Men's Marathon Trials to Be Held on Sunday on Traditional NYC Course

Ahhhh, I can see the start now. All the US elites lined up for the start with beaming officials from NYRR looking on. In the front row, Meb, Culpepper, Sell, Verran and....... Toby Tanser.

Frank Sinatra wrote:

Ahhhh, I can see the start now. All the US elites lined up for the start with beaming officials from NYRR looking on. In the front row, Meb, Culpepper, Sell, Verran and....... Toby Tanser.

Please pay attention. New York is getting the men's trials, not the women's, so Tanser isn't eligible.

on a lighter note:

has anyone considered the college runners graduating late spring? how would they be eligible to run the OTs because they would never have a chance to qualify? i think there is a lot of talent that comes out of colleges every year and to make the trials this early would cut out extremely qualified talent...possibly even top 5 talent.

what about the college kids wrote:

has anyone considered the college runners graduating late spring? how would they be eligible to run the OTs because they would never have a chance to qualify? i think there is a lot of talent that comes out of colleges every year and to make the trials this early would cut out extremely qualified talent...possibly even top 5 talent.

College kids can use the new 10K and 5K standards to qualify for the trials, or did you, in your quest to complain, forget about that? If they can't make the times in the shorter distances, they shouldn't be afforded the opportunity to tow the line. You people act as if participating in the trials is some sort of right. It isn't. It is a privilege. You all knew with a relatively certain degree of certitude that the trials were going to be held in NYC over a year ago. Don't now feign surprise that the qualifying window is narrower than you would like. I have a solution to your quandry: go run Chicago, Philly, Twin Cities, Boston, London, Houston, Austin, New York, etc. etc. and get a qualifying time. In sum: quit bitching.

Prof. Rob M.

Do you really believe that an Olympic Trials race held in NYC will not receive greater attention from the national media--for example, the NY Times, which is now essentially a national newspaper--than if the race were held in Akron?

More NY blowhard BS wrote:

Runningart2004 wrote:

Prediction: The networks will give the same coverage they usually do. 10 minutes on the elite race of NY, added OT coverage totalling another 10 minutes and the majority of the condensed coverage will be amount to a NY tourism promo and clips of costume wearing jackasses in the open race.

If you think interest is going to rise nationally because it's being held in NY, you need to go soak your head.

[quote]Montesquieu wrote:

Do you really believe that an Olympic Trials race held in NYC will not receive greater attention from the national media--for example, the NY Times, which is now essentially a national newspaper--than if the race were held in Akron?[quote]

Yes, but only slightly.

So what will be the last dates/marathons at which one could get in a qualifying time?

This will allow people to shift their focus from bitching to setting a schedule and get done what they need to get done.

I love all the people who can only offer "quit bitching" as a response to anyone who dares say that NY is a bad choice. Let's look at it this way. The Trials should be about the athletes and about sending the best team possible to the Olympics, right? So what are the advantages vs. the disadvantages to the athletes and the team? Thus far, it appears the disadvantages outweigh the advantages by a lot. Numerous disadvantages/problems have been listed in this thread, and I can think of a few more. What are the advantages? Is the money for the athletes going to be better? Maybe we could find that out if we could ever see all the bids. Media coverage is nice, but I don't think it will help us send a better team to China. Also, like others, I can see the Trials having to compete with the regular race coverage in NY, so that may not even be that much better than elsewhere. Anyway, let's hear some reasons why this is the best decision for the athletes and the team. I say USATF has their priorities mixed up.

I guess I look at more media coverage as being able to see a lot of the race on TV. We get plenty of sites with articles, interviews, pictures, etc. I don't see how it being in NYC will be any better TV wise then if it was held in Alabama, Akron, or where ever.

since USATF part of USOC and I am assuming registered as a non-profit organization for tax purposes, can't things such as the details of the bids to be made available to the public if someone asked for them? can USATF withold this information? if not, once the sites are announced, why doesn't someone with issues about the selection process go through the necessary channels to obtain these documents and let the world know what and how things broke down rather than the continued speculation.

RTC wrote:

Maybe we could find that out if we could ever see all the bids.

