U.S. Marathon Olympic Trial Scrapers

Live and let live? My understanding that for a lot, just qualifying is the endgame, and they might never race again after the trials. The trials for them are what the olynpics might be for someone else, or the boston marathon is for someone else. The same question can be asked to marathoners at many levels.

One could consider mararathoning at almost all levels to be a very selfish pastime. Golf could probably be considered more so, with the space the courses take up.

I think the moral question best asked is if the training time and money it takes to achieve their goals not better served doing something else. These questions are best asked inwardly by the participants in the activity or those close around that might be frustrated by their pursuits.

Good point, you've convinced me to not run Boston this year because I won't be anywhere near the prize money. Cancelling my hotel and flights now.

Getting the standard and giving yourself a chance to compete puts you in a rarefied category. For ALL contestants, it is a singular achievement. Making the trials is not a given. It takes a tremendous amount of hard work (and a bit of luck) to get to the line. Who knows, it may portend towards greater achievements?

OP is a bitter tool (and a troll).

0/10

"what is the gameplan for once they actually get there?" "if you aren't going to win a race, then why race?"

Could we not say the same thing regarding the men and women who will represent the USA in Paris? Realistically, what chance do any of them have to medal when our top runners are 6-7 minutes behind the best in the world? But you show up and do your best because you never know when a Molly Seidel 2021 or Galen Rupp 2016 or Meb Keflezighi 2004 is goign to happen.

I allllmost made USA indoors one year. If I had made it, I 100% would have gone and there's a 99.999% chance I would have come in last or very close to it, but boy it would have been a blast! Basically the same thing as OTQ people, except maybe a little more difficult.

It's your call whether to analyze or rationalize your life choices. I'd rather work for the money, but then I'm not a zoomer looking for a handout or a grift. I mean, please accept my condolences that your parents wouldn't just give you $2K. It's probably the easiest way to score $2K in terms of effort. Any sponsorship that includes social media posts is about influencing to the benefit of that brand. You wish you could spin it otherwise, but that's the raw truth of the situation.

And you know, on very rare occasions people have made very dramatic improvements. At the 1988 Trial Mark Conover came first in 2:12 something. His best time prior to the race was 2:18. And while it did not happen in a trial marathon, Derek Clayton's best marathon prior to his 2:09 was 2:19.

I appreciate all the feedback that has been given. I have reached the conclusion that I am in fact, a dick.

The underlying message of your post is; 'don't do anything, unless you can be the best at it.'

Perhaps some people aren't like you - huge ego-monsters - and maybe they do things because they enjoy doing them.

Besides that, the US trials is the closest thing you have to a National Marathon Championship, which is an opportunity for people to run against the 200 or so best marathon runners in the country, and to see where they stack up. It's also an event that very few people get to experience, and one unlike any other marathon.

Everyone has their own “WHY”. That’s all you need to know.

Why does someone enter a marathon hoping to break 4 hours? Or train to run a 25 minute 5k? Most 2:17 marathoners know they are not headed for a big contract or the olympic team. It is personal drive and passion for the sport. It is an opportunity to run a race that very few can. I wish I was a 2:17 marathoner.

I’ll give you my perspective as a 2:17 and change qualifier. Guarantee at least one person reading this knows me.

I ran D1 made the team for the XC national champs 4xs, had some good years and some bad ones too. I recently used up my eligibility and figured what’s next? The last 2 years of college I went through a pretty serious surgery and had a real hard time coming back and getting motivated. I wasn’t happy with where I left off in college so I set the goal to get the OTQ as I was coming back as a way to motivate myself. I watch the trials on tv as a high school running nerd and thought it’d be really cool to get there. So I grinded my butt off for a year. Got my mileage up to about 120 mpw and ended up being in likely the best shape I’ve ever been in.

Yes I ran a conservative 2:17 on a flat course in a perfect day. Could I have ran 2:15:xx…maybe. Do I think that I can qualify for the Olympics… fk no, but hey I’m proud of it and excited to go. I’ll be thrilled with a top 50 finish. Anyone saying 2:18 is easy. Sure it’s a lot easier when you’re unemployed living in your parents basement. It’s a grind when you’re working 8 hours a day.

As far as the influencer stuff goes, ya I don’t like it and I’ll make fun of you all day long. I do get this stuff gets expensive, especially out of college. I think the trials standard sets a good goal for recent graduates and beyond to stay in the sport and maybe developed some competitive marathoners in the process. 95% of the people talking smack on here I doubt can go under 3 hours.

Yep this x 100. A 2:17 marathon is not soft, it is very, very, VERY good and something to be proud of. That's Weldon Johnson's PR. It doesn't happen by accident. Unless someone was a 28-minute 10K runner, it takes a committed, reasonably talented athlete and a great coach and training set-up.

And 2:36 for the women's standard is tough too, I think more men are qualified for this US trials cycle than women.

I can guarantee the OP (and those piling on) have never worked that hard, and are completely incapable of running that fast. Even if the whiners were pretty good themselves, it takes more than a mid/high 14:00 5K to run 2:17. I think I'm being generous here, the OP can't break 16.

I also guarantee no city will be willing to take on the high expenditure of hosting the Olympic Marathon Trials if only a handful sub-2:14/2:32 runners are allowed in. And promoting the sport is important too. More eyes on the event from people in different parts of the country is beneficial to the sport.

Great job to all of the qualifiers and their coaches, clubs, and support networks.

To OP - you could say this exact thing about any other sport - "Once you get scrape by and get on an NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB roster, what's your game plan?" To be able to say "I competed at the Olympic Trials" is in of itself an achievement and places you in an upper echelon of the sport. It's a title of merit and distinguishes you from other runners and athletes.

Right. Well, if there is one thing we know, it's that he didn't put in any work to run that 2:17 to get his $2K. Whoever is sponsoring him is handing out money. Thankfully, Givetallugot just happened to be in the right place at the right time when the guy walked up to him on the street.

He may be an influencer, or maybe not. It depends on how you want to define it. On the other hand, is everyone wearing their sponsored gear also an influencer?

Call it what it is — The Olympic Marathon Trials and Sub Elite Championship

then relax the qualifying time by 2 minutes and make even more money.

So that would make you sub-sub-sub-sub-elite hobby-jogger because I can guarantee you ain't sniffing 2:17 in your lifetime.

Hey OP I was going to tell you that it was unwise to post a reasonable question here. Then I go and do exactly that. Lesson learned - don’t cast your pearls before the swine

We had this discussion back when 2:20 would get you in. Hell, we had it in person (no internet) when 2:25 would. Dead horse.