The OT Marathon will start at NOON February 3rd in Orlando

Do you honestly think anyone is watching it, anyway...? Do what makes sense for the athletes. 12pm start time in Florida is just absurd.

For those saying the goal of the trials is to select the best team possible - don’t forget the US doesn’t currently have anyone qualified. This effectively eliminates any chance of someone running under the qualifying time in Orlando.

Right now the goal isn’t just to qualify the BEST people but to qualify SOME people

I did a temperature history check for Orlando. Last year, February had 20 days with a high of 80 or greater and 13 days with a high of 84 or greater. Of course, the humidity is always high in Florida so it sounds dangerous to me.

Runners should organize and boycott the race unless a 7am start is set.

Providing that opportunity allows these guys to break through and maybe get in a fast marathon in the spring where they run the sub 210 that makes them an elite athlete. Which is going to get people more excited about our olympians - a race with 20 men and women within 3 mins or a race where 35 men and women drop out to save it for a spring marathon - because their paychecks depend on TIME. Which generates excitement - the fast guy from your town was 7 mins from qualifying or he dropped out at mile 11. This grueling heat fest is only entertaining to people who were already fans.

I didn't realize the point of the Olympic trials was to enable people that don't make the team to run a fast marathon later in the spring...

Evidently, it is a vacation and a form of validation for serious hobby joggers. I have to chuckle at the notion of a 2:17 guy "breaking through" to run 2:09 and becoming "elite". True elite is now sub 2:05. Noah Droddy ran 2:09 and couldn't find a sponsor for crying out loud! That's the sport today.

Conditions in winter vary significantly depending on whether a cool front has come through and winds are out of the north or whether the winds are out of the south. If the former, conditions for an afternoon race would be difficult but manageable. If the latter, it would be very warm and humid and conditions would be extremely difficult and reminiscent of the LA trials if not worse. But in either event, the difference between afternoon temps and morning temps is huge especially if you are dealing with high humidity.

The worst part is that you may have someone like a Molly Seidel have a breakthrough race but not have the Olympic standard. If the race was in Houston and the start time was 7:30 am with cool weather, it would be a race where everyone would have a shot at running very fast and multiple athletes would hit the standard and the top three would have no issue with the standard.

Jared Ward was 6th in the 2016 Olympics and Molly Seidel medaled in 2021. I'm sure both of them would be no-names by your standards.

I don't get why people are acting like the Olympics are London or Berlin. 2:10 has medaled at every Olympics in history except 2012 and 1984. The bronze medal times at the last 6 Olympics have been 2:10:00, 2:10:05, 2:09:37, 2:10:00, 2:12:11, 2:11:10.

As usual on LRC, a lot of insecure 2:30+ guys trying to tear down the 2:12 - 2:18 guys for not running 2:09.

hmm, I guess I'm one of the only ones on here who thinks this is a good idea. Let's get some crowds out there and some tv coverage. Not going to get much of that with an early start on the east coast. Weather conditions are generally way better in Orlando in February than they were in Tokyo, Rio, Beijing or Athens regardless of start time. I will qualify that by saying that I'm assuming USATF will push up the start time if, like Eugene, the weather forecast is unusually brutal. The article said they have "contingencies" in place and I assume that's what it was referring to.

Doesn’t have any MEN qualified. Women have unlocked all their slots. Just pointing that out.

As stated, the trials are to select the best team to represent. Running in the warmth is fine but the course better be hilly to emulate Paris’ gain.

Oh they’ll be watching it now. Noon in Florida will be a blood bath. Not safe for runners definitely, but it’ll make the race very interesting

Prepare better and you can avoid being “carnage.” Sorry not sorry. 🤷‍♂️

I’m good with this, noon start lets me get in a run and maybe brunch before settling down with a beer and snacks. Starting at 8 or even 6 would not fit my Sunday routine. Only thing better would be an evening start. Benji Durden wouldn’t worry about a noon start.

Correct. This race at noon makes increasingly likely the possibility that our selected athletes have to then train and peak for a fast marathon like London instead of focus on the olympic games.

I suppose letsrunners in this thread will view our marathoners as just taking a vacation to Paris though, especially if there are others in the field with faster prs as often happens in these selection races.

The selected athletes have 6 months to acclimatize for august conditions in Paris after this race. Oh and BTW 8 am in Paris in August is typically COOLER than noon in Orlando. Paris is also much hillier than Orlando so saying the race is at noon to replicate conditions doesn't make much sense when this condition won't also be replicated. There is really little that is gained by holding this race at noon, if anything.

More comments by the peanut gallery. 0 of the athletes except those who live in the deep south or who are elite enough to travel to florida and acclimatize for weeks are going to be happy with this start time.

You the peanut gallery, too, playa! There is zero priority in the Olympic Trials to make sure all qualifiers are catered to and comfortable! They play their cards right and they get a pretty finisher’s medal.

The reason world records don’t fall and nobody PRs at the Olympic Marathon is because they don’t try to produce a dream flat marathon route or perfect Temperature for the runners.

So why are US lightweights crying about needing ideal running conditions when the race they are trying to run in will be nothing like that?

You know what other marathon is usually hot? The Olympic Marathon!

The point of this race is to select 3 individuals who will have the best chance of medaling at the Olympics. The trials should be designed to filter out runners who can't handle the heat.