BREAKING: IAAF announces that from 2020 onwards, longest race in Diamond League will be 3000m

HINERY! wrote:

For 20 years I've had a lot of cash in the bank, but no interest. Trump gets in and interest rates go to 3 percent at my bank. Bringing in $2,200.00 bucks a month interest on some cash in savings accounts. First time in 20 years at least.

Henry, if you had $800,000 in a savings account @ 3%, it would have returned an average of $2200/month over 8 years.

Alternatively, you could have put $700,000 in a safe deposit box and invested $100,000 in an S&P 500 tracking fund on Obama's inauguration day, and you would have gotten a return of $3400/month for his 8 years in office.

Which is simply to say, don't vote based on the interest rate you get on your savings account.

Or if interest on savings is really your #1 voting issue, at least study up on the REAL interest rate:

(and take inflation into account).

Suspenseful music wrote:

Plot twist...they aren't even running the 3000m, they're only running the 3k steeple.

This could be a strong possibility. I don't think they are going to run both the steeple and the 3000 since they are talking about "time issues". Since everyone keeps saying the 3000 is a nothing event why would they choose that over the steeple?

I really hate how they put out that they are cutting events but don't say which ones (other than the 5000). One article said they'll decide by the end of the summer.

?????????? wrote:

Suspenseful music wrote:

Plot twist...they aren't even running the 3000m, they're only running the 3k steeple.

This could be a strong possibility. I don't think they are going to run both the steeple and the 3000 since they are talking about "time issues". Since everyone keeps saying the 3000 is a nothing event why would they choose that over the steeple?

I really hate how they put out that they are cutting events but don't say which ones (other than the 5000). One article said they'll decide by the end of the summer.

They're ditching 8 in total. The 5000 is out completely so that's 2 (1 for men, 1 for women). Either the 3000 or 3000SC will go completely so that's 4. That leaves 4 more to get rid of. They could choose 4 events and drop men from 2 and women from the other 2. That way only the 5000 and one of the 3000s disappears entirely.

Not represented wrote:

So if I understand correctly the “5k race” perhaps the largest individual participation sporting event the world has ever known (XC/road included) has no place in the IAAF mainstream?

Don’t get me started on XC (and the massive grass roots participation) and how that gets kicked to curve, this is insanity, so weird how triathlon can do better than running in marketing themselves.

Totally agree with your statement about the 5k. Many running fans can relate to that event because they have run it themselves and have intimate knowledge of the pain and what it must take to run fast times.

Triathlon, like most sports, yet unlike running, enables athletes and sponsors to better promote themselves. Most Triathletes are not controlled head to toe by shoe/apparel companies and can promote multiple sponsors on their bodies.

I always thought a better way around it was to start the 10,000 15 minutes before TV Time. Let the general public know that the 10,000 starts at 6:15 but the meet starts at 6:30.

At least then we'd have 10,000's and we'd get to see the end.

BUT- I like the one post that suggests that it opens up an opportunity for some high level 5,000/10,000 at other meets.

Bring the best together. With live streaming we all could watch if we want. If enough people watch, the Diamond League might add them back in.

I really do understand not wanting to take up 30 minutes of TV time (or an hour + if you have men and women) with one event.

This decision is dumb. I would rather watch a 10,000 meter and a 5,000 meter race and why not add a 3K. I don't really care for anything under 400 meters. I will not watch anymore meets that does not have at least the 5,000. I have noticed the lack of 5,000 meters in certain meets and have watched less meets because of this.

So which meets, not Diamond League, will have prestige 5000/10,000 races?

Regrettable that the window is closing, and times may regress as a result.

Really tragic news (dropping the 5000), and it came just after another personal gut blow -the announcement that the 50km and 20km race walks will be dropped and replaced by 30km/10km. I may be a minority, but I am a huge fan of Johan Diniz, the French 50km record holder. I loved watching those guys 'walk' the closing stages of the walks at close to 6 mins per mile pace, and ultra rapid leg turnover (200 per minute!).

