bikerman wrote:
losing interest wrote:Perhaps they should provide lap for lap premiums for each and every runner who hits the required cumulative lap time. The premiums then increase throughout the race. This might motivate guys to go out fast and stay fast throughout the race.
^ this is the correct answer. it's a strategy employed effectively in american criterium bicycle races. these are races held on a short circuit of maybe ~0.5 miles. to keep racers from slowing and racing tactically, the organizer will occasionally, at random, ring a bell and announce a "prime" (pronounced "preem"). whoever crosses the start/finish first after the bell wins a prize. sometimes a few riders go off the front, chasing the prize. sometimes they get a big enough gap that they keep digging, trying to stay off the front. it's a good strategy to clean up on more primes. sometimes a rider can win more in primes than he could by winning the race outright.
why not run 5000m/10000m this way? maybe have four or five $15k primes?
If prime wins led to Diamond League points (or fractions of them) then this might also be a viable strategy.