Do You Really Think That Eliminating the 5000 and 10,000 Meter Races Will Benefit Track and Field?

jamin wrote:

exrunner wrote:

Silver lining:

The 3000m WR might get broken

And no one will know or care.

I often have to explain to sports-informed people how many laps are in an 800m race.

And that is the whole point of the thread. Nobody outside of our sport is going to care either way. Why should we then try to draw them in away for example from their baseball game to watch track. It's not going to happen.

So we should have some pride in ourselves and uphold the events on their own merit and not because some ignorant idiot gets bored watching a 13 minute race.

otter wrote:

jamin wrote:

And no one will know or care.

I often have to explain to sports-informed people how many laps are in an 800m race.

And that is the whole point of the thread. Nobody outside of our sport is going to care either way. Why should we then try to draw them in away for example from their baseball game to watch track. It's not going to happen.

So we should have some pride in ourselves and uphold the events on their own merit and not because some ignorant idiot gets bored watching a 13 minute race.

Otter,

Do you understand that tickets to 80,000 plus stadiums must be sold? Marketing personnel are on the phones attempting to sell tv commercial time. Referring to others as idiots is not helpful. 7 1/2 laps is more intense for runners and fans. We want broadcasters to announce races with passion and enthusiasm. Have you heard Paul Allen, Canterbury Park announce thoroughbred horse races? There is no way announcers can give thoroughbred horse racing passion for 13 & 27 minute races.

They will isolate the audience that cares in favor of an audience that will not attend.

It's like trying to sell hamburgers to a vegetarian.

Our sport is not going to be a mainstream sport, and it will not become a mainstream sport by eliminating a 13 minute race in favor of a 7:30 race. A difference of five minutes and thirty seconds.

I checked out the IAAF council to see who was on from USA- once I remembered Frankie Frederick was from Namibia, I noticed our rep is ----- Stephanie Hightower. pretty sure now this whole sprint project is from Stephanie and Max to further piss off Vin L.

otter wrote:

Our sport is not going to be a mainstream sport, and it will not become a mainstream sport by eliminating a 13 minute race in favor of a 7:30 race. A difference of five minutes and thirty seconds.

I don't understand that. They can only stuff two 3 minute commercial breaks in a 3k whereas they could stuff four!!! 3 minute commercial breaks during the 5k.

Not about the actual events.... wrote:

otter wrote:

Our sport is not going to be a mainstream sport, and it will not become a mainstream sport by eliminating a 13 minute race in favor of a 7:30 race. A difference of five minutes and thirty seconds.

I don't understand that. They can only stuff two 3 minute commercial breaks in a 3k whereas they could stuff four!!! 3 minute commercial breaks during the 5k.

That's not how it works. Have to elevate the value of each 30 seconds. Going be your theory, 100 mile ultras would be a gold mine. Watch seven seasons of Mad Men then get back to us. It's better to hype a 7 1/2 lap 7:30 race, 60 seconds a lap than a 13:10 5K.

say no to drugs wrote:

they said the ... wrote:

Letsrun posters (or gals/guys in the coffee shops, pubs and tea houses) said the same thing in 1909 when five miles XC was dropped from Olympics. I believe every 5000m Olympic gold medalist since 1960 was also capable of earning a medal in 3000m or Marathon. As long as 3000m is added, this will be exciting! Forget four minute mile as badge of honor. The new badge of honor: sub-7:30 3000m.

Letsrun posters from 1909?

Every Olympic gold medalist since 1960 was capable of earning a medal in the 3000 or the Marathon?

Diamond league mile? Olympic mile?

Time for rehab guy

Ahem, they ran in leather shoes, some drank wine because it was safer than water, the ran in heavier clothing, the roads were not paved (rutted dirt), and the advanced pharmaceuticals of today did not exist.

Too bad the people responsible for making powerful decisions about where to spend organizational resources didn't include message board poster "otter" in their consultant group.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

Nobody is going to watch 5km or 10km on the road. If people think track is boring they will be asleep watching road races as it cannot to be televised as well no obvious visual indicators like 400m to go etc

I wouldn't be so sure. Cycling is moving towards that model. The Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal consists of 16 laps of a 12K circuit. It has attracted good crowds.

