U.S. Marathon Olympic Trial Scrapers

Agreed, it's basically charity.

The influencers who talk big game but always fall short of 2:17 should probably rethink some things. For those of us who have real careers, run early in the morning, lift after 10+ hr workdays, sacrifice other aspects of life - all unfilmed and unbroadcasted to the world - 2:17 is a personal accomplishment and nothing more. Just proving it to ourselves and sharing the moments with close friends/family. Not trying to impress an audience or rake in hobbyjogger praise ("I can't even run 400m at your marathon pace!" type beat).

Well, aren't you so much better than everyone, you sanctimonious pr1ck.

Might as well chime in with my own opinion.

In college, when you show up to NCAAs, you know that everyone is showing up to the same race. If you finish 17th, you don’t have to worry about that other guy that didn’t race, or whether someone else was training through. You get to see exactly where you are.

Once you graduate, no race is ever like that again. Even the WMMs -- Kipchoge is in Berlin, Kiptum is in Chicago, someone else is in Valencia. You can aim for times, but relying on time sucks. It’s hard to get into the big fast races and you have to stake an entire 3 month training block on one day of good weather.

The Olympic trials is the one race where you get to feel the NCAA thrill again. Everyone (with a US passport) is there, and everyone is at their best. I think a lot of us just want to feel what it’s like to race again.

There's no better way to stop being a dick than by acknowledge that you'd been one. Now I'd like to ask you something about your thoughts while you were being a dick and starting this thread and it's because there are plenty of people here who post similar thoughts as you did at the start of the thread. The question is why you started the thread. Why did it bother you that guys who scraped under 2:18 eked and into the Trials? They aren't a problem in any way I can see. It's not like their presence interferes with the guys who have legitimate shots at making the team.

The suggestion that it's sad to have fun competing, pushing yourself, enjoying time outside with your friends, and trying to achieve a goal while staying healthy only because you won't reach the Olympics, which is yet another arbitrary achievement that people have decided means something, is ridiculous. True, almost everybody runs the Olympic Marathon Trials knowing they will not making the Olympic team. Is that the only reason why those people run? To make the Olympics? Or maybe because it's fun to be outside trying to push yourself alongside your friends?
I've been lucky to make USAs on the track twice recently but I tried and failed to get an OTQ this time around. Both times I made USAs, I was one of the slowest people in the field. I was fully aware I was not winning anything or qualifying for Worlds. So? I had fun. It was a unique opportunity to do something most people could never do. I've run with hundreds of different people over the years. In the days before, I got messages wishing me luck at USAs from people I hadn't heard from in years--people who were under no illusion that I'd qualify for Worlds. So? They were excited to watch a competition with people trying their hardest to do something unique and exciting--something I had set as a goal for myself. And they were excited that they had a shared experience with me. It was such a privilege to be in that position.
Every time I tried for an OTQ this cycle, I was running alongside friends, acquaintances, people I recognized but had never met, and people I had never seen before. Each time, the race atmosphere was maybe 90% camaraderie and 10% competition. It's just people trying to have fun and support each other having fun. That's the point of *gestures wildly* all this. Like all sports, this sport is not intrinsically important. It's important because of what it does for people--build community, teach purpose, build connections, improve health and happiness, and have fun while our bodies let us.
Those who think that making teams or winning is the only point of running are missing the biggest joy in the sport. There's nothing like being outside with your friends at a stupid time of day in terrible weather while you discuss your goals and crack jokes. So, have fun. Run 2:17:59 and get last at the Trials. Go laugh outside with your friends on a 22 mile long run or whatever. Do fun stuff and have unique experiences.
In short, there's nothing wrong with being the person who barely made the Trials. It's fun. You probably had fun getting there. Run your heart out at the Trials. Do fun stuff. Reach for your goals. Be nice to others. Go outside. Ignore the h8ers.

