Why does NO ONE care about the WC MARATHON?

HYPOTHESIS: The reality of non-participation of all those mentioned would seem to indicate they "unofficially" might have, and possibly that there's alreasy more than one union...Afterall it's just a job...

oguz wrote:

It is far from reality, but sometimes I wish elites forming a union some day and demand their rights!

Partially because it sucks.

BBC coverage was good, although at 2am I was starting to nod off. Foster said something amusing about one of the leaders: he was racing some or other marathon and near the end was chased for a hundred meters or so by some big dog and related that he hadn't planned to sprint so early. Foster: Hey Crammie have you been chased by any dogs in your time. Cram smiled and said haven't we all.

I appreciate your contribution, but I'm afraid that I will never understand British humo(u)r.

The OP has used a pretty selective understanding of the facts. Interesting he includes Ritz, who great talent tho he is doesn't maybe have a massive world class marathon pedigree as yet.For sure there were big name absentees, some off injured, and of course not every elite will choose the conditions offered in Osaka. The OG will have some big absentees - Kenyans - by virtue of 3 per nation - will Tergat get selected?

Did he look down the list of PBs of the starters, as there were were plenty of guys who qualify as 'elite' by most usual understandings of it? In addition to Japan, as per Nobby's post, Morocco, Spain and Portugal had their best - and fast - available teams 'on paper'.

The poster who desrcibes the WC marathon as a 'development' event also has an interesting take on who actually toed the line in Osaka

davidch wrote:

The poster who desrcibes the WC marathon as a 'development' event also has an interesting take on who actually toed the line in Osaka

I referred to the bulk of the participants and their relation to invited fields at any of the marathon majors.

I don't know other countries but in Japan, if you are the first Japanese and "wins a medal", then you're pretty much shoe-in for the selection for the next Olympic marathon team. That's how Noguchi got selected for Athens (winning the silver in Paris). That way, you prove you're a championship contendor, run well in the heat, and then have a full 12 months to prepare for the Olympics. That's what Ogata wanted and that'w what Tosa wants. I remember in 1995, Steve Plasencia finished 10th at the WC marathon and then finished 4th in the trial. Naturally, he felt he should have been picked by having proved that he could "compete against the world in the summer marathon". I agree. In a way, he proved that he could be competitive. Unless there's an incentive like that, it would be hard for the top US runners to want to go to the WC over some big money race in the fall. In fact, I think the US should consider races like Fukuoka to be a part of selecting races; it's oversea race (it's same Asia for God's sake...), very competitive... In other words, it's a great place to prove your worthy of being internationally competitive.

I'm not all against one-race-only system. Don Kardong is a good friend of mine and, if it's not that system, he would have never gone to Montreal and finished 4th. Actually I feel the same way (in a way) with Ritz. Sure he has not proved he's competitive in the marathon but, if everything goes well, he's talented enough to be very competitive anywhere. Can he and his coach prepare himself enough to be that level is yet to be tested; but remember, Frank Shorter's PR, going into Munich was "only" 2:12. He was fast on track; he went to Japan and ran Fukuoka (oversea, competitive) and prepare himself for the Olympics. He didn't have to have run 2:08 to be "topic of the message board" to become the Olympic champion.

Frank Shorter also seems a hell of a lot smarter than Ritz, even at the same age.

I agree that letting the team choose itself from a set of well-thought-out criteria (running well at WC and other top marathons, proof of fitness), rather than just a single trials race, could be a better alternative. But I don't think I'll see that within my lifetime so long as USATF and USOC are running things. People seem to like the trials race format (even when USATF really screws it up, like this time) and it does a good enough job of selecting the team.

why does everyone keep mentioning ritz with those other massive names....