The USATF is a f***ing joke when it comes to creating these training groups and funding them. No offense, but why in the world is the USATF putting more dollars into athletes who are already on the top of thier game, and less into the guys who are trying to get there. It seems to me that its a conflict of how we are developing our runners.
Meb, Abdi, Hall, Ritz, Torres, Goucher...etc... all have fairly lucrative shoe deals that pay them a yearly salary that i'm sure allows them to live fairly easily without having a job. Their contracts have incentives based into them, they get appearance fees (for meb, I'm sure its up into 6 digits), and they all have coaches.
My point is, USATF talks all the game about how they are trying to develop our distance runners, but they don't put enough money into the true "developement" programs. Instead, they pump more money to the people who don't need it, and less to the people that do. Thats what I think the Hansons are talking about equity and equality with the money. The guys out there comming out of college need support in order to make it to the top, and in order to keep training to go past thier current abilities. Who do you think needs more developement money to support himslef to get better a Ryan Klimenhagen - who has no sponsor, runs for team usa min, and works at a shoe store, or a Meb, who probably made a million bucks in endorsements, appearance fees, and racing last year...
The true problem with american distance running is that our core group of post collegiates aren't given the funding and opportunities to progress. They are forced to work jobs to fund themselves and pay for insurance, they need to pay rent, they need coaches, they need racing opportunities, and they have to do it all themselves. Its too hard to train at that high of a level and earn enough to live and support yourself. So most of our potential "developement" post collegiates, never get a chance to chase the dream. The few that do make it on their own accord, get all the funding they want from the USATF after they are already on top... sounds reversed to me...