's like if I took a bunch of kids, ran them around the block, declared them national champions and, hey, IF they ran at San Diego they'd crush everyone hahaha. What a joke.
Baxter is a very good runner, was better than anyone else in California in the season, but not in the Footlocker meets.
Aye, there's the rub.
To say anyone's a National Champ, without actually being there and competing, does not count for anything, except could'a, would'a, should'a. If they thought they could, than they would but they didn't. Besides that, Baxter barely beat Cain, who at her best is about the 6th fastest runner in the east.
I think Baxter and Cain could be in the top 15 to 20 at the Footlocker finals, if they ran, and might reverse positions as the course has better footing. But they're not going to run it.