USATF just announced the women's 10,000 at the Olympic Trials will be a 2 section final - Good idea or not? I'm VERY much oppose

Asinine because these are tactical, not time trials.

50 sounds like a lot. 25 is not full.

I think you could do 50 if you expect 10-15 to drop out.

Maybe the rule should be if you are lapped then you have to drop out. Then maybe they could do 50. Maybe.

Guilt is spot on.

50 is too many.

Standard was too slow.

I don’t get this thread. Rojo is manufacturing a crisis. It is literally meaningless given nobody in the B heat has the standard. Why is this even a topic worth discussing?

Do they have to be A and B heats based on times? Can't they have two heats of randomly assigned runners?

The fairest way to do it would be to run the races simultaneously on two separate tracks.

pavement88 wrote:

Do they have to be A and B heats based on times? Can't they have two heats of randomly assigned runners?

The fairest way to do it would be to run the races simultaneously on two separate tracks.

Just run the A heat clockwise and the B heat anti-clockwise.

Allow anyone to run in the A heat that wants to but make it a rule that if you are about to get lapped in the A heat you are forced to drop out.

The issue is designing a qualifying system that ever allowed 50 qualifiers.

Make a hard auto standard.

Then a provisional standard that allows up to 30 participants and no more.

Run one heat.

I hate two heat finals but they have to in this situation.

oldschoollrc wrote:

I agree that introducing an elimination round would help. Bring back the 10000 prelims!

If you had a prelim won't the same people that make the final essentially be the same ones in the A heat anyway? Why make the real contenders for the team run 2 races?

I'd bet most people that ran in college have been in a race with between 35-55 people. While it is a ton of people to put in a race I'd rather see that than a two heat final.

I complain when our State meet does timed finals, I couldn't imagine doing that for the Olympic Trials. Will it become an issue? Probably not since I'd bet the first heat won't do anything to affect the fast heat but imagine if it does. Or say the predictable weather in Eugene decides to go crazy and is fine for the slow heat and then they have a windy torrential downpour that slows down the fast heat.

I would put them all out with there with the caveat that once you are off the lead lap you have to finish the race in lane 3 or 4 to stay out of the way, don't make someone drop out of the Olympic Trials but they have to run wide. That being said I would still expect anyone who can run another event to bail once they are out of contention so you will lose a few there plus any late scratches to the actual number will wind up lower.

highhoppingworm wrote:

I don’t get this thread. Rojo is manufacturing a crisis. It is literally meaningless given nobody in the B heat has the standard. Why is this even a topic worth discussing?

There's a few who will probably end up in the B heat who could hit the standard in the race.

Then why haven't they?

There are two 10ks going on today that have 48 people in them, the regional qualifying 10ks.

If college kids can figure it out, the pros can.

And in reality at least 5-10 people won't show up or will be hurt by then. You're looking at field size closer to 40, which is doable.

It's not about "potential".

And my conference champion in the 10,000m came from the B heat.

Also, NCAA has been doing this for years on the track with no one complaining. Makes for some good drama. If D'Amato wants to be a serious runner should could stop writing dad jokes and start chasing standards instead of local FKTs.

StrangelyPostCollegiate wrote:

There are two 10ks going on today that have 48 people in them, the regional qualifying 10ks.

If college kids can figure it out, the pros can.

And in reality at least 5-10 people won't show up or will be hurt by then. You're looking at field size closer to 40, which is doable.

Agree. There's still time for a qualifying time but there must be some who won't come.

The Rio Olympics looked crowded for the women in the 10,000 at the start line, yet there was still plenty of room for Ayana to run a WR and not conspicuously be in a wider lane while lapping runners. There were 37 in that field and it felt spread out after a while. This field would be more bunched up and while I think the two heats are better for watching, being in one field is a truer race.

All 50 in the same race, staggered start, 25 in lanes 1-4, the other 25 stay in lanes 4-8 until 3K, then remove runners when about to be lapped.

I think I got lapped at the 2000 Olympic Trials in the 10k.

Starting with that I think they should run 50. Once you get lapped you're out of the race. Then i see no problems with all 50 in one heat.