Question about elite racing singlets

It is a bit of everything you mentioned. I'm sure the race director (bedford) would like for them to wear USA singlets, because it looks cool to fans on the course and shows the diversity of the field.

It happens to workout that both athletes compete for Nike. If Brian Sell or Hall were racing, there is no way Brooks or Asics would allow them to wear the uniform in a situation where it is not required.

The only exception to that that I can think of is Boston 2006 when Culpepper wore USA while still with Adidas.

And I wonder if Sell or Hall could just sew a patch over the logo to work around it? (There's probably some USATF rule against doing that!)

Westside wrote:

It happens to workout that both athletes compete for Nike. If Brian Sell or Hall were racing, there is no way Brooks or Asics would allow them to wear the uniform in a situation where it is not required.

The letters USA arent patented. Brooks and Asics can put them on their jerseys. Brooks currently sells jackets that have countries logos and names on them.

I dont have an answer of why guys run in some jerseys sometimes, and others othertimes. Who knows what Hall was going to wear in Boston, he had left his jersey at home and had to get a new one fast.

While I'm thinking about it, I wonder why Kara didn't wear USA at New York and Boston?

Solinsky wore USA at New York, didn't he? Or am I thinking of someone else...

Jogger to be wrote:

Westside wrote:

It happens to workout that both athletes compete for Nike. If Brian Sell or Hall were racing, there is no way Brooks or Asics would allow them to wear the uniform in a situation where it is not required.

The letters USA arent patented. Brooks and Asics can put them on their jerseys. Brooks currently sells jackets that have countries logos and names on them.

I dont have an answer of why guys run in some jerseys sometimes, and others othertimes. Who knows what Hall was going to wear in Boston, he had left his jersey at home and had to get a new one fast.

Obviously they aren't patented, but the other brands are not sponsors of the US team, therefore I don't think they would ever create a USA jersey. That along with removing the swoosh would piss USATF and Nike off and it's much easier to wear there own singlet.

Hall was going to wear the same singlet. He was just given another.

I meant Rohatinsky.

Many of the World Marathon Majors, to enhance the spectator experience, have at times asked some of the most prominent runners to wear distinguishable "nationalized" and/or color-coded jerseys. Hence Lel in the "Kenya" jersey, and Abdirahman and Rohatinsky in the USA jerseys in last year's ING NYCM.

Might be optional for the runners. Not sure what went on with Hall and Goucher at the [John Hancock] BAA Boston Marathon.

Joseph McVeigh wrote:

Many of the World Marathon Majors, to enhance the spectator experience, have at times asked some of the most prominent runners to wear distinguishable "nationalized" and/or color-coded jerseys. Hence Lel in the "Kenya" jersey, and Abdirahman and Rohatinsky in the USA jerseys in last year's ING NYCM.

That makes sense.

On a completely different subject, I thought this was weird, reading from Tomas Abyu's bio in the London press kit:

"Personal notes

Born in Ethiopia, Abyu has lived in Britain since 1999.

He was granted citizenship in 2000 and gained his

British passport in April 2005."

So he was basically forbidden to leave the UK for nearly five years? That really strikes me as odd. Unless he just didn't bother to apply for a passport until he needed one.

Dual citizenship would be my guess...

Con-artist

orbitboy wrote:

The only exception to that that I can think of is Boston 2006 when Culpepper wore USA while still with Adidas.

And I wonder if Sell or Hall could just sew a patch over the logo to work around it? (There's probably some USATF rule against doing that!)

Culpepper has been sponsored by Nike since 2005. His adidas contract expired in 2004 and they did not re-sign him.

Well that would explain that, then....

Why would Asics pay Ryan Hall hundreds of thousands of dollars to wear a Nike singlet? The only exception these guys are allowed to wear gear from someone other than that of their sponsor is at the World or Olympic championships, when everyone has to wear the national uniform. Sometimes they'll make additional exceptions (like Penn this weekend) but that's it.