Tony Reavis' Race Directors address

Um guys, its pretty obvious that Tywon Johnson didn't even read the Tony Reavis speach. He just read a couple posts and is spouting off his mouth on whatever is on the top of his head.

Marathon specific: Incentivize the race directors, using 10-20% of charity moneys raised. Select the races for the series, the money goes into a pool, the end of the year the event that demonstrates the most American depth (Trials qualifiers?) gets the prize pool for American prize money the next year.

All you cry babies who are kind of fast just need to suck it up, start grinding out a lot of miles on the concrete, and get a lot faster so you can compete with the Africans.

I'll leave of the whining on Let's Run to you guys. You leave the fast running to me.

And...who cares if there are 20,000 people in a race or 40,000 people in a race? Let the slower runners run slow. It doesn't affect the faster runners any.

I read nothing in Toni's speech that suggests how we can get more Americans to run faster. Nothing. Not one thing. Circuits? C'mon. That'll generate interest but won't make anybody necessarily faster.

I repeat- you want more attention America? More of you need to run faster. We don't need more air time, print space, names rolling off the lips of fans...we need who we've got, in some instances- runners still in school, to turn up in larger numbers and run faster. Hard to ignore Americans that can regularly kick foreign butt. It ain't happening now and nothing Toni said directly addresses how to accomplish this.

Weight vests.

What Toni is saying (IMO) is let's convert this activity into a sport and create some heroes that young kids can grow up to emulate. Without the visibility that well marketed events/athletes/prize money provide, there are no heroes being created from ANY country.

With "controlled" fields, the names/faces will become more recognizable, just like the Golf or Nascar example.

While I am sure they already had this in the works, I wonder if Toni's speech had any influence in the Lilac Bloomsday adding $20k in American prize money?

http://www.usdistancerunner.com/2008/11/lilac-bloomsday-adds-20k-in-american.html

A lot of big-time race directors listened to Toni. I guess we'll see if what he said resonates with race directors over the coming months. Hopefully it does!

We need structure that better encourages running "faster," in the face of what our society has become.

In the interest of makin' things better, what's your idea of 'structure'? Mine is to assess the needs/plans & desires of top senior college runners and put a plan together to keep them runnin'. The seniors are our future. Every little thing helps like American-only prize money at Bloomsday but we need to address the more basic concerns of our future greats (housing, coaching, job, etc) before we'll see substantial change. We need more Hansons-type environments.

I agree, more Hansons-style programs would be good, but the "top senior college runners" are far from wanting. Take care of more of the all-Americans, including those for whom running as a career is not a priority yet running on the side at a high level could be, and even all-conference types and it will push the sport upwards. You don't grow from the top down, you grow from the grassroots up. Coordinate the framework and network clubs that can provide training groups in any city (small, medium, or large) across the US, provide travel assistance (maybe have airline and hotel chain sponsors), provide gear free or at a discount, offer free or discounted massage, grocery store discounts, etc. Our society is based on working for a living, the more we can encourage those in that track to also compete in the sport at a relatively high level the greater competitive base will return to the sport. I believe that from that will grow more fully-sponsored opportunities like what the Hansons have. It would be good to attack it from either end, but I think the most bang for the buck will come via the grassroots. How many of those <2:20 US runners in the '80s were in fully-sponsored training groups and didn't need a full-time job?

Any way of getting Tim Donnelly to say what he thinks on this issue? He's one running community leader that we might all want to hear.

Anychance to get him to post here?

Scotty B. wrote:

While I am sure they already had this in the works, I wonder if Toni's speech had any influence in the Lilac Bloomsday adding $20k in American prize money?

Bloomsday race director Don Kardong was in the room when Toni delivered his speech.

David Monti, Race Results Weekly

Every popular sport in America on TV (minus golf) is a team sport and running can be this! You can organize it in one of two ways:

1. Offer small individual prize purses for the top 10 or so (50%) and offer the other half of the purse to be split among the top team (5 finishers based on place). Teams are divided by their shoe sponsors. If Hansons is so blue-collar, send them out running for Brooks and clean up every USATF championship or major regional race. A company like Asics with just a few major athletes will pony up money to fill out its roster so it isn't getting buried by Nike's Kenyan horde at every race. Great runners will be forced to race to represent their shoe companies on American soil in races that are promoted/seen. You can then keep total standings for a grand prix series by team with a team purse at the end. People will begin to recognize and root for teams and teams are much easier to promote!

**Teams could draft runners out of college, pay them/provide them with just enough to survive early on, and up their pay based on performance on the circuit. What 30min 10k guy wouldn't die for the chance to train and race for 2 years with food/housing/med insurance/travel paid for? That is just a drop in the bucket for these companies and you could pressure them into providing it by embarassing them with standings/results after every race on the circuit without getting their approval. Force them to field a squad!

****Finally, in Olympic years/world championship times, adjust the circuit just like soccer leagues do for the World Cup and for qualifiers.

2. Same but organize it with training groups/clubs (Team MN, Zap, etc.)

Finally, as a personal pet peeve, give your stars a uniform that stands out! How the hell are we supposed to identify our stars when they dress exactly the same as every other runner sponsored by the same company. I should be able to buy a Ryan Hall or Alan Webb singlet. For his entire career with Nike, Webb should race in the same unique singlet so anyone can pick him out. Put his name on the back even, damnit. Think about when Abdi or Meb runs a major marathon or big race; seriously, fans of the sport have a hard time picking them out, what about the average joe trying to pay attention? This is about branding!!!!

I forgot to mention two things:

1. That 5th runner for the team now has a reason to train to go from 30:15 to 29:45, his team is relying on him and money is on the line. If he stinks, he is dropped/traded and another is picked up as a free agent. This way 18th place can get money.

2. Score track and field the same way. Every track meet held on US soil should have a team score based on shoe company. Bring the relays back and score only one team. Imagine Wariner vs. Merritt anchoring a 4x4 with money and pride on the line every three weeks?? Imagine that All-American hammer thrower who instead of giving up the sport and being a HS science teacher is now getting offered 5k in cash and travel/gear expenses so Saucony can score 10 points at the Home Depot Classic and move up out of the cellar? We don't need more money for the best, we need to develop the minor leagues and get people continuing in the sport. Track is deep enough to permit this. In addition, it will certainly improve our hand offs at the Olympics. Competition is what gets people in the stands and fans watching TV, not time trials (which is what our sport is 3 out of 4 years). Triple jump is interesting now because points are on the line...

Bumping this cause Tony is the man! USATF is meeting this weekend, and I hope they are having some serious discussions on how to better promote, finance the sport, and support American talent development (Regional USATF circuits like PAUSATF, American-only prize money at MORE USATF sanctioned events, not just the USATF Champs). The money needs to be going back to the sport, NOT away to charities and in the pockets of no-name Africans who do nothing for the sport.

http://www.letsrun.com/2008/reavis1109.php

It's Toni. Not Tony.