There is no reason to believe running couldn't have the same success. Marathons are televised and the usual criticism is of the standard of commentary and lack of split screens etc rather than the quality of the filming. Marathons attract good crowds yet you only see the runners once. Having a lap route gives the spectators the chance to see the elites several times over. Personally I think it is only a matter of time until the 5k and 10K become road races at the Olympics.

Eliminat the decathlon. No one wants to watch that

Evan Jogger wrote:

The majority of track fans aren't sitting through these races with sustained interest at meets.

Says who ? Have they (IAAF) made a survey ?

If it's really necessary to reduce the disciplines of running, they should eliminate 200m and hold 1000m instead of 800+1500.

If one argues a 5000m runner should be capable to win 3000m, then i can argue that a 200m runner should be capable ti win either 100 or 400m as well.

100 / 400 / 1000 / 5000 makes much more sense to me than 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1500 / 3000m.

And what about other disciplines ?

Is it really interesting to see people throwing 4 different objects (shot, discus , hammer , javelin) ?

I understand that all require different techniques and i don't want to disrespect their performances - but i even hate when they show the attempts during a 5000/10000m race because i can't see all lap/km-splits.

Camelfred wrote:

Evan Jogger wrote:

The majority of track fans aren't sitting through these races with sustained interest at meets.

Says who ? Have they (IAAF) made a survey ?

If it's really necessary to reduce the disciplines of running, they should eliminate 200m and hold 1000m instead of 800+1500.

If one argues a 5000m runner should be capable to win 3000m, then i can argue that a 200m runner should be capable ti win either 100 or 400m as well.

100 / 400 / 1000 / 5000 makes much more sense to me than 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1500 / 3000m.

And what about other disciplines ?

Is it really interesting to see people throwing 4 different objects (shot, discus , hammer , javelin) ?

I understand that all require different techniques and i don't want to disrespect their performances - but i even hate when they show the attempts during a 5000/10000m race because i can't see all lap/km-splits.

They should have a banana throwing contest instead of those 4 random objects. I bet Bekele is a good thrower

I am surprised more people can't see the potential upside to this, switching the 5K and 10K to road races could well turn out beneficial to the sport. High quality road races do get good spectator turnout, and are visually more interesting than running on the track. It is just at the moment there are very few elite races except the major marathons and half marathons. But if other distances become popular the exposure could be significant.

Oh, and there's 5th Avenue Mile:

https://www.runnerstribe.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Simpson_Muir_Kampf_Eccleston_FAM_2016_300m_To_Go_Smaller_Jane_Monti.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/2018_5th_Avenue_Mile_CQ-7532_%2843937723544%29.jpg/1200px-2018_5th_Avenue_Mile_CQ-7532_%2843937723544%29.jpg

I went to a small college invite the other day. Everything, field events included, through the 1500 were epic and fun to watch. The 3K was alright. The 5K had two competitors, and it was over at three laps. A ten minute lull in the fun right there.

Everything is going to shorter, faster, tighter, or you lose viewers and interest. T&F is no exception.

5K and higher should be on the roads. Maybe if there were no more 5 and 10K track races, road racing might be a thing again. I wouldn't complain.

I fail to see why road races of 5k and 10k should be more exciting. The stage the race is in is much clearer with laps than with on the road. And one the points of meets in a stadium is that there is something going on all the time, or even two things at once, e.g. High Jump and 5k race. If not much happens in the 5k one can focus on High Jump and vice versa. If not much happens during the road race, there is nothing else. And who is going to broadcast these road races? If a dozen indistinguishable East Africans running in circles are boring for some viewers how should this be less boring with road races over short distancens. How could there be enough interest in such a road race compared to a mixed DL meet with world class athletes in 10 or more different disciplines?

Many proposals on these boards already suggest starting the 5 or 10K before TV coverage starts, so only the last few laps might be shown. That tells me that we'd have "indistinguishable East Africans running in circles" for no viewers, or a largely bored crowd. Were that race around a town somewhat, at least it would be interesting to look at the sites while the race sorts itself out, sort of like network NYC Marathon coverage did forever.

Hfhfhfhh wrote:

The 5000 isn’t going way. It’s a stupid comment. Has the mile gone away? It’s never been a Diamond League event.

Its going away forever!!! this is the darkest day in track and field history!! what a travesty!!! the 5k will never be ran again!! ahhh!!