Seems like Coe and his friends are going bonkers. Madness. Our sport is effectively being destroyed, and yet, in other domains, they are promoting sports like e-sports, and other "sports" -sad day for true distance track fans.

Ghost in China

calpa wrote:

I'll invite all the pros to run the 5000 and 10,000 at my high school track

Please do, make sure you don't allow flotrack to cover it. No one wants to pay for flotrack pro.

Screw the IAAF wrote:

Not represented wrote:

So if I understand correctly the “5k race” perhaps the largest individual participation sporting event the world has ever known (XC/road included) has no place in the IAAF mainstream?

Don’t get me started on XC (and the massive grass roots participation) and how that gets kicked to curve, this is insanity, so weird how triathlon can do better than running in marketing themselves.

Totally agree with your statement about the 5k. Many running fans can relate to that event because they have run it themselves and have intimate knowledge of the pain and what it must take to run fast times.

Triathlon, like most sports, yet unlike running, enables athletes and sponsors to better promote themselves. Most Triathletes are not controlled head to toe by shoe/apparel companies and can promote multiple sponsors on their bodies.

I’ve hears this more than once. It’s bs. The fans can’t relate to a 5K on the track. Most have never run on a track. Road running is totally different.

F

This threat shows at least one of the reasons track and field is such a minor sport. There is no consensus as to what the product should look like. Here on LRC where the majority are distance oriented individuals, of course there is dismay that the 5k and 10k will not be contested. I would suspect if there were a Let's Sprint site, applause would be given for this change.

What all of the people in the track and field world fail to realize is that coaches and administrators have no inkling as to what sells the sport. None and they never have. It is all guess work and based on anecdotal hearsay.

Every other pro sport does lots of research, costing time and money, but making it a useful endeavor as they adjust their product for fan approval. Track and field does none of that, that I am aware of.

Yes, there are lots of high school and college athletes and road runners who are participants, but when do pro track meet competitions take place here in the US, mostly the same time as those same participants are doing their thing. Then when they are done with their careers, what options are there for them to become fans? Limited to say the least. Media coverage is abysmal, as noted by the recent NCAA Championship and USATF Championship.

Will it every change? Unless you take risks and try new things and do your homework to find out what sells, nothing will improve, unfortunately. You can cry about the loss of the distance events, but having meets that show mostly unknown athletes run around an oval track multiple times and then putting on a burst of speed at the end to win a race doesn't seem very entertaining for the general population, don't you think?

rojo wrote:

SteepleBias wrote:

Part of the 5000 / 10000 problem is that it is essentially the same runners running nearly the same race at the championship level. Typically it is a slowish start with a furious kick over the last 400m. How many times has the same runner won the 5000 / 10000 at the WC and Olympics vs. not?

Not as often as you think. Since 1980, its happened in 4 of the 10 Olympics for the men.

For the women, the 5 and 10 have been offered since 1996. The same person has won both 1 out of 6 times.

You missed my point. The 100 and 200 are nearly the same in terms of type of athlete and how the race is run. This is also true for the 5000 and 10000. If you look at the medals, you will see some of the same names for those pairs of events in many Olympics and World Championships.

I enjoy watching these races, but objectively I can see that they are very similar. Adding variety is a good thing, but making the meet less diverse by having only sprint and middle distance is probably not the answer. Hence my other point that the steeple and cross country add real variety.

I also agree that T&F governing bodies are failing miserably at getting viewership from a huge base of participation, especially in the US. If the USATF were serious about anything other than skimming money from the local associations, they would be promoting the local association, regional, national meets as spectator events by getting involved with local running clubs, going to road races and handing out free tickets and entries to meets.

They could have the big meets streamed for free or very cheap until the viewership was at a healthy level - and it could take years. Heck, they have Runnerspace/USATF.tv and they could completely control viewership of ALL USATF events and stream EVERYTHING. Take the networks out of the picture and COMPLETELY control content and get ALL the revenue. I'd actually pay for it if all USATF meets were available instead of a very select few. Again, promote through local clubs and road races. They have to get over the idea of "If it is on TV, people will watch." That paradigm is over.

