Dr. Blackjack wrote:
To pose a question, is there shame in dropping out of an Olympic Trials Marathon race? The goal of every runner in the field should be a top 3 finish, so if you're gone from the lead group at 30K, is it worthwhile to finish? There's something to be said for a race where everyone in the field aims for a top 3 finish or dies trying. Should be a great race.
In general, I've found that the better the runner, the more likely he is to drop out of a marathon. Similarly, the better the field, the higher the drop-out rate. I know a few good runners who have that mentality that you should never drop out of a race, but not many. That's much more likely to be the mentality of a mid-pack or back-of-the-pack participant, who generally has much different goals.
In this race, although I'm not aware that the weather is going to be a problem, the drop-out rate may be fairly high simply because of the criterium course. No long bus ride to the finish. Just stop, take off your race number, and hope that you catch the exciting finish.
I wouldn't say that the goal of each runner in the race is, or should be, a top-three finish. I'd say that a substantial majority of the guys in the trials know that they're not in the hunt. Most who don't know it realize it within a few miles.