The U.S. should offer a 100 grand to any American that runs under 2:10 in the marathon

We would see a massive increase in doping, because the penalties are far less than $100,000.

Maybe $150,000 and I’ll do it!

I just got to back to my 5k race weight and then drop some more pounds...

Is weighing 105 pounds worth it for $150,000? ?

pond scum wrote:

Maybe $150,000 and I’ll do it!

I just got to back to my 5k race weight and then drop some more pounds...

Is weighing 105 pounds worth it for $150,000? ?

105 ibs? What's your height? 5'0?

Please further define "the U.S.".

Easy pocket change for Rupp

Isn't the Hanson's contract something like this or maybe a little slower?

there are a couple of points to consider here:

1. it was not a "Japanese system," as the OP says, it was an offer from a commercial company in Japan who probably took out insurance to pay for it. it was also a lot more than $100,000. it was one hundred million Yen which works out at $890,317 at today's exchange rate. so offering only $100,000 to an American seems pitiful by comparison.

2. the suggestion that there are out there somewhere one or more Americans who could break 2:10 but have not yet done it because there is no advantage in it for them, but who would do it if there were serious money on the table, seems wrong to me on a number of different levels. it seems insulting to Americans generally, and to distance runners specifically. are you suggesting they are only motivated by money. whatever happened to Kudos?

3. if this were to work, does that not suggest that this would have been a much better route than the one adopted by the Nike Oregon Project, and much cheaper? instead of investing tens of millions of dollars in building a state of the art training facility, equipping it with underwater treadmills, altitude rooms, security staff and 24-hour floodlights and video monitoring on the tree-lined track then staffing it with top line coaches who hand-pick their athletes for one-to-one coaching, and, let's not forget, incurring the wrath and suspicion of the running community for their progress. instead of all that, you just announce a money prize for breaking the American Record and let the guys go to it themselves.

interesting idea.

would you be prepared to contribute towards the prize fund?

cheers

Would wind-aided Boston runs count? A fun idea, but actually doing it would have a lot of complications. Might work if it could be lumped with a race like Chicago, and only be applied there.

Carnivore 69 wrote:

We would see a massive increase in doping, because the penalties are far less than $100,000.

4 year ban if you get caught - after competing for a year while pretending you did nothing wrong (it must have been the meat!)

4 years for a sub 2:10 athlete is worth more than 100k

cotton shirt wrote:

2. the suggestion that there are out there somewhere one or more Americans who could break 2:10 but have not yet done it because there is no advantage in it for them, but who would do it if there were serious money on the table, seems wrong to me on a number of different levels. it seems insulting to Americans generally, and to distance runners specifically. are you suggesting they are only motivated by money. whatever happened to Kudos?

there may be in other distances. Most ncaa 5k/10k top finishers could probably come close

Why do you think money can fix everything?

They can't do it! You'll get your stray Rupp or Hall or whoever, but they can't go that fast, and I've said a million times why: they eat too much.

As the saying goes, "show me the child til the age of 7, and I will show you the man." How well one eats as a child hard-wires their DNA to produce a certain body type as an adult. This is an epigenetic process, not genetic - all human DNA is entirely capable of developing into a full range of adult body types. But 7 years is enough time for it to make up its mind.

The best marathoners are the ones who are hungry as children, and grow up light, skinny and energy-efficient as adults - east Africans. The next best are the ones from cultures where they eat sparingly on purpose despite being wealthy - Japanese. The absolute worst are ones from wealthy countries where they eat like gluttons - Americans.

There may be some truth to that, but having high paying pro sports hoovering up fast athletes takes a toil too. Very little incentive to work at a sport where few earn money of pro footballers, snowflakes don't want to work for anything only yap and complain, and personal worth is destroyed by the collaborative. The rugged individual as gone off the grid a la Howard Roark.

The US government should offer 100 grand to any American that reduces diabetics' blood sugar by 10%.

corporations can offer whatever amount of money to athletes that they feel the number of cameras viewing their logo justifies.

You say lots of stupid things many times (e.g., your moronic “tall Kenyan” theory). Saying the same idiotic thing over and over does not imply veracity.

Ezekiel bread wrote:

Inspired by the Japanese system of offering 100 million yen to any Japanese runner that breaks the national record in the marathon. I propose the US gives one hundred grand to any American that breaks 2:10 in the marathon. If the US did this, would we see a increase of American males breaking 2:10? Would you favor this idea?

Discus.

This is dumb. How does one more american running 2:09 vs 2:12 helps anyone but them? How about offering money for some achievement that is worthwhile or actually contributes to american society?

You might find some success in that, but there (NOP) goal is not to win B level races. Its to win A level races. Also, sure, Suguru broke the Japanese national record but hes also part of NOP, so doesnt that make the point moot?

Parkayyy wrote:

Please further define "the U.S.".

Exactly. Are you talking taxpayer dollars? If so, no way.

I think one issue is living basically in poverty to get there.

If an American distance runner can live comfortably nad not worry about his/her future they may be able to invest more time- as in not quitting to get a ¨job¨.