Detroit Free Press Marathon on Sunday

here's the info wrote:

So, a little known rule about qualifying for the oly trails is this: the race must be usatf certified (13.1 miles long or 26.2, not too much of a drop, etc) AND USATF sanctioned.

Here's what sanctioned means: the race pays usatf a certain amount of money. It's essentially there to make sure that USATF gets richer.

Well, as it was, last year the course was certified. Everyone knows this. No one knew however that it was not SANCTIONED. This was never a problem before because no one had qualified at Detroit in a great long time. Although, a few males have been getting very close in the half and full.

Two runners qualified in the half marathon and found out later that they did not have an entry to the oly trails due to Detroit not being sanctioned. USATF and Detroit Free Press RD had a meeting over it. USATF extended an olive branch and told detroit that if Freep was sanctioned it for 2015, USATF would retrospectively sanction Detroit for 2014.

Detroit refused claiming that "we never marketed ourselves as a fast race", and "people never run that fast here".

Bull shit. Zach Ripley was within second of the B standard in the half on more than one occasion. Detroit offers thousands of dollars in prize money to top finishers.

As you may have guessed, one of the qualifiers who was robber of her spot at the trials was a Playmakers elite runner.

USATF is a bureaucratic nightmare as usual. Completely f**cking a few runners because they didn't get their slice of the entry fee pie at Detroit. USATF knows for a fact that two runners ran the qualifying time over 13.1 and they will not let them in the trails because politics.

Freep RD's played the "we arn't a fast race" card and refused to pay the fee. They did this knowing that it would prevent two runners who went to their race expecting a shot at the trials from competing at the trails. Crushing two great locals runners dreams. Some support of the running community.

TLDR: USTAF is predictably corrupt, greedy, and bureaucratic. Detroit Free-Press marathon proves that it does not support the local sport of running by refusing to work with USATF.

Meteorologist 101 wrote:

They should be glad. Possible HIGH wind alert that whole day with 34 degrees. Good day to skip it.

here's the info wrote:

So, a little known rule about qualifying for the oly trails is this: the race must be usatf certified (13.1 miles long or 26.2, not too much of a drop, etc) AND USATF sanctioned.

Here's what sanctioned means: the race pays usatf a certain amount of money. It's essentially there to make sure that USATF gets richer.

Well, as it was, last year the course was certified. Everyone knows this. No one knew however that it was not SANCTIONED. This was never a problem before because no one had qualified at Detroit in a great long time. Although, a few males have been getting very close in the half and full.

Two runners qualified in the half marathon and found out later that they did not have an entry to the oly trails due to Detroit not being sanctioned. USATF and Detroit Free Press RD had a meeting over it. USATF extended an olive branch and told detroit that if Freep was sanctioned it for 2015, USATF would retrospectively sanction Detroit for 2014.

Detroit refused claiming that "we never marketed ourselves as a fast race", and "people never run that fast here".

Bull shit. Zach Ripley was within second of the B standard in the half on more than one occasion. Detroit offers thousands of dollars in prize money to top finishers.

As you may have guessed, one of the qualifiers who was robber of her spot at the trials was a Playmakers elite runner.

USATF is a bureaucratic nightmare as usual. Completely f**cking a few runners because they didn't get their slice of the entry fee pie at Detroit. USATF knows for a fact that two runners ran the qualifying time over 13.1 and they will not let them in the trails because politics.

Freep RD's played the "we arn't a fast race" card and refused to pay the fee. They did this knowing that it would prevent two runners who went to their race expecting a shot at the trials from competing at the trails. Crushing two great locals runners dreams. Some support of the running community.

TLDR: USTAF is predictably corrupt, greedy, and bureaucratic. Detroit Free-Press marathon proves that it does not support the local sport of running by refusing to work with USATF.

runnerboy1 wrote:

Not surprised by the USATF non sanction, although if Doug Kurtis is still race director, having Oly Qualifiers at 'his' race would certainly keep his ego inflated. Unsure why he was not aware of the sanctioning. Rachel McFarland is the Playmakers NB athlete who ran 115 last year in the half, and now apparently does not have a qualifier. As for GMs record - - will never be broken. His was run on a much different course which took the runners out to and around the Grosse Pointe areas of Detroit, which are some very high end lake front and yacht club property. Meyer only ran because of a promotional tie in with his then sponsor Brooks and some local connection. That course was very fast, however the GP Sunday am church traffic pitched a fit about traffic inconvenience and the course was changed to mostly downtown and Belle Isle. Current course view is pretty good, although the road surface on the Detroit side mirrors Michigan Avenue in Fallujah.