2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials bidders - Atlanta, Austin, Chattanooga, Orlando - Who you got?

Yes. They are the ones who has brought in everything else. I haven’t talked to him but would assume he’s behind the bidding for this.

And if you’re hinting that I’m involved, you’re wrong. I only work at a local run shop here in town.

Sorry if this is an ignorant question, but see my user name: Who’s “him?”

This is a different group than the one who puts in all the other events like the ironman and Chattanooga Marathon. 7 bridges group is just a group that puts on tons of races and sometimes doesn’t do the best job at race details. We have tried to help them but it’s always mistakes somewhere.

“Him” is the guy over Chattanooga Sports committee. Look him up if you need his name.

feel free to comment wrote: Dathan Ritzenhein dropped out of the race. He was one of the favorites. The drop out rate was high, due to high temps.

in a trials race, where the only thing on offer is a trip to the Olympics for the first three, the drop out rate tends to be high, not just because of the weather, but folks get to a point where they realise top-3 is out of reach for them so to maximise the benefit of their training for this big day they drop out, conserve their effort and recover in time to go for a money run in some other race. some times, it just isn't your day.

in the 2016 USATF Olympic marathon trial, 56 of 164 men (34%) and 48 out of 197 women (24%) DNF'd.

Cheers.

I vote for Orlando because Tony Orlando and Dawn could get back together and sing the national anthem at the start of the race in honor of all the Puerto Rican 'thon runners displaced by the hurricane on that sh#thole island.

M.A.G.A.

The primary purpose of the Trials is to produce a team that can perform in the Olympics. This worked perfectly in LA: one medal and one other top ten for the men, all three women in the top ten. People who couldn't handle it stayed home, as they should. If Orlando has the closest weather to Tokyo then Orlando it should be. If people can't handle the conditions there they won't be able to in Tokyo either. Let them run the 10000 or watch on TV.

As a Florida resident, I’ve done plenty of races in January through March that were still humid as a bowl of piss so no way on Orlando. My vote would be for Austin.

another runner wrote:

I vote no to Florida, might be too hot and humid in march.

Unlike Tokyo in August?

There is indeed some performance-based logic to having it in Florida. However, it's too bad that Richard Fannin's idea of having it in Jacksonville didn't work out. That would provide all the pre-Tokyo temp/humidity advantage of Orlando, but in a more spectator-friendly area, and most importantly for the athletes a completely opposite experience from Los Angeles considering Fannin's reputation for athlete-friendly perks and amenities at the Gate 15k.

Trump20200P-the real one wrote:

I vote for Orlando because Tony Orlando and Dawn could get back together and sing the national anthem at the start of the race in honor of all the Puerto Rican 'thon runners displaced by the hurricane on that sh#thole island.

M.A.G.A.

I'm comin' home, I've done my time......LOL

You can't say it worked perfectly when you don't know what the results would have been if it wasn't held in LA. We could have had 3 medals instead of 1. We will never know. But it is well documented that marathons in the heat are not good for your running career. Just because you have 1 good marathon in the heat does not mean your next marathon in the heat will go as well.

Just ask Salazar and Beardsley, it took Salazar over a year to recover from the race and Beardsley was never the same. I know others who have been sick and fatigued for several months to a year after running a marathon in the heat. Like I said, the heat theory may work for 10Ks but not for marathons. Two back to back hot marathons could destroy the careers of some of our top runners.

another runner wrote:

Two back to back hot marathons could destroy the careers of some of our top runners.

Like it did to the members of the U.S. team in Rio?

As an Orlando resident, I am pulling for Orlando to win out here.

The biggest strike against Orlando is obviously the weather. It can be absolutely gorgeous for a marathon, but is at least equally as likely to be warm and humid.

On the positive side, it is definitely going to be a flat course, we have one of the best event management/race timing groups in the country here (they did the timing for the trials in LA, do all of the Disney races here and in California, as well as lots of other national caliber events),

have a great airport with plenty of cheap direct flights, ample hotel accommodations and we have the theme parks as a bonus (I get that most of us don't find them appealing, but they are a draw nonetheless). And there is a very lively bar, and surprisingly well developed restaurant scene in and around downtown.

Plus, I really think the city would turn out and support the event. The city has done a great job supporting the two bowls that it has at the end of college football season, and has been impressive and how it has supported the Orlandos City Soccer Club. I think you would have streets pretty well-lined with spectators if you made it a 10K course through the core of the downtown area.

Greg, you are completing wrong about the object of the Olympic trials. This is USAT&F we are talking about here. Politics over practicality. My bet is Atlanta due to sheer number of ATC members.

Dollars to donuts there will be a people's marathon the day before.

Chattanooga already has a marathon the first week of March. ( not 7 Bridges). Chattanooga is hill, but if they choose to finish a multi loop downtown, it is much flatter.

Atlanta hosted the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, making it the last American city to host the summer edition of the sporting spectacle. u'm go with Atlanta :)