Intraduck Fighting wrote:NOP will be a historical footnote post Rio.
Nike just paid millions to control USA's National Federation for the next 50 years and they'll stop NOP after 2016? I'm laughing so hard so hard I have trouble sitting up right now! :-P
But I'll give you this: Nike are putting a higher procentage of their resources into ultras and will continue to do so, they even have their own ultra team now. The 10000 is almost dead. The Diamond League is more or less a flop. Track and Field in general is constantly tainted by doping scandals. As a televised sport it sucks. Even the European public is starting to loose interest. The ultra scene on the other hand is still growing. And marketingwise it's a dream. Nike is also about clothes, gagets and apparel and the ultra scene has this "lifestyle aura". Not to mention ultra runners wear down more shoes etc. No major doping scandals (yet). The fans has already embraced internet reporting for major events, while T&F still has to rely on old fashioned television (which as mentioned above - pretty much suck by modern demands on action). Also, ultra results' list usually list athletes by Shoe Brand, not nationality, so another bonus for the biggest brand globally.
BTW: Here's the results for the first big Ultra this year:
http://www.irunfar.com/2015/04/2015-lake-sonoma-50-mile-results.html