Is it possible? Could people do a half to get a qualifier and then actually compete at NCAAs if they made this a collegiate event? Has it been proposed? The US has some untapped talent that could be discovered sooner than later. Thoughts?
Is it possible? Could people do a half to get a qualifier and then actually compete at NCAAs if they made this a collegiate event? Has it been proposed? The US has some untapped talent that could be discovered sooner than later. Thoughts?
It's already an event in NAIA. I think the current system makes sense though because it gives the younger guys a chance to run fast in the 1500 / 5K / 10K while they still can.
Where I see room for improvement is some sort of USATF 'bridge' program that funds talented NCAA graduates for their performance in road marathons / etc. Then again, USATF already has a lot on their plates.
The future wrote:
Is it possible? Could people do a half to get a qualifier and then actually compete at NCAAs if they made this a collegiate event? Has it been proposed? The US has some untapped talent that could be discovered sooner than later. Thoughts?
If you aren't competive at 10k, you aren't going to be much of a marathoner latter. Having a bunch guys run 2:20-2:25 guys isn't going to help development much
You might find one or two using a half as a test. But, generally, if the genetics are there, you'll see it at many aerobic distances. In this sense, a 10k is sufficient to identify talent.
For reference - http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=1109594&page=1
I don't think it makes much sense. College sports is about regular competitions against other schools in your division, followed by a championship tournament (or similar) at the end of the season. Marathoning simply doesn't fit the bill. You've only got maybe 2 marathons in your legs per year.
well...... wrote:
I don't think it makes much sense. College sports is about regular competitions against other schools in your division, followed by a championship tournament (or similar) at the end of the season. Marathoning simply doesn't fit the bill. You've only got maybe 2 marathons in your legs per year.
Do you know that when Buddy Edelen set the marathon WR in June of 1963 it was the sixth marathon he'd run in a year? If you look at old issues of Track and Field News that have their annual rankings you'll see that marathoners like Jack Foster, Ron Hill, the Japanese of that era often ran 2 to 7 marathons a year and were ranked in multiple years. I have a friend who started running marathons in 1966 and had a best of 2:16:54 in 1969. In 1983, in what was his 96th or 97th marathon, he got a new PR of 2:15:31. That's an average of over five marathons a year for seventeen years.
That's not an argument for having the NCAA stage one or to not stage one. But we seem to have developed this idea that the way to get good at marathons is to run very few of them and I think that's not the case.
HRE wrote:But we seem to have developed this idea that the way to get good at marathons is to run very few of them and I think that's not the case.
That is partially because of the doping though. Stay out of competition to "gear up" then show up never testing positive, and have a great (inhuman) marathon.
Unrelated: I'm not saying runners should master a half, or even a 10k, but there will be a talent pool that rises to the top. A few will find their niche at longer distances with the added benefit of a years of high intensity before adding huge mileage.
That's assuming your competition is clean, which they most assuredly are not.
Forget the marathon. The future is mountain and trail racing.
Good point, but that would work a lot better in places where there is little or no out of competition testing. I read that last year, or maybe the year before, Galen Rupp was the most tested athlete in the sport so I can't see where he'd be risking much if he raced more often as far as drug testing goes.
This would be a waste.
Another under-funded college athletic program that no one would watch.
If they want to run a marathon, they had one last week in New York.
Most weekends, anywhere across the country, you can drive to a marathon.
I think it'd be great to have it. Just merge with one of the current large marathons around the country. As a spectator it would be real cool to watch a collegiate championship in addition to my friend or wife who's running
When would you hold this event? In the spring before outdoor really gears up and after indoors? I would assume most collegiate marathoners would be on the cross country team in the fall, no? Or during outdoors in June when it's warm?
HRE wrote:
well...... wrote:I don't think it makes much sense. College sports is about regular competitions against other schools in your division, followed by a championship tournament (or similar) at the end of the season. Marathoning simply doesn't fit the bill. You've only got maybe 2 marathons in your legs per year.
Do you know that when Buddy Edelen set the marathon WR in June of 1963 it was the sixth marathon he'd run in a year? If you look at old issues of Track and Field News that have their annual rankings you'll see that marathoners like Jack Foster, Ron Hill, the Japanese of that era often ran 2 to 7 marathons a year and were ranked in multiple years. I have a friend who started running marathons in 1966 and had a best of 2:16:54 in 1969. In 1983, in what was his 96th or 97th marathon, he got a new PR of 2:15:31. That's an average of over five marathons a year for seventeen years.
That's not an argument for having the NCAA stage one or to not stage one. But we seem to have developed this idea that the way to get good at marathons is to run very few of them and I think that's not the case.
Yeah and the times are so much faster now that we figured out that is stupid to run so many marathons/
Seriously mate? wrote:
When would you hold this event? In the spring before outdoor really gears up and after indoors? I would assume most collegiate marathoners would be on the cross country team in the fall, no? Or during outdoors in June when it's warm?
As mentioned, it's been part of NAIA Outdoor Track for who knows how long. They hold it in May as part of the multi-day Nationals. Usually hot. Most athletes get a half marathon qualifier in the winter (after XC season) or sometime in the spring. A few guys who went the NAIA marathon route have qualified for past Olympic Marathon Trials.
I think it would be great.
What I would do: have the one-time marathon event include ALL marathon runners from ALL colleges and universities from each division (10 max per team? 5 men, 5 women?)...would be epic.
How many westerners now run faster than Hill did, or Rodgers, for that matter, who also ran multiple marathons in a normal year?
DPL wrote:
I think it would be great.
What I would do: have the one-time marathon event include ALL marathon runners from ALL colleges and universities from each division (10 max per team? 5 men, 5 women?)...would be epic.
No one knows what this means.
Sara Palin wrote:
DPL wrote:I think it would be great.
What I would do: have the one-time marathon event include ALL marathon runners from ALL colleges and universities from each division (10 max per team? 5 men, 5 women?)...would be epic.
No one knows what this means.
One marathon for all divisions D1, D2, D3, NAIA
The best time would be to hold it in February in a warmer state like Texas. (more in the middle of the U.S.) That would give the xc runners 10-12 weeks after xc which would be plenty to use their fitness and get in a good block of marathon training. They would then have a month to recover before ramping back up for track. This would take the place of indoor track for the longer distance runners when 5k is the longest indoor distance event.
They could get an event to host it like the Austin marathon which has around 3,000 finishers and could easily handle the event. Maybe subsidize the entry fee. Each team could set a qualifying standard for their own athletes based on how many they want to take rather than a race standard since really anybody could enter on their own. It would be more prestigious as a stand alone event "National College Marathon Championships" rather than just one event of a championship meet.
What is the threshold that separates a "hobbyjogger" from a "sub-elite" runner?
Caitlin Clark thinks she can beat Eagles draft pick Cooper Dejean in 1 on 1
Cade Flatt with yet another DNF, this time in the SEC Championships
Do "running influencers" harm the competitive nature of the sport?
NCAA D1 Conference Outdoor Championships Live Results and Discussion Thread