Fall Marathon OTQ?

There are a lot of good New England races in October since Chicago doesn't work out. Baystate is fast/flat. It's a double loop so you can put your people out on the course and potentially your fueling. Hartford is pretty flat but has some climbs. They do a NE Finest program that you can probably get into that gets you a comped entry + some other perks and there will be a few more folks to run with versus Bay State. Philly is fast. Plenty of people to run with there. Indy Monumental is an underrated option. Great weather that time of year and a fast course. CIM as a back up. I would go all in on something in October/November. Don't think about CIM but know it's there as a last resort. If you still don't have the standard it's a really good race to go to to chase it. There will be a pacer and a pack. You won't run by yourself the entire race. I just figure you would want to knock out the OTQ earlier to give you more time before Atlanta.

wow i just saw you post. in exactly the same boat. hartford was looking like a good weekend for me, but i don't know if it will be dense enough around that otq time. kind of considering bay state, but now getting into idea of twin cities weekend before columbus. i ran 2:46.40 at boston this year with no thoughts of otq in my mind at that point... but now really just need to get in a race with people around that time and faster. You chose one yet?

Indy Monumental normally has a good number of people qualify. It's pancake flat and has a $1,000 OTQ bonus. Weather in Indy is normally pretty ideal that time of year, too.

fall otq seeker wrote:

Indy Monumental normally has a good number of people qualify. It's pancake flat and has a $1,000 OTQ bonus. Weather in Indy is normally pretty ideal that time of year, too.

This. Plus they have pacers for you and you’d be able to have bottles at the elite fluid stations. The elite field is supposedly already almost triple the size of last year. So there will be more depth at your level than previous results. If it weren’t for CIM, I think this would become the go-to race for fall OTQs. I would plan on Indy with CIM as a fall back.

Also, re: Philadelphia, I would describe that as a fair course, not a particularly fast course. But conditions last year were perfect, and you’d have people to run with there for sure.

i didn't want to wait it out till november for indy or philly... and definitely didint want to have to do cim. what about twin cities?

cheeseplease wrote:

i didn't want to wait it out till november for indy or philly... and definitely didint want to have to do cim. what about twin cities?

I think Twin Cities is good but it's the toughest of the courses that have been mentioned. Should be people to run with. I've done it once & it's a really great race. There are just some unwelcome hills in the later stages that you don't get at other places.

Baystate, Chicago, Toronto, Mohawk Hudson, Hartford, Philly, Indy, Richmond, CIM. For October, I like Mohawk/Toronto/Baystate/Hartford, in that order. Mohawk will give you a bib, it's a similar layout to CIM with a net downhill but with less competition but you're pretty much guaranteed good weather. Toronto is an IAAF Gold Label race. I through it in since it's an easy get from the US. You can explore a cool city and the course is pretty flat and the weather usually pretty good. Downside that I've heard is that it's kinda quiet in terms of crowd support if you're used to a US major. Bay State and Hartford are solid options. Hartford does the NE finest program and is decently fast. Bay State is perfectly flat but is the most regional race I've listed in terms of competition.

My advice is to find something in October/November & then go for CIM if you don't get it. I think Indy is super solid. I know you said October but Indy is just the first weekend in November. They offer prize money for getting the standard. There will be other people going after it. Flat/fast course. Good weather.

Twin Cities is a great marathon. Good size, well run, and good competition. The weather is usually very good. The course is relatively fast, but not pancake flat like Chicago, Indy, or CIM. There are a few hills, one notable hill toward the end. Many friends of mine still have their marathon PRs from Twin Cities, even though many have also run "faster" courses.

Richmond is good if you want November. Fast, flat. Only trouble is some wind on a bridge.

Hartford wouldn't be my first choice, unless you can get into the NE Finest program. It's not a slow course, but not superfast either.

Also, in addition to the other options, I'd consider Columbus - late October; fast course.

[of course, for all of these options, make sure the race is USATF Sanctioned which is different than being on a certified course]

Twin Cities was my first marathon. It’s a beautiful course and a well organized race, but the hills come at a tough time. I’ve seen a lot of people fade there (definitely more folks than you would expect just from regular marathon fading). I know this is Letsrun and people will always just say “suck it up, what Hills?”, but 200 feet of elevation gain in a couple miles coming up from the Mississippi is noticeable and significant when you’re 20 miles into a marathon.

I checked the depth of runners finishing around your goal times at some of these October races and Toronto Waterfront looks good, Baystate also solid. (I don’t know if Toronto Waterfront is sanctioned, but would assume so). I’ve never heard anyone say that Hartford is a fast course. Mohawk Hudson is fast, but I disagree about the consistent weather. The last two years they’ve had tropical conditions. That one could get pretty bleak as far as people to run with and there’s the active whole train crossing situation. I don’t think it’s ever affected the leaders, but, in my opinion, it’s not worth any kind of risk of a train crossing at 30k if this is your shot at running an OTQ.

Indy Monumental still seems ideal though, but maybe not worth stretching the cycle if you are already deep in marathon training.

wow you people are great. super helpful.

twin cities is sounding good. baystate is a good option but since its not in prix this year... not sure if it will have as many people as last year..

i don't wear a gps watch and i primarily has raced long distance just going by feel and average splits.. so thats another reason i really want to just have people to run with.

If a course is easier than boston that's pretty fine with me... which does have a solid set of "hills" around mile 20...