OP - Why do people become doctors if some will have no chance at being the best in the world? Why do anything in life if you don't have a chance to be the best?

Everyone has their own intrinsic motivation for doing things. Running hard to qualify for the US Olympic Marathon Trials hardly hurts anyone relative to all the bad things they could be doing. Are you upset you never had a chance to qualify?

Also, if you don't like influencers then don't watch them. You have free will to not seek out their content or click on their videos...yet you seem to have watched enough of them to ruffle your poop soaked feathers.

For perspective, in 2,000 years nobody is going to care who qualified for the 2024 Olympics let alone ran in the trials. Let people be happy pursuing a goal of theirs and I hope one day you can find enough passion to pursue a positive goal instead of spewing complaints out of your pie hole.

What is the point of anything, ever?

If you can't figure out how someone gets meaning out of challenging themselves to achieve a goal, whatever that goal, then you don't understand the first thing about life.

Hint: It has no inherent meaning; we have to create if for and amongst ourselves. This includes the concepts of "winning" and "losing" in a context where we all inevitably die and are returned to the oblivion from which we somehow emerged.

As someone who qualified for the OTM by 4 seconds, I can answer...It was a fun weekend! So interesting to be a part of it.

Lol. I can't tell if you're a boomer that doesn't understand that the world changes and you're mad at social media, or if you're a zoomer that hasn't had enough life experience to understand that Givetallugot did put in the work to get his $2K.

Either way, there's nothing wrong with what he did and is doing.

Again, I'll ask if everyone wearing their sponsor's gear is an influencer? Or are they all supposed to be out there in white cotton tees, white cotton socks, and shoes without logos?

He wants justification to rationalize giving up the sport or to rationalize not trying a bit harder, training a bit more.

If being a high 2teens runner is silly, then he can feel good about himself for giving up the sport.

Same reason peopple take their pr and argue they could have run x at other distances - its hard to face the cold, sobering numbers. Its hard to own up and say you just aren't that dedicated.

I've noticed that younger male runners in particular will do this shortly after giving up the sport: Belittle anyone else who's sticks with it in spite of having no chance of enjoying material benefits or attention from it.

Among the many things these people (guys) don't get is that even those enjoying more of the obvious trappings of success are still doing it for the same reason that anyone else does: because they enjoy the process. Even for the vast majority of so-called "pros" there are sacrifices involved in pursuing this sport seriously, net of any competitive success. For instance, if money is your thing, there are many easier ways to make it, and more of it, than from training and racing. "Professional" running is highly risky and the financial returns are relatively low. Almost no one is doing it for the money. As for the glamor, it's strictly subcultural.

Great comparison. I agree wholeheartedly. The first time I ran US marathon champs I was surprised by how few of the top marathoners in the US actually showed up - really excited to actually get to race every person who has run under 2:18 in the past two years, regardless of the result I get.

For Americans, yes, maybe all westerners. For East Africans, running is very financially lucrative compared to opportunities in East Africa. Especially if one doesn't have a strong formal education or didn't attend a good school and live in one of the big cities.

^given this thread is literally talking about the US olympic trials, kind of absolutely pointless for you to point of the financial impact for non-american runners. i think we're all aware that kenyans who are winning major marathons are by all means rich af considering the purses for winning elite races and the fact that cost of living and everything in general for an african is wildly drastic compared to US perspective..so ya no sh1t sherlock lol

That's just, like, your opinion man. What you think of me is immaterial. If you don't understand the influencer phenomenon at this point, nobody else can help you.

The women’s 2020 Olympic trials was a joke because more than 500 women qualified in super shoes. As I recall two very pregnant women ran the race, so it was a circus.

And you think this is a problem because...

For curiosity sake, how do you think runners in East Africa would look at it? “I ran 2:18 to qualify for an Olympic qualifying race!” Over here, it’s a huge accomplishment. Not taking anything away from that. But from an international standpoint, it kind of makes sense as to why we’re so behind in this event.