Potential disaster at 2014 USA Indoors? Straight 1500 final and there are 22 women, 18 men already in each race

I agree that they should get rid of qualifying standards. I think about 8 guys, 16 with pre-lims for 1500m. 8 fastest 1500m times (if from a mile just take the converted time).

For 3k I think they could do 12 in a straight final.

It'll be like short track speed skating.

If you have the potential for that many to qualify, you either need to limit the field or make provision to have rounds.

Personally, I would say if you have more than 12 declared, there will be a semi on Friday and a final on Sunday. It would make it harder to double with the 3000, but too bad. I'm not crazy about people doubling for insurance anyway because you often end up with empty races like at USA's last summer. If you declare you ought to actually intend to run a race as long as you are healthy.

As is, if all the declared runners show up, it will be a clusterf-.

Did you guys not see this? USATF has put field size caps on the events.

20 in the 800m.

12 in the 1500m.

16 in the 3000m.

Right there on the website:

http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2014/USA-Indoor-Track---Field-Championships/Athlete-Info/Qualifying-Standards.aspx

Have a nascar start with the first lanes the top times then 1 meter back is the next group and so on. Would keep the race fast and honest, reward fast qual times and be exciting as hell.

one other caveat wrote:

Did you guys not see this? USATF has put field size caps on the events.

20 in the 800m.

12 in the 1500m.

16 in the 3000m.

Right there on the website:

http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2014/USA-Indoor-Track---Field-Championships/Athlete-Info/Qualifying-Standards.aspx

Obviously, we didn't see it or we wouldn't have posted it.

Now that raises more questions. A lot of the athletes have qualified as "Automatic qualifiers". Basically if you have the World Indoor qualifying time (and for World indoors, yoyu can weirdly use last year's indoor times and the outdoor times) you are an auto qualifier for USAs.

But do they actually use your time from outdoors last year in figuring out who gets capped?

So in the men's 1500. Will they take 12 and then Rupp and Torrence or will they use Rupp and Torrence's times for World Indoors to seed them here and take 12 total?

And my main question is Lopez Lomong going to be even allwoed in the 3000 at all?

The IAAF rules list 13:15 for an outdoor 5000 as a qualifying times for the indoor 3000. But Lomong ran his 13:07.00 indoors. The IAAF doesn't list an indoor 5000 time as the indoor 5000 isn't an IAAF World Championship event. You'd think logically since the indoor standards are slower than the outdoor standards that it would count but I've rarely seen this bureaucrats be logical.

Does that 13:07 qualify him for Worlds as an auto qualifier? If not, he may be out of luck and not even allowed to run USAs in the 3000?

Sounds like some pretty serious issues. All I can say is I hope at least the athletes know what is going on. Would suck if Lopez shows up only to realize he cant run.

They should run it at the New Mexico Lobos outdoor track.

It'll be 70 this Sunday, 59 on Friday.

In outdoor conditions, Amanda Mergaert might wear bun huggers ;-)

NotAustin18 wrote:

I agree that they should get rid of qualifying standards. I think about 8 guys, 16 with pre-lims for 1500m. 8 fastest 1500m times (if from a mile just take the converted time).

For 3k I think they could do 12 in a straight final.

I'm inclined to agree. That *could* promote more competitiveness during the season and we might see faster times, too.

rojo wrote:

But do they actually use your time from outdoors last year in figuring out who gets capped?

So in the men's 1500. Will they take 12 and then Rupp and Torrence or will they use Rupp and Torrence's times for World Indoors to seed them here and take 12 total?

And my main question is Lopez Lomong going to be even allwoed in the 3000 at all?

If only there were some credible member of the running media around that could call up USATF and get the answers to these sorts of questions.

And for that matter, when you limit the field but allow qualification in alternate events - like qualifying for the 3000m with a 5000m time - how do you rank the people with an alternative qualifier? Take all the 3000m qualifiers first and then the alternative qualifiers? Use some conversion, and if so, what conversion?

Merrygoround wrote:

And for that matter, when you limit the field but allow qualification in alternate events - like qualifying for the 3000m with a 5000m time - how do you rank the people with an alternative qualifier? Take all the 3000m qualifiers first and then the alternative qualifiers? Use some conversion, and if so, what conversion?

Forget the alternative qualifiers, what do you do with those athletes with no seed times, like Rupp, Torrence and Rowbury?

Citizen Runner wrote:

If only there were some credible member of the running media around that could call up USATF and get the answers to these sorts of questions.

I'm shaking my head too. Has anyone ever met the Brojos?

Say what????? wrote:

Forget the alternative qualifiers, what do you do with those athletes with no seed times, like Rupp, Torrence and Rowbury?

Rowbury ran a mile race in ABQ on 2/15/14. She has a qualifier, so I'm not sure why the USATF has "NT" next to her entry.

one other caveat wrote:

Did you guys not see this? USATF has put field size caps on the events.

20 in the 800m.

12 in the 1500m.

16 in the 3000m.

Right there on the website:

http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2014/USA-Indoor-Track---Field-Championships/Athlete-Info/Qualifying-Standards.aspx

Those are not caps on the fields. Those are minimum field sizes. Unlike many on here, I verified this with USATF.

To reiterate, if you have run a qualifying time (or been accepted without one) you have a right to race per USATF policy.

The solution of how to handle 22 and 18 declared entrants will be interesting.

Makes absolutely no sense (zero) holding this meet at Altitude.

broken arrow wrote:

Makes absolutely no sense (zero) holding this meet at Altitude.

Yeah why do they continue to do this? Junior indoor nationals is at the fantastic ETSU indoor facility in Tennessee. Why couldn't the senior nationals be there too (closer to civilization and not at altitude and at a much better facility)?

milk wrote:

Yeah why do they continue to do this? Junior indoor nationals is at the fantastic ETSU indoor facility in Tennessee. Why couldn't the senior nationals be there too (closer to civilization and not at altitude and at a much better facility)?

+1.

This facility is great. I always wondered why they don't hold more big meets there. Here's a picture:

milk wrote:

broken arrow wrote:

Makes absolutely no sense (zero) holding this meet at Altitude.

Yeah why do they continue to do this? Junior indoor nationals is at the fantastic ETSU indoor facility in Tennessee. Why couldn't the senior nationals be there too (closer to civilization and not at altitude and at a much better facility)?

Albuquerque bid on it. USATF only awards it to local organizers.