What good is local TV coverage in NYC going to do someone out in Washington state? How is that generating anything outside of the metro NYC area?

that all depends...on what else is happening in NY at that time (nfl, nba, off season moves by Steinbrenner, rangers, islanders, etc..etc..etc).

Its a never ending argument but in a smaller venue the trials are typically the only game in town, thus they literally 'take over' the area. Columbus did a fantastic job when they held the trials. If you look at where major track events have proven most popular over the years smaller venues can be very successful.

As a previous poster mentioned, the media coverage is likely to be the same as it usually is, a brief mention on the national news along with condensed TV coverage.Lance Armstrong will probably get more media attention than the olympic qualifiers.

Anyone thinking the trials being held in NY is going to be some kind of breakthrough to the mainstream for the sport is delusional. The only sure thing is that the ego's of the NYRR are getting the attention they so desperately seek.

I agree. I should have stated national coverage. Local NYC coverage does me no good here in the midwest.

I'm still not sure what the disadvantages are, other than some men having less time to qualify. As to this disadvantage, isn't there still at least a whole year to qualify (as Prof. Rob M. has noted)--which would include all of this year's fall marathons and all of next year's spring marathons? This doesn't seem to be an unreasonably narrow window of opportunity. And as for some advantages of NY--first there's the sheer majesty of the course and the great images of several runners fighting it out. When I was a very young boy I watched Lindgren beat the Russians at 10K in the LA Coliseum. The image of that scene--it wasn't just Lindgren winning, it was that he was winning in that setting--inspired me to a lifetime of running. Secondly, NYC is the media capital of the world. It is hard for me to believe that that won't translate into increased exposure (as compared to, say, Akron). The principal purpose of the Trials is to field the best team, and I don't see that anyone has given a single reason to think that NY detracts from that. An ancillary purpose is to further long distance running, and having the even in NY has a better chance of succeeding in this regard than most other places. Mary Wittenberg and the NYRRC seem just what our sport needs--and having the Trials in NY suports that group, and they have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to support running, and having the race in their neck of the woods is a nice reward for that. How much, one might ask, did Birmingham contribute both before and after the last Trials?

LouSiffer wrote:

that all depends...on what else is happening in NY at that time (nfl, nba, off season moves by Steinbrenner, rangers, islanders, etc..etc..etc).

The NYC Marathon gets a lot of attention in the NYC area on and around the day of the race. In the print media it is likely to get more attention because of the trials race although I'm not real sure how much more. Probably not a ton but more nonetheless.

If you want attention in the marathon in the US win Boston or NY which is interesting since those two races are routinely the two villified on this board more than others.

As to whining about the rest of the issues....on Thursday there will be an announcement as to what the athletes have to do to qualify. The best advice is to simply go out and make it happen if you can.

No matter where or when the race was, for those unable to make it happen, there would be crying, whining, and finger pointing as to why they couldn't make it happen even though the fault lies with the person in the mirror.

? wrote:

I agree. I should have stated national coverage. Local NYC coverage does me no good here in the midwest.

If the race was anywhere else it would be no different.

There is usually same day national coverage of the NYC Marathon.

Montesquieu wrote:

I'm still not sure what the disadvantages are, other than some men having less time to qualify.

A couple already listed are the fact that it's a longer than usual time before the actual Games so it might not be as good of an indicator of form as a Spring date. That's probably why the Trials have almost always been held in the Spring. Another is the location along with the time of year. As someone said, November in New York should be a great simulation of the conditions in Beijing (odds are spring in Boston or Akron would probably be at least a little closer). There was also bringing the athletes into what is basically a circus environment surrounding the people's race. The last thing guys need are extra distractions and/or travel problems, etc. I also think the lack of extra time to qualify can hurt more than just the borderline guy. Lets say someone with a legit shot is currently injured and can't get ready for a fall marathon or they get injured in the buildup. They have to turn their attention to the spring, where if they have some bad luck or a bad day, their chances are done. It may also mean that some guys run a conservative race just to get a qualifier rather than pushing for new territory so they are more prepared to race at the Trials. Anyway, what's done is done, and those who want to compete are just gonna have to suck it up, do what they have to do to qualify, and hope for the best. I just think USATF is following something other than the athlete's best interests, and that's a shame.