Because chip time is outside the normal timing procedure -- it's a calculation, not an actual time from crossing the start line to the finish line. It would be like accepting a wind-aided sprint time. There's no chip timing in any pro or championship event, only IAAF-certified timing methods.
She had more than two years to qualify for the Trials. The rules about allowable timing methods are very clear:
"Qualifying Guidelines
Athletes must meet at least the “B” standard in order to enter the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon event.
The qualifying mark must be made on a USATF certified course, in an event sanctioned by USA Track & Field or a member federation of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The course must be USATF/IAAF/AIMS certified with an active course certification and have an elevation loss no greater than 3.25 meters/km. All course configurations will be accepted (no minimum separation).
The Men’s and Women’s Marathon qualifying standards must be met from September 1, 2017 to January 19, 2020*. The Men’s and Women’s Half Marathon qualifying standards must be met from September 1, 2018 to January 19, 2020*.
All qualifying performances are subject to verification
“Gun” time is the only acceptable method of timing. Chip/net times cannot be used for qualifying. Consideration may be given to “chip/tag” times for competitors with “gun” times extremely close to the above qualifying standards."
Houston Marathon director screwed this up as well. “Run in B and you’ll probably get in on appeal”
Nice one, moran
While I sympathize, if she were a more consistent or established runner (at her current fitness), she wouldn't be in this predicament.
For 2020, she has zero chance of Olympic Team selection, so her attendance at the OT would only be to notch a personal achievement. She may have more OT opportunities if she keeps at it.
Her OTQ chances were done before the race started - it was over as soon as the Houston Marathon refused to place her ahead of the B corral.
I managed elite and sub-elite registration at very large races with similar staggered starts. It is surprising they didn't slot her into the Elite or A corral - the recommendation from her coach should have ensured that. Unfortunately, this sometimes comes down to "who you know" or "who you ask".
If she really wanted to use Houston as a qualifier, she should have slipped into the A corral with her B bib. This isn't that hard to do - not entirely kosher, but no way this would result in a DQ.
USATF rules are cut-and-dry and published. Their hands are tied here.
“Gun” time is the only acceptable method of timing. Chip/net times cannot be used for qualifying. Consideration may be given to “chip/tag” times for competitors with “gun” times extremely close to the above qualifying standards."
Part of the blame has to be put on her coach for entering her in a marathon one month before the Trials. Had she run CIM in December she probably would have qualified easily and had an extra month to recover and prepare for the Trials.
Les wrote:
She had more than two years to qualify for the Trials. The rules about allowable timing methods are very clear:
"Qualifying Guidelines
Athletes must meet at least the “B” standard in order to enter the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon event.
The qualifying mark must be made on a USATF certified course, in an event sanctioned by USA Track & Field or a member federation of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The course must be USATF/IAAF/AIMS certified with an active course certification and have an elevation loss no greater than 3.25 meters/km. All course configurations will be accepted (no minimum separation).
The Men’s and Women’s Marathon qualifying standards must be met from September 1, 2017 to January 19, 2020*. The Men’s and Women’s Half Marathon qualifying standards must be met from September 1, 2018 to January 19, 2020*.
All qualifying performances are subject to verification
“Gun” time is the only acceptable method of timing. Chip/net times cannot be used for qualifying. Consideration may be given to “chip/tag” times for competitors with “gun” times extremely close to the above qualifying standards."
Exceptions have already been granted to several runners. The argument for an exception is even stronger here.
2:54 is not "extremely close" to 2:45. I don't believe any runner given exceptions were 9 minutes slower than the qualifying standard. She should be in the Trials, but I blame the coach for entering her in the wrong marathon. He knew that gun times were the only acceptable qualifying time. He also probably knew that no race director is going to place a runner with no marathon track record in the A corral strictly on the athlete's coach's word. Big time mistake. The coach should own up.
Dam. With a 2:42, she would have been a lock to make the team if she could only toe the line at the trials
Houston is a weak city.
Typical millennial. All about her. This is a nonstory. She's not going to make the team. I'm sure the SJWs and twitterverse will melt down. Probably get Elizabeth 1/1024 Warren to make it a political issue.
run about wrote:
If they hold a corral for 13 minutes, isn’t that a second gun time?
Totally agree with this poster. If you start in a second corral, that should be a completely separate "gun" time. For example at this last year's Boston marathon, the men's elite started. And then I think 5 minutes later the mass elite started. You're telling me if a man in the mass start ran 2:18:59 they would have said he ran 2:23:59 and not let him into the Trials?
