December's Cal International Offering $1000 For US Olympic Trials Qualifying Times

I like this sort of prize structure a lot. Great for elites and sub-elites, great for the sport, great for the race--everyone wins!

I thought aided courses didn't count for qualifying?

Mr. Obvious wrote:

I thought aided courses didn't count for qualifying?

The course must be USATF/IAAF/AIMS certified with an active course certification and have an elevation loss no greater than 3.25 meters/km.

The way I read it, the course can have up to about 450 ft net elevation drop, so CIM would be ok.

[quote]Citizen Runner wrote:

The course must be USATF/IAAF/AIMS certified with an active course certification and have an elevation loss no greater than 3.25 meters/km.

There was a spirited e-mail exchange following the USATF convention in Honolulu about what courses to include for Trials qualifying. Although not a decision-maker (It was up to Glenn's committee) I recommended the 3.25m/km limit because I wanted races like Boston and Cal Int'l to remain in the mix to generate qualifiers (Boston's drop is 3.23 m/km). Driving American athletes away from those races wouldn't serve the best interest of the sport. Cal Int'l has a more gentle slope of 2.49m/km.

Having said that, times from those events DON'T COUNT for World Championships or Olympic Games qualifying. Courses must have an elevation loss limited to 1m/km. The IAAF maintains a qualified course listing on their website for those events (the 2011 Daegu standards will be released after World Indoors).

David Monti, Editor & Publisher

Race Results Weekly

Thanks for clarifying. That's a lot of drop.

That's money well-spent. For those who have to pay their own way to a marathon and need a qualifier, that's a great subsidy.

Remember Carey Pinkowski was the first one to do this kind of thing awhile back when he guaranteed $2000 for each sub-2:20 American.

I wonder how well CIM will do now that Boston registration closes before CIM is even run nowadays? It will definitely get smaller.

Huh??

Flatulus wrote:

I wonder how well CIM will do now that Boston registration closes before CIM is even run nowadays? It will definitely get smaller.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot wrote:

Huh??

Agreed, I don't see the connect here either.

Mr. Obvious wrote:

I thought aided courses didn't count for qualifying?

Well, even if the course did not count, the race could still offer such a bonus. It would be the responsibility of the runner to know what courses count and do not count.

Dave pointed out that CIM would count as a Trials qualifier, but would not be eligible for making the standard for the Games.

Nice recognition for the runners and might lure someone there. If a person just makes the Trials standard, he/she would still have a ways to go before to make the Olympic "A" standard anyway.

I understand that, just seems that such a recognition is not going to attract many, if any runners to the race unless they already have the standard. You only get so many chances. It's nice of the race to do it.

The only way the Olympic A standard comes into play is if you finish in the top 3 in the Trials. Given our current crop of elite marathoners and the selection of a flat Houston course for the trials, I have a hard time envisioning a time of over 2:14 making top 3 at the trials. So it's basically a moot point. This money is obviously geared towards runners who are not necessarily looking to make the Olympic team but rather to qualify for the trials, and it can definitely attract guys at that level.

Flatulus was talking about the Average person trying to qualify for Boston not entering CIM anymore as Boston closed this year before CIM was run. Maybe the extra Oly Trial Q will stir up some excitement

road rashed wrote:

Flatulus was talking about the Average person trying to qualify for Boston not entering CIM anymore as Boston closed this year before CIM was run.

Um, if they're trying to qualify for Boston then why wouldn't they enter CIM? Qualifying time is good for two years, Einstein.

This is a great opportunity for many runners, but doesn't Chicago offer $2500 for sub 2:20? Or I am wrong with that? Or is Chicago changing that this year? Just wondering.

Does CIM get any kind of spectators?

road rashed wrote:

Flatulus was talking about the Average person trying to qualify for Boston not entering CIM anymore as Boston closed this year before CIM was run. Maybe the extra Oly Trial Q will stir up some excitement

If your goal is a qualifying standard for Boston, you don't have a realistic chance at the CIM $1000 bonus do you? The people trying for OT standards and Boston standards are from two entirely different zipcodes.

So does this account for the half-marathon too if someone runs under 65?

half wrote:

So does this account for the half-marathon too if someone runs under 65?

For Olympic Trials qualifying, a half-marathon must be run on a record-standard course i.e., with a net drop less than 1m/km and a start/finish separation less than 30% of the race distance.

DFM