Crazy. A source with knowledge of the matter who wasn’t authorized to speak on the record told Times of San Diego that “San Diego isn’t the problem. (It’s) more the model doesn’t work, same for the for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. These governing bodies — USATF, WA —want the host cities to cover all the expenses to the tune of millions of dollars and don’t want to help.” Paul Greer, president of the USA Track and Field association in San Diego, said via email that despite the San Diego organizing committee having secured a $3 million title sponsor, “it appears this alone was not enough to keep these World Championships here in San Diego.”
Same issue back in 2006 (was it?) for the 2 day Carson CA World Cup at Home Depot.
L.A. County anti-corruption laws mandate only the athletes expenses are covered and a few ITOs
The thousands of IAAF Blue Badges, and big shots were asked to pay their own way.
Plus no Convention Center rental for the week before the competition for the IAAF to hold general meetings.
Yet they have a San Diego Marathon every year. So stop exaggerating.
They have LA marathon every year too, among others. Doesn't mean the roads are fit for purpose.
San diego is having infrastructure crisis, even though the mayor is doing best to get roads repaved, just not enough money to get the timing right so they degrade more
Emergency Podcast - Fly John to San Diego now for an in person interview with the head of the association who agree to this.
Also fly John to FSU to ensure the Cross Country championships will be held in 2026. My goodness this is a horrible look - we have some of the best USA runners in generations and we are failing so hard!!!
as a soccer fan, the copa america final was at hard rock in miami -- a big ol football stadium -- not the more bite size stadium where the galaxy play. as a soccer fan i am not necessarily pro us holding soccer events in the big stadiums because they end up being played on slow, weirdly playing roll-out sod atop the astroturf at the stadiums that don't come with grass.
however, the whole premise to that site selection is big crowds and large stadium setups, including ticketing and security.
i have been to a gold cup doubleheader indoors at a NFL stadium. it was a full house to see mexico. you would think an NFL stadium could handle ticketing and security for a messi game just the same as if new england or kansas city is playing the dolphins.
nah, that's different. that's someone cut a corner, tried to save a buck on security.
this running thing we're talking about the ability to carry off a world championship road race where there is no existing stadium that should know what they are doing, have a security company, have experience ticketing events, etc.
Crazy. A source with knowledge of the matter who wasn’t authorized to speak on the record told Times of San Diego that “San Diego isn’t the problem. (It’s) more the model doesn’t work, same for the for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. These governing bodies — USATF, WA —want the host cities to cover all the expenses to the tune of millions of dollars and don’t want to help.” Paul Greer, president of the USA Track and Field association in San Diego, said via email that despite the San Diego organizing committee having secured a $3 million title sponsor, “it appears this alone was not enough to keep these World Championships here in San Diego.”
Same issue back in 2006 (was it?) for the 2 day Carson CA World Cup at Home Depot.
L.A. County anti-corruption laws mandate only the athletes expenses are covered and a few ITOs
The thousands of IAAF Blue Badges, and big shots were asked to pay their own way.
Plus no Convention Center rental for the week before the competition for the IAAF to hold general meetings.
So the IAAF cancelled Carcon
It's that way for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at So Fi too. Kronke would not rent So Fi to FIFA or he would go to jail. Instead FIFA can bring the teams and play at So Fi with SEIU/SAG/AFTRA/Teamsters locals in charge. That's the law in L.A. area after the 1950s Game Shows rigged it so there was always a hugh winner every TV Show to boot viewership numbers and ad revenue. It's the reason why NCAA, USATF, WA, etc. always avoid L.A. for showcase events unless it's absoultely huge like the Supr Bowl, Olympics, etc. and still they cannnot bring their own staff to run the event. L.A. mandates local Unions get the gigs.
. . . despite the San Diego organizing committee having secured a $3 million title sponsor, “it appears this alone was not enough to keep these World Championships here in San Diego.”
That doesn't mean the $3 million was going to the LOC. I haven't looked up the WA bid requirements or the USATF riders put on the bid. But if you look at my post #77 if this was a USATF event and the sponsor was a USATF official sponsor then all the money goes to USATF, unless they graciously decide to give some of it to the LOC. If the sponsor was not an official USATF sponsor the USATF will still demand a percentage of the money.
I imagine WA is just as grasping as USATF so I highly doubt the $3 million was all going to the LOC.
There are three main things involved in hosting something like this:
The organizational issues - do you have sponsors, hotels, permits, paperwork, logistics and local support in the hosting community?
The volunteer and staffing issues - do you have the people on the ground who can run an event like this?
And of course, the money to pay for all of the above? A world-class event is not cheap.
So this makes me wonder which aspect was too much for USATF to handle? Where did it break down? Maybe talking to the local side of the event (not just USATF) will help get you to a more "real" and honest answer since WA and USATF will likely be keen on downplaying whatever happened...
You are correct.
But it's not like Tracy Sundlun - CEO of San Diego 25 - isn't aware of that. He's extremely experienced and was the founder of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series and the creator of the National Scholastic Indoor Track & Field Championships
To be honest, I'm not sure USATF has much of anything to do with this. I'd actually love it if their management failures did have something to do with this. I mean if they were competently run, they could help prop up events like this but I imagine this has little to do with them. One thing is clear - whoever is to blame - this is a big embarrassment of the USA. Copenhagen 2026 is alredy Rock n Rolling - pardon the pun.
Toni Reavis is out in San Diego and knows Sundlun so hopefully he can get to the bottom of this or Ken Stone. I'll have Jonathan Gault make a few calls as well.
It's the comped travel for the athletes (and maybe coaches too?) that's the issue. If you're selling the local visitors agency or Visit California on the number of hotel rooms and how TOT tax, and sales tax, will increase then giving free lodging and free meals and free airline tickets to roughly 2,000 athletes just doesn't make sense or costs more than the increased taxes. So localities and states don't pony up. This is made all the more ridiculous by the fact the shoe companies will pay for travel of influencers to go to the events. A better model would be to allow each of the shoe companies to create their own kit with the country of the runner on the best and require them to comp the travel of the athletes.
Yes! You and many other MAGA acolytes suffer from Transsexual Derangement Syndrome and constantly post about it. The mods just removed such a post moments ago.
This thread is about the now cancelled San Diego World Road Championships. Please refrain from discussing your pet social wedge issues on this running thread.
The sponsor wasn't a USATF sponsor. It was $3 million for this event according to the article.
That to me seems to be the heavy lift.
Outside of Nike has USATF ever had a $3 milion sponsor for a single event? That number is astronomically high if true. I figured you might get a few hundred k for a sponsor for something like this.
I still think a shout out to the running community could get 10,000s of signups for this in no time. The Turkey Trot race you've never heard of in my tiny town in CT got 1,500 every year but like 50% of the people sign up right before race.
This is San Diego in September. I was going to see if we should have a LetsRun race there. Really bummed on this. They should have marketed it more in advance.
Is there any crowdsurfing site out there that lets you fund something conditionally?
ie you put in your credit card agree to pay $75 or whatever it costs for the race and agree to let them charge you in a week if they have 10,000 signups?
LIke a conditional gofundme but with a product tied to it?
$3m is a big number but from what I have heard that the number to get an event off is even higher. When World XC was in Australia it was funded by the government and the number is rumoured to be $10m+
Monaco-based World Athletics announced early Wednesday that its September World Road Running Championships will be moved from San Diego to a locale still to be decided.
Latvia, a country in the former Soviet Union and one of the poorest in the EU successfully hosted the event in 2023 but somehow we can’t make it work here? How embarrassing.
