Something fun like a race where whoever is last every 400m is out until there is only one runner left.
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81
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Track already needs less, not more events.
There's seemingly dozens nobody watches or even know exist.
Steeplechase, hurdles, relay etc
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XC at Mt. Sac would be awesome.
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Trail running with it's three disciplines: uphill (~1000 m up in ~3–7 km), short trail (~45 km, ~3000 m), long trail (~80–100 km, ~6000 m).
Plus the obvious XC.
DMR is a good idea as well.61 -
Can we agree to finally rid our sport of the "Race walks" [Who Whispers the Loudest Contest]?! Disgrace of an event.
210 -
4x mile, vertical mile, and ultra (use the western states course in LA, but in future years the course just needs to be between 100k and 100 miles).
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Trail running is one of the fastest growing sports. It would show off nature of the host city much better than track or road running.
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McRunnin wrote:
Correct. DMR would have been better.
I see this a lot, but the DMR has no tradition outside of the US. It would be like adding an Ekiden. I wouldn't add anything to the athletics schedule, it's fine as it is. I would consider making the 10000m a 10k road race. It would be another free event for spectators, and organisers could get creative with the course, adopting a hilly route, etc. make it a different challenge
This post was edited 26 seconds after it was posted.71 -
zero wrote:
Track already needs less, not more events.
There's seemingly dozens nobody watches or even know exist.
Steeplechase, hurdles, relay etc
I sort of agree that we don't always need two of each event (two sprints, two hurdles, two mid-distance races, two long distance races). That is our sport's tradition, but at a lot of meets, it causes the fields to be watered down.
That is not a problem at the Olympics, so we don't need to cut events.
And the events you listed are literally:
a) the most exciting to watch (at the water pit) for non-insiders to the sport,
b) the most dominant Americans (Sydney ML and Grant Holloway),
and c) the most traditional event of any track meet (the 4x400 relay at the end).
Those are not going to be cut anytime soon...
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High hopes wrote:
McRunnin wrote:
Correct. DMR would have been better.
I see this a lot, but the DMR has no tradition outside of the US. It would be like adding an Ekiden. I wouldn't add anything to the athletics schedule, it's fine as it is. I would consider making the 10000m a 10k road race. It would be another free event for spectators, and organisers could get creative with the course, adopting a hilly route, etc. make it a different challenge
One of the perks of being the host nation for the Olympics is being able to introduce events that are more popular in your country. I think it would have been cool if the Tokyo Olympics had an Ekiden! And there is some history of DMR running outside the U.S. Back in 2015, the World Relays meet in Bahamas included a DMR, where Team USA beat Team Kenya and set a world record (check out the photo of Kyle Merber!).
I actually agree that the athletics lineup is fine as is for the Summer Olympics (I support Sebastien Coe's effort to add cross country to the Winter Olympics), but if officials have a desire to add new events and are in favor of relays, I think the DMR would have been a better choice than a mixed 4x100. Sprinters already have relays, giving them opportunities to win more medals (e.g., Gabby Thomas and Allyson Felix). If officials want to add another relay, they should give middle distance runners a chance. Plus, knowing how incredibly stacked our country is in the 1500, I'd love to give more of our guys a chance to make an Olympic team.
Another idea, if the IOC wants to see more mixed relays, is to offer a mixed 4x800. That would also be better and fairer than a mixed 4x100.
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My pics wrote:
4x800, DMR, 1500 SC
Love these. Don't need more mixed relays.
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Kickers usually win wrote:
Before we add the 24 hour run, we should do a test run to see how big of a TV draw, a few hours of watching paint dry would be.
I like the idea of a 24 hour run because, as someone already pointed out, it's about the drama, not the speed. Set it up as a backyard ultra style race in a park. You wouldn't watch all 24 hours, you would edit it down and focus on the suffering and strategies (food, hydration, recovery, pace). Plus, the pace is more approachable for weekend warrior runners, and that makes it more relatable.
