https://www.tcslondonmarathon.com/enter/how-to-enter/championship-entryThe London marathon runs a club national championship concurrent to the London race every year. Runners have modest times to qualify, 2’40” marathon for men & 3’14” for women, but then pay for $60 to enter (normally $400 lottery - can take up to five or six tries to get in, or fundraise approx $4000 for a charity.). They start behind the elites, ahead of the masses, no personal bottles, but get generic sponsored sports drink bottles rather than cups. It’s a chance to be treated like a semipro and get entry to a major race with great conditions in a way that local races can’t offer.
Love the swimming trials model. Marathoning may benefit more, as swimming is a highly skilled sprint sport where they start in private clubs as children and tend to decline around thirty, but marathoners could feasibly go from zero to competitive in a couple years of good training from age 23-35.
With year-round high school sports, there has to be more talent than ever that never steps on a track before age 18, is shut out of the ncaa resource base, and could make huge gains if connected to the right resources over one weekend every four years.
Bring the top few hundred athletes together, maybe there’s a seminar or access to a sports nutritionist or a knowledgeable Sports Physical therapist, heck even a 20’ one-on-one with a coach. 1000 athletes getting a 20’ consultation might be the same cost of a single prize purse ($30k). So reward one athlete for one race effort, or provide a thousand semi pros access to the top knowledge in the country, so they can return better in four years. I assume the latter would do more for developing sub 218 marathoners than raising the standard to where no late-bloomer would consider trying.