Just confirming based on the below that Fisher would be running both a 3k and 5k at a meet? My apologies if I missed something from the initial information the track series.
"Racers and Challengers will be assigned to compete in one of the following categories, and will all race in two events during each Slam: short sprints (100m/200m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400H/400m), short distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m). All competitors’ final placement score will be determined by their combined finishing order between the two races."
Good for these guys. The drug testing should be pretty benign if there is even any at all. A good chance to load up and run some ridiculous times with no consequences. Maybe Hiltz can be the first person in the female category to break 4 in the mile.
GST markets that beating the clock is irrelevant. It’s about racing who’s on the track.
Apologize if this has been covered but will they fill out lanes and fields with other athletes not signed to GST? it’s great watching the best of the best but a 3 man field in the 5000 seems kind of lame.
Yes. They promote an 8 person field: 4 who sign for all 4 slams and 4 more “challengers” who race in 1,2,3, or 4 slams.
They're still looking for a place where fans will come out to watch track and field 3 days in a row. Might want to try 1 day first.
This is the second time I’ve read that it’s a 3 day meet. I usually see 2 day meet. does anyone have a source on 2 vs 3 days?
Yeah this confusion has apparently been here since this was even announced. I too initially thought it was a 3 day meet, then I read/was told they were 2 day meets, but I've also seen more "3 day" meet murmurs.
To be perfectly honest, MJ better hope he's settled on a 2 day meet or GST might not get past it's first season. Think about the realities of a 3 day meet where you have a total of only 24 races and 20 of them are less than 4min long (I'm assuming the womens 1500m will be about 4min) - 16 of them will be less than 1min long. I honestly don't know how you provide adequate value for money for your fans with this format anyway.
A 3 day meet would be 8 total events a day (remember 2/3 of them are less than a minute of "action") - a 2 day meet would obviously be 12 which even to me seems really light for what you are asking of your spectator base. Things have just never added up for me - think about the costs/infrastructure to put on an event in a place like LA to begin with and do that twice or three times. Then you are asking your fan base (presumably) to hopefully travel across a nightmare transit city like LA (or NYC) multiple times (because I am not sure you have a fan base big enough to support vastly different spectator groups) - and they are turning up to see what, a 90min program with 25min of actual on track action? Okay so we need to fill time with in-stadia entertainment - this just adds another layer of cost and organization, man I want no part of organizing that.
Having worked in corporate America for quite a while now my BS radar is pretty good - this is on the GST website with respect to venues
"Why haven’t you announced the other cities or venues? Let’s be honest? – we need things to talk about later this summer and in the fall. Let’s be really honest? – We honestly want to celebrate each venue and each city in a unique way to get the community there involved and behind what we’re doing. Sport is a community thing. We are taking Grand Slam Track to the people. Hyper local is hyper important to us."
Huh? Did Kyle Merbers social media marketing intern write this? Just reeks of being way over your skis. Use the word "honest" 3 times in 20min? Then nothing you are actually saying is honest.
I just don't get any of this concept, I really don't.
This is the second time I’ve read that it’s a 3 day meet. I usually see 2 day meet. does anyone have a source on 2 vs 3 days?
Never mind. I found it. “all racers will compete twice over the three-day event…”
Then they are absolutely screwed.
8 events per day - the absolute maximum amount of action they could put on would be 40min which is the mens and womens 5kms, the mens and womens 1500's, a M/W 4 hurdles and a M/W 400m which is approx 40min of running. And that would mean your other 2 days are laughably light. There is simply no way.
Nice to see a Kenyan finally added. Their “racer” strategy is pretty clear now. 16 of 18 announced racers just won medals at Paris Olympics. (Ducos 4th, hiltz 7th didn’t). I’m guessing theyll move to worlds medalists or Tokyo, once Paris well runs dry.
It is just ridiculous that there is still not dates or sites known for these meets yet
They're still looking for a place where fans will come out to watch track and field 3 days in a row. Might want to try 1 day first.
I could be wrong but I think they have the locations lined up (at least more than just LA) and that athletes know them. There was a Coffee Club podcast episode in which they discuss Ingebritsen not signing on, and Hoare seems to list locations at one point, but they bleep out everything except LA.
I agree with some of your concerns but I don’t think the length of the event is one of the biggest issues they have. In fact, the shorter the better when it comes to watching people run in circles for the average viewer. The biggest issues are venue and streaming concerns that haven’t been addressed.
Overall I think GST is a good format, seeing the best mix it up with eachother 4x a year and each event group doing two events both increase the excitement.
You're a loser. Other people's choices that have no bearing on you whatsoever and you have a problem with it?
We need less of you in this world.
Such a classic: "Nikki Hiltz's choices have no bearing on you whatsoever" and also "you mustcall Nikki a 'they' or you're a hateful bigot." Which one is it? Can I call her what I want, or do her choices affect what I need to do?
I agree with some of your concerns but I don’t think the length of the event is one of the biggest issues they have. In fact, the shorter the better when it comes to watching people run in circles for the average viewer. The biggest issues are venue and streaming concerns that haven’t been addressed.
Overall I think GST is a good format, seeing the best mix it up with eachother 4x a year and each event group doing two events both increase the excitement.
I get that - obviously a 3 day, 4 hour per day situation doesn't work - it's all about finding that sweet spot of spectator engagement.
When you say "viewer" do you mean TV viewer or in person viewer? Sure a TV viewer will probably be fine with a condensed package but what about the person that maybe sat in a car for an hour + to get to a stadium, or rode on a smelly subway and then paid money to get in - then they watch a grand total of 30min of action then they are out of there and expected to come back another 1 or 2 times in the following days? On top of that because you have no field events what is engaging you between races? If anything I believe (just my opinion, could be wrong) that it's more likely to be your serious track viewer that would be okay with the condensed format because they at least appreciate the value of the actual product (like an unpaced race between Josh Kerr and Cole Hocker) - the average viewer/spectator needs to perceive value of the experience in its entirety because they don't know who these guys are. An extremely short program no matter how compelling the action for true track fans, is not going to be perceived valuable enough for the average viewer to buy into in person which is going to affect sponsorship, TV money and then your couch viewers too.
You're a loser. Other people's choices that have no bearing on you whatsoever and you have a problem with it?
We need less of you in this world.
Such a classic: "Nikki Hiltz's choices have no bearing on you whatsoever" and also "you mustcall Nikki a 'they' or you're a hateful bigot." Which one is it? Can I call her what I want, or do her choices affect what I need to do?
Sorry it's so hard for you to get someone's pronouns right. Do you call your mom a he?
How about, LA (as we know), NYC, Kingston and Birmingham?
I could picture Birmingham instead of London. Kingston would be proper, but there’s not one Caribbean racer signed, let alone Jamaican. if Kingston was slated to hold a GST meet, I think some athletes from there would be included by now.
all those 'single' announcement don't move the needle. Just promote the match-ups (they probably will). But for now it is just one big name.
Also where can we go and watch those athletes and when... if I want to plan a trip to a GSC meet that's the least information I need right now? Come on MJ and Kyle... switch to a higher gear asap!
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