Cross country and/or some sort of trail run would be my top choice, though. Teams, not individual.
For spectacle, I've always loved watching the high hurdle shuttle relay. It's quick to run and has high drama. US is deep, so we would be among the favorites for a medal.
This post was edited 20 seconds after it was posted.22 -
Foolish dip derp wrote:
Jen Durr wrote:
Gender equality?
"The LA Games have articulated a priority in gender equality. For the first time in Olympic history, the number of female athlete quota spots (5,655) will surpass male quota spots (5,543). The Games will also feature full parity in all team sports, with women’s soccer expanding to 16 teams – four more than the men’s tournament"
Yeah now do the other 30 games , dip
Why? Shouldn't equality be 50/50?
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Kickers usually win wrote:
Ruxton Towers XC wrote:
Let's not add anything that will make people think we are a joke, like "three-legged racing" or "the backwards mile." As it is, we are the ancient and noblest of the Olympic sports. Let's keep it legit.
And honestly, we don't need anymore track events. Fans are barely watching what we already have. I love the track but more events would just spread out the athletes and make the races worse. Don't add a 3km to the track for that (obvious) reason.
That said, I would 100% support an 5M cross country race with good features like water ditches and hay bales. People would gobble that up. But the course has to be totally runnable (not like a Tough Mudder race) yet hilly and wild enough to evoke awe from the fans.
The other race I would add would be a 24 hour run. Everyone wants to see how extreme we can make something. It would sell. They would start the run and then NBC could come back for updates all through the day (and night). The winner is simply whoever can go the farthest in 24 hours. Simple. Everyone gets that and it is badass. Do NOT hold this event on the track. Just run it it through the host country. If someone almost dies trying to win this, that is something that fans can understand.
Before we add the 24 hour run, we should do a test run to see how big of a TV draw, a few hours of watching paint dry would be.
I'd rather watch wnba.
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1k Steeplchase. Balls to the wall.
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Cross country. Both a short and long race so that’s 2. Half marathon on the roads. More medals for east Africa basically
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A chocolate milk mile. I'm serious.
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Jen Durr wrote:
Gender equality?
"The LA Games have articulated a priority in gender equality. For the first time in Olympic history, the number of female athlete quota spots (5,655) will surpass male quota spots (5,543). The Games will also feature full parity in all team sports, with women’s soccer expanding to 16 teams – four more than the men’s tournament"
OMG THE NEXT OLYMPICS WILL HAVE 2% MORE WOMEN THAN MEN THIS IS SO UNFAIR!!!
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1 hour race on the track!
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Bullet the Blue Sky wrote:
Kickers usually win wrote:
Before we add the 24 hour run, we should do a test run to see how big of a TV draw, a few hours of watching paint dry would be.
I like the idea of a 24 hour run because, as someone already pointed out, it's about the drama, not the speed. Set it up as a backyard ultra style race in a park. You wouldn't watch all 24 hours, you would edit it down and focus on the suffering and strategies (food, hydration, recovery, pace). Plus, the pace is more approachable for weekend warrior runners, and that makes it more relatable.
Cross country and/or some sort of trail run would be my top choice, though. Teams, not individual.
For spectacle, I've always loved watching the high hurdle shuttle relay. It's quick to run and has high drama. US is deep, so we would be among the favorites for a medal.
You guys love your ultras, but it’s far more niche than T&F. I don’t think one has ever been televised in the U.S. but you want it to skip all the to being an Olympic sport? Before that happens, it needs to prove it can draw an audience on network T.V. or a local station. The average distance, or sports fan, couldn’t care less about fueling, hydration, recovery or pace.
Why would you want XC to be team only? Other than a relay we used to run, I’ve never heard of team only XC.
I’ve seen a few shuttle relays and I wanted them to end quickly so I could watch the next distance race. I didn’t care who won or what the winning time was.
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