Instead of silly commercials during track meets with USA athletes selling USATF wares but not saying who they are or what they do or even why the clothes are good, they could show amazing race finishes, grinding practices, etc and let the athletes speak. Nike knows how to do this (Shalane Vaporfly commercial, etc) and the USATF is owned by them so they could just ask. But they are not serious.

One of the things I always liked about the sport from a kid was it's permanence - a direct connection with the Greek games of 3000 years ago. Eternal verities and so on. Personally I'd rather it stayed unchanged and the audience adapted to it, rather than the other way round, even if it meant less coverage. A load of clueless old bureaucrats trying to ingratiate themselves to what they think young people want is weak and pathetic. Sometimes people want something timeless and authoratative to look up to and respect, not feel they're being pandered to all the time.

ncrecuvuer wrote:

1) They just set the Olympic standards at 13:13.5, where do they think people go to chase these standards? This requires many of our top distance runners to chase the standards at meets that the average track fan is barely going to hear about. Plus, this limits the opportunity to chase it. How many of these distance carnival meets (USATF distance class, Portland track festival, European distance carnivals) actually have races that go under 13:13?

Good point.

That 13:13 standard was based on opportunities to run fast times that will not exist going forward.

Last year there were 6 venues that produced a qualifying time.

If these guys are chasing the 3000m DL series, when and where are they going to post the needed 5000m time?

Or if theses guys blow off the 3000m races to focus on getting their 5000m qualifier, how good will the DL 3000m series be?

Distance runners tend to run fewer races in a year than sprinters or mid distance runners.

Wrong event to change.

Opportunity for an xc racing series similiar to biathlon/xc skiing and cyclo-cross/mtb that are growing and a good watch on the Olympic Channel.

Screw the IAAF wrote:

Not represented wrote:

So if I understand correctly the “5k race” perhaps the largest individual participation sporting event the world has ever known (XC/road included) has no place in the IAAF mainstream?

Don’t get me started on XC (and the massive grass roots participation) and how that gets kicked to curve, this is insanity, so weird how triathlon can do better than running in marketing themselves.

Totally agree with your statement about the 5k. Many running fans can relate to that event because they have run it themselves and have intimate knowledge of the pain and what it must take to run fast times.

Triathlon, like most sports, yet unlike running, enables athletes and sponsors to better promote themselves. Most Triathletes are not controlled head to toe by shoe/apparel companies and can promote multiple sponsors on their bodies.

Yet the ITU have successfully removed there events on local network tv. The only thing less interesting on tv than 12 laps of running , is a person swimming in the ocean.

TrinityIsMyName wrote:

Sebastian Coe and Ato Bolden.

That is why this happened.

Coe’s succumbed to the sprinters who think everyone prefers to watch their events. I remember Michael Johnson pushing for this too. But I haven’t seen a website, or online community, as dedicated to sprinting and field events as there are for distance running.

Disappointed in how insipid the protests, especially from athletes, have been. They’d be forced to reconsider if there had been open revolt.

Another way of looking at it is that distance has the roads and cross country while sprinting just has track. So it makes complete sense for them to push distance out of track especially since it’s dominated by poorer countries that should have no business denying Western countries complete glory like they have in every other sport except running.

very wrote:

One of the things I always liked about the sport from a kid was it's permanence - a direct connection with the Greek games of 3000 years ago. Eternal verities and so on. Personally I'd rather it stayed unchanged and the audience adapted to it, rather than the other way round, even if it meant less coverage. A load of clueless old bureaucrats trying to ingratiate themselves to what they think young people want is weak and pathetic. Sometimes people want something timeless and authoratative to look up to and respect, not feel they're being pandered to all the time.

Yes, but do you think you are in the majority of those who want to view track and field meets? I think not.

I also don't perceive Coe as being "clueless old bureaucrat". Either you are very young, or have a false sense of what "old" is.

What direct connection is there with Greek games of 3000 years ago? They ran on a straight and a few individual ran a marathon distance. I don't see much of a parallel.

Are you also in favor having chariot races being shown on network TV?