Phoenix vs St. Louis: Potential hosts for the 2028 US Olympic Marathon Trials

The trials are scheduled to take place the weekend of March 25-26. I asked AI what the weather is typically like in the mornings on that day for each city. Here are the results.

St. Louis

On a typical March 26 morning in St. Louis, expect cool, transitional spring weather with temperatures often starting in the low-to-mid 30s or 40s, gradually warming, with possibilities of clouds, showers, or even lingering cold, making it moderately chilly, especially with some wind. You might see conditions shift from frosty to mild, but always be prepared for variability as winter's chill battles spring's arrival, says the National Weather Service.

Typical Morning Conditions:

Temperature: Often starts cold, perhaps near freezing (low 30s) or slightly above (low 40s), but warming quickly as the sun rises.

Feel: Moderately chilly, potentially feeling windy.

Sky: Could range from clear and crisp to cloudy, with a chance of lingering winter precipitation or early spring showers.

What to Expect:

Transition: March is a mix of seasons; you can get days feeling like winter and days feeling like spring.

Variability: Expect temperature swings; mornings are cooler than afternoons, and weather can change rapidly.

Phoenix

Phoenix weather on a typical March 26 morning is usually pleasant and warming, with cool, crisp starts in the 50s or low 60s Fahrenheit, rapidly becoming sunny and warm, with light jackets or layers needed for early starts before the day heats up. Expect plenty of sunshine, low humidity, and generally dry conditions, with temperatures climbing towards the mid-70s and higher as the morning progresses.

Typical Conditions

Temperature: Mornings start cool (around 50s-60s°F), rising quickly as the sun climbs.

Sky: Generally clear and sunny.

Humidity: Very low.

Precipitation: Very unlikely.

What to Expect

Cooler Start: You'll need a light jacket or long sleeves for sunrise activities.

Rapid Warming: The heat builds fast, making it feel significantly warmer by mid-morning.

Spring Vibe: It's peak tourist season, so expect pleasant, ideal weather for outdoor activities.

Based on the above, I would pick Phoenix. It has more recent experience hosting major sporting events, its March weather is more predictable and more likely to approximate what athletes will probably encounter in LA during the Olympics, and I like the organizers' vision to put athletes first and elevate the sport.

Phoenix is a better place to be in March. Visitors can make a vacation out of it and enjoy activities like Spring Training.

Houston.

An event in a stadium is a lot different than a marathon. How will the course be? How will the fan experience be? More than weather and what the city has hosted in a stadium needs to be considered.

I doubt Houston is bidding. They seemed to be upset by how much money they lost when they hosted the Trials in 2012.

Could be really windy in Phoenix in March

They touched on that in the article I shared. This is what the bid co-author said.

"The idea is to create a really spectator-friendly, energetic downtown atmosphere that engages fans and the broader running community.

Specifically, we would move the Phoenix Marathon from its December date in 2028 to Saturday, March 25, so it serves as the “people’s race.” The Trials would remain the centerpiece of the weekend on Sunday, March 26. We would keep the Phoenix Marathon on its traditional December date in 2026 and 2027 and then move it up for the Trials year to create a truly exciting championship weekend.

It’s Phoenix, so while the weather is never completely predictable, late March typically brings cool mornings, low humidity, and fairly reliable racing conditions. The course would be fast and fair. Phoenix isn’t a hilly city, and we’ve designed a spectator-friendly route with some really exciting corridors that would engage fans throughout the race.

From an athlete perspective, we focus on what matters most: predictable weather, a fair course, and a championship-ready setup in a city that knows how to host major events. Phoenix checks those boxes. It’s a proven host with events like the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four.

Beyond that, the infrastructure is there with over 70,000 hotel rooms across Greater Phoenix, 26,000 within city limits, a major airport just 10 to 15 minutes from the start and finish, and a compact/athlete-first downtown footprint anchored by the Phoenix Convention Center. When you look at all of those factors together, it really creates the foundation for a world-class championship weekend."

If the idea is to set up a marathon course that resembles the Olympic course, Phoenix may be a problem. Too flat. No transition, no hills unless maybe some of the course is run in Las Sendas

Phoenix is just too hot. USATF will want to hold the races at 10am local time for TV reasons which would be suicide.

That's the time the race started for the 2024 Trials in Orlando. Phoenix would be better because its temperatures are similar but it doesn't have the humidity problem.

It wouldn't make sense to pick a summer marathon team from a Trials held in a cold weather place like St. Louis.

Bring the Olympic marathon back to St. Louis! The most talked about Olympic marathon (for better or worse)

en.wikipedia.org

Athletics_at_the_1904_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men%27s_marathon

Open link

St. Louis hosted the women's Olympic Trials marathon in 2004. They started on the track at Wash U and ran loops in Forest Park.

The 2004 U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, held in St. Louis's Forest Park on April 3, 2004, saw Colleen De Reuck win in 2:28:25, with Deena Kastor (2:29:38) and Jen Rhines (2:29:57) finishing second and third, securing their spots for the Athens Olympics where Kastor later won bronze. The race was part of the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon &
Family Fitness Weekend, commemorating the 1904 Games.

Eugene was rejected by USC for T&F events, and W&M Marathon. I think Eugene should bid at least in the Marathon Trials.

I agree. After Phil Knight saved T&F by donating Hayward Field he deserves something from USC organizers.

I like this idea. I think Phoenix would be even better if they could hold the trials on the traditional December date of their marathon - temps are like 50 to 70 that time of year.

St Louis could offer a similar bid moving up their April marathon.

As a runner who probably will not qualify for the trials, I'd be tempted to travel to phoenix and do the masses race .

They wanted the 10 AM slot for the east coast time zone, but that would be 7 AM in Phoenix, which would be ideal when the projected high would be in the high 80's or warmer that time of year. Phoenix is mountain time zone but does not recognize DST. You would never hold a race there in March for a "fast race" but to select the best team for LA it would work okay.

The marathon trials should be held in Los Angeles as part of the Los Angeles Marathon weekend. It makes so much sense but Asics sponsors the LA Marathon, not Nike, so USATF won't do it.

Me too. I think event organizers (except Michael Johnson, LOL) are starting to figure out that the best way to bring people out to a professional track/cross country meet or road race is to combine the professional racing with community participation events.

The Prefontaine meet offers a community road race and a mile on the track racing options, World XC in Tallahassee had community races and the club XC meet, and now this.