How can people like the Hansons be praised for being a large contributor to the upswing in US distance running for taking on runners who at the initial stage are barely 2:22 guys and wont make the track standard but many of you on the board agree with the new practice of eliminating the B standard?
Someone wrote that after the top 20 no one made an impact in how the race was run.
Im pretty sure Clint Verran didnt make an impact in his first Trials but he sure as hell had an impact in 2004. Kyle Obrien ran at a small school and ran 2:20+ his 1st time yet a few years later he runs 2:15 and is on the world champs team.
Out of the 80 or so who ran 2:20+ to qualify you have to thing that 10-20 of them will run 2:15 in the next few years and out of that group some will rnu 2:12-2:10.
Marathons arent an overnight success. Pete Gimour being a good example as one who has plugged away and gone from being an also ran to someone who contends for high places in Big scale marathons.
The top 5 guys arent the ones coaching hs teams, running small road races and involved in the community as much as the 2:20+ guys. These are the guys that are coaching are hs kids who may one day be the coach of the next rupp or ritz or ryan hall.
Bad call on USATF and it seems this is the 2nd time Lattimer has been railed on in the past few months.
Didnt he also be a big wheel at the Steamboat classic? Look at the rapid decline of that race and see how well is track record is.