Detroit Freepress half marathon screws over OTQ

So is she in or not?

Cheap advise wrote:

So is she in or not?

Not in:

Stupid USATF does nothing for athletes, and they suck.

Stupid USATF wrote:

Stupid USATF does nothing for athletes, and they suck.

+1

bump?

Still no sign of Rachel McFarland on the entries list

As an aside, Lauren Fog (below) is listed as "accepted" rather than "qualified". She's the only one listed as such. What's the difference?

Colorado Racing Club qualified declared

Lauren Fog Boulder Track Club accepted declared

Alexandra Blake qualified scratched

Heather Cappello Boston Athletic Association qualified scratched

Sarah Crouch ZAP Fitness Reebok qualified scratched

Larisa Dannis qualified scratched

Katie Edwards qualified scratched

Lauren Kleppin HOKA ONE ONE NAZ Elite qualified scratched

Marcella Klimek qualified scratched

Aubrey Moskal Oiselle qualified scratched

Nuta Olaru qualified scratched

Jodie Robertson Runner's Edge - LITC qualified scratched

Carly Seymour qualified scratched

Lauren Woodring qualified scratched

Mary Akor qualified

Megan Hogan New York Athletic Club (NYAC)

The issue of USATF sanctioning is interesting. I thought I found a loophole, in that international races aren't likely to be sanctioned by USATF, but the qualifying standards state they must be sanctioned by USAT OR a member federation of IAAF.

Lots of international qualifiers, but as expressed before, the sanctioning fees seem rather excessive- particularly for my home state of Michigan. Interestingly, I would argue that Michigan USATF is rather weak- at least compared to strong east coast chapters that I am aware of, where club competition is actually strong for USATF regional championships.

Perhaps the fees here are high to try to make up for the weak chapter, but unintentionally don't promote greater participation.

Cheap advise wrote:

Still no sign of Rachel McFarland on the entries list

As an aside, Lauren Fog (below) is listed as "accepted" rather than "qualified". She's the only one listed as such. What's the difference?

She has to run a qualifier in order to go to the olympics, even if she's top 3. Kind of moot because the US has over 3 A standard qualifiers. If we had only 2, and all the rest were b qualifiers and Fog ran over the Olympic qualifying time to place 3rd, she wouldn't be going to the olympics.

How exactly is this the USATF's fault? You know I hear time and time again about how track athletes say they want to be treated like professionals. Well, act like it.

A professional knows which races count and which races don't. this isn't some hobby jogger who didn't get a BQ because of an uncertified course.

It's easy to bash the USATF, but Rachel deserves the lion share of the blame. it sounds like it as pretty well known the race wasn't sanctioned.

I won the marathon a few years ago and I didn't know it wasn't a certified course. Now I ran 2:20 so it didn't matter much, but I didn't find out until hearing about Rachel that it wasn't sanctioned. Living in the Metro Detroit area, it is the biggest race of the year. I don't think it's too "crazy" to not check that a race with thousands of people, with a course record set by a Boston Marathon champion, and a long history of very, very good runners having won it (at least 10+ years ago) is sanctioned.. You would just assume it is, because it's a big event with a good reputation. I don't have a professional coach, and I run with several other sub elites (2:18-2:22 range) who never knew there was a difference between certification/sanction.

-Zach

Many of the fringe elite runners who barely qualify are not professional runners. I'm guessing more than a few just run, with no OT aspirations, and just happen to catch lightning in a bottle. In that case they ought to get rewarded and encouraged to run the OT, for the better of the sport, rather than excluded on a technicality

Rachel deserves some blame (maybe). The marathon organizers, surely. USATF is not altogether blameless either

I think it is interesting that a runner could select a non-USATF sanctioned, but certified race, and set a national (or world!) record, and still not be considered eligible for the Trials. Unlikely, perhaps, but interesting nonetheless.

Has this since been corrected? Four years later curious. Talked with several of the top finishers from the International Half Marathon this morning and each commented the course was anywhere from three to fourth tenths long and that includes loss of GPS signal within the one mile tunnel. Syracuse xc track alum won it in 106 low and was looking to run 104; has low 29 and low 14 track credentials. Seemed like there were way too many detours and course extensions due to construction.

still says "We are not a USATF sanctioned event; meaning that it is not possible to set an American record on our course, nor is it possible to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials."

Also, I ran the 2019 race with a manually calibrated footpod and got 13.3 miles for the half marathon, exactly what you'd expect (can't run every tangent perfectly). So, I don't think it's long.

Don't depend on GPS measurements for a race that includes a tunnel and stretches in a downtown area with high rise buildings.

But, I will say that the 9 mile marker seemed to be misplaced (long).

Oh You Know wrote:

[quote]here's the info wrote:

Here's what sanctioned means: the race pays usatf a certain amount of money. It's essentially there to make sure that USATF gets richer.

we have a winner!! Sanctioning has nothing to do with certification. To be sanctioned, the course has to be certified. Sanctioning is simply a fee paid to USATF so a record on the course will count. But sanctioning does nothing to ensure the runners run a course that is accurate.

Someone will surely set the record straight if i am wrong about this.

OTQ wrote:

I thought the race advertised it as eligible for earning an OTQ?

THEY DID

Getting in shape again in my 50's and hoping to break 3 hours. Not going there next October, that's 100% sure. If I get under 3, it might not count as things change every frickin year there. Bay Shore, Grandma's, Chicago, here I come.

Agreed. I ran back when Meyer ran the faster first time in 2:13:07??ish in 1980, then Salazar took it down to 2:09:41 a month later in New York. No issues back then, Greg's time counted. Now it's all about money.

Meyer didn't win jack squat that year compared to years later, then they lowered those prize amounts again. Sorry, they are making money, not losing it and to not give a little more in various ways, not just prizes, is stingy and is why I don't run it anymore either.