Houston easily could say her gun time is 12 minutes faster than it was.
Usually the gun vs chip time difference is so you don't say someone who started 2 seconds behind someone beat someone who finished 1 second ahead of them.
If the run was physically prevented from starting the race with everyone else and they fire a 2nd gun or have a 2nd start then that runner's gun time should start then.
Am I missing anything?
And how the hell does Houston have a 2nd start for people running 2:45? Do they just start a couple hundred people at the normal time and then hold back the masses?
run about wrote:
If they hold a corral for 13 minutes, isn’t that a second gun time?
Yes, it should be. Whoever decided to not include her should be fired.
Les wrote:
“Gun” time is the only acceptable method of timing. Chip/net times cannot be used for qualifying. Consideration may be given to “chip/tag” times for competitors with “gun” times extremely close to the above qualifying standards."
Considering the B corral started with a 12 minute deficit, her gun time of 2:54:54 - 12:00 = 2:42:54 was within one second of her 2:42.55 chip time.
Les wrote:
2:54 is not "extremely close" to 2:45. I don't believe any runner given exceptions were 9 minutes slower than the qualifying standard. She should be in the Trials, but I blame the coach for entering her in the wrong marathon. He knew that gun times were the only acceptable qualifying time. He also probably knew that no race director is going to place a runner with no marathon track record in the A corral strictly on the athlete's coach's word. Big time mistake. The coach should own up.
I've never run in a race with corrals, and this would reinforce that. So her official time in the race was 2:54, even though she was forced to start over 10 minutes later? Any race that does that sounds like a sham to me. If you are forced to start later, that later start should also be considered a gun time. You can keep prizes, etc for the first corral, but those races should be telling people the truth that if they are forced to start 15 minutes later, that's the same as adding 15 minutes to their official time, so if they think they've run a PR, nope, you need to add 15 minutes.
Quote from the article:
On Jan. 19, Corral A goes off at 7:01:01 a.m. Corral B went off at 7:13:00 (+11 minutes, 59 seconds later). Erin ran a brilliant race. She finished in 2:42:55, according to her chip time and 2:54:54 on her gun time.
Therefore, her 2:54:54 - 11:59 gun time is exactly the same as her 2:42:55 chip time.
It’s not like accepting a wind-aided sprint time.
For one, it’s not aided. It’s actually a disadvantage because she didn’t get to start with the fast people.
And sprints have limited lanes.
You can throw an extra 20-50 more people on a marathon start, no problem.
And her time was well within the margin of any error to make the qualifying time.
USATF has a history of screwing over hungry athletes that just want to compete.
Boy, this sport of running seems pretty complicated.
wejo wrote:
run about wrote:
If they hold a corral for 13 minutes, isn’t that a second gun time?
Totally agree with this poster. If you start in a second corral, that should be a completely separate "gun" time. For example at this last year's Boston marathon, the men's elite started. And then I think 5 minutes later the mass elite started. You're telling me if a man in the mass start ran 2:18:59 they would have said he ran 2:23:59 and not let him into the Trials?
Houston easily could say her gun time is 12 minutes faster than it was.
Usually the gun vs chip time difference is so you don't say someone who started 2 seconds behind someone beat someone who finished 1 second ahead of them.
If the run was physically prevented from starting the race with everyone else and they fire a 2nd gun or have a 2nd start then that runner's gun time should start then.
Am I missing anything?
And how the hell does Houston have a 2nd start for people running 2:45? Do they just start a couple hundred people at the normal time and then hold back the masses?
It is a total joke that they didn’t let her into the A corral, there is nothing elite about it, they let 1 hr 45 min half marathon runners into that corral. Which underscores the 2nd obstacle she faced, she had a ton of slow runners to pass, she probably lost minutes weaving in and out of a crowded race where the half and full run the first 7+ miles together.
Bottom line is her coach should’ve done a better job of getting her into corral A and she should’ve snuck into corral A amongst the thousands who are in there.
At Boston, the elite women actually started first, almost half an hour before the elite men. So by USATF's stupid logic, the elite men's winner only ran 2:36.
Races with multiple waves (New York, Boston, etc) have a gun at the beginning of each wave, basically making each wave its own race within the larger event. Houston is a rolling start, placing athletes in corrals and then compressing them all so that there is no gap (or gun) between the last runner in the first corral and the first runner in the next corral. As such, this runner's gun time is correct and technically her official time. However, since chip timing has become ubiquitous, no one has ever faulted anyone for claiming a chip time as a PR. It's only when it is used for qualification purposes that it becomes controversial.