We just got the following press release from USATF.
Update: Re-reading the release, we think it's possible another city could be added to the mix but right now it looks like it will be held in one of those 4 cities.
We just got the following press release from USATF.
Update: Re-reading the release, we think it's possible another city could be added to the mix but right now it looks like it will be held in one of those 4 cities.
I vote no to Florida, might be too hot and humid in march.
Sorry I misread that it's the bids that are due in March, not the race. But still would prefer they stay away from cities that could have weather effect the event.
If it's in Orlando it better be held in conjunction with the Disneyworld marathon. Where dreams come true!
If it's in Orlando it better be held in conjunction with the Disneyworld marathon. Where dreams come true! Here is a release from the Atlanta Track Club.
Maybe stick could troll Rupp in person if it was in 'Nooga.
I hope Bekele destroy's the field. I'm sure he will get gold in the olympics. I don't know if he would go to any of them cities though. He wants to get the world records and it will be hotter and slower them races. Hopefully he gets the world record in London, then we will see. That should qualify him for the olympics literally.
Why don't they just use the Boston Marathon as the course. Two birds with one stone.
Tokyo in August-September is likely to be 73 to 79 degrees with some humidity. Which city would match that best?
I vote Chattanooga...has rivers and hills and stuff around there.
you never know about the weather and shouldn't be a big selection breaker...
recent memory had a frigid Birmingham and scorching LA
Both Atlanta and Chatty is a bit rolling, could be hilly even with a criterium-style course
Austin is hilly too
Guessing Orlando would be mouse-themed loops in an amusement park
Just because the committee makes the selection doesn't mean that's the location- as in 2016
it's mostly about what the LOC is willing to spend
my early pick= Orlando
I wish Brazil had trials, it would be exciting. But then again if the standard was 2:19 we'd have like 5-10 participants haha
It's not just Orlando. You could get hot and/or humid weather in any of those locations depending on the time of year. Unless you put the trials somewhere like San Diego or San Francisco with comparatively stable weather, weather could easily be an issue anywhere.
The bidders are all decent locations, but I thought the best trials were in 2008 when they did the men on a loop course in Central Park on the Saturday before the NYCM and the women on a loop course in Boston before the Boston Marathon. The timing might not be ideal, but you got a lot of marathon fans from the mass participation races as spectators and the races were all good. The local people in NY and Boston might not want to bid on it again, however, and USATF is apparently requiring men and women on the same day.
Hardloper wrote:
If it's in Orlando it better be held in conjunction with the Disneyworld marathon. Where dreams come true!
It will bring the average finish time down to 5:45:15
It will be the most tactical race ever(that was me been witty)
My vote goes to Chattanooga because that’s the only place that wouldn’t be some giant cluster to get around the city. The traffic in Austin and Atlanta is awful, and Orlando just generally blows.
2nd in Orlando so they can have the race in Epcot and capture the international spirit of the Olympics.
I would really hate to see Disney host the trials. Lodging gets very expensive during the Disney marathon. And I wouldn't put it past Disney to make people get a pass to the park to see the marathon trials. Also, the top runners would have to skip fall and spring races. That was one of the major beefs with scheduling in Houston.
Chattanooga is just too small. I would not trust a small race with hosting a big event like the trials.
Absent a big check from Disney to sway the results, I think it is really between Atlanta and Austin. Both would have a hilly trials course, but the NY course in central park was hilly and it was an excellent race. Both cities are set up well with hotels and restaurants. Austin is a bit more user friendly downtown, but Atlanta has rail access from the airport. Atlanta will be the sentimental favorite because of the Olympics and the Peachtree Road Race. But Austin would be a lot of fun for the athletes. My vote is for Austin.
My question is - when would the marathons be?
Looking at this year's dates:
Austin - February 18, 2018
Chatanooga - March 2-4, 2018
Atlanta - March 18, 2018
Orlando - ??? - Are they just going to create a special marathon for this?
Orlando has a marathon each November, but only 31 people completed it according to marathonguide.com. The course looks dicey.
There are two other possibilities - Disney Marathon, run the equivalent of last weekend, or the Town of Celebration Marathon, which is January 28, 2018 and had 431 finishers.
If the Olympic Trials were in Disney, that would be a disaster, even if they had to make a special course. The actual Disney Course, while fun to run on, is not meant for a championship style race. There are too many tight turns and spaces where you are pretty much running single file. And - Disney Marathon itself begins at 5 am (in complete darkness) so that people have finished before the parks can open for the day. No way that would fly with the USOC/USATF, which would want the race to begin at a bit later, say 8 am. Disney would not close the parks for that long. Also, if a special course were created that did not include the parks, the rest of Disney is just highways going to and from hotels/theme parks. The Course would be TERRIBLE for spectating.
The marathon in Celebration shows promise - but I question whether it could hold the race itself. A small town trying to host a few hundred runners, not to mention coaches, families, the rest of the crowds..... Might be a bit much.
Between his connections at ATC and his prior work up in Boston with Global Athletics, Rich Kenah has the connections to land the race in Atlanta. I can't see the TrackShack folks in Orlando being about to out leverage Rich. And I don't even know who would have the ear of folks at USATF for the other two sites.
Disney won’t host the trials, they’re arent interested in small potatoes events like this. It probably would take place in Orlando proper.
I think you might be over estimating the size of the event. We are talking about a few hundred runners on a looped course that probably isn’t any longer than 10k. That’s easier logistics than the local Turkey Trot. Tennessee-Chattanooga football games probably are more difficulty to manage than the marathon trials. I would rather a smaller city like Chattsnooga gets all excited to host rather than the event lost in the mix of a typical weekend of Austin or Atlanta.