TLW wrote:
There should be no half qualifier and the marathon time should be 2:22.
I'm in total agreement or a more strict half time like 1:03ish. I think there is a pretty big difference between 2:19 and 2:22. 2:22 would keep some folks motivated/training. I think it would be good for a race like this to get a lot of positive press/buzz for the 2:21:55 runner who has a family/full time job living out their dream by making the trials.
I guess the competing opinion is that by tightening the standard, you'll push people to run faster. I just think that 2:18 or even 2:22 is so vastly different from a 2:10. The people up front still know how the US stacks up when it comes to bigtime marathons. I think Rupp and Meb are still going to keep working hard. The standards are irrelevant to them.
I say let in some 2:21 runners. If it is a resource issue, make B standard folks pay a registration fee. The extra say, 30-50 runners, isn't going to make or break the trials. Also I feel like 2:22 is closer to the 2:45 women's standard. We've had more women qualifying lately but also more using the marathon.