Des may skip the Olympic Trials

Probably smart as seems highly likely she wouldn't make the team this year.

Why risk it?

That's means Gwen Jorgensen is sure to get in...

The Beers were talking wrote:

This will change the way many top level Pro Americans handle the Olympics in the future. The only reason that top Ethiopians and Kenyans run the Olympic Games is because their Governments force them to.

Yeah, great post. It's not like they don't have huge shoe contract bonuses for making Olympic teams.

It's not like there isn't big money at the Trials and it's not like developing an image of being money hungry wouldn't hurt your brand.

Skipping the Trials and the chance to compete for an Olympic berth to go chase a payday at a WMM would be career suicide for an American.

In 2020 she'll be 37. Probably not much career left to suicide?

rojo wrote:

It's not like there isn't big money at the Trials and it's not like developing an image of being money hungry wouldn't hurt your brand.

Huh, what what?

Rojo = ruthless and informed.

Des Linden is a competitor + rumblings that she made 7 figures in 2018.

I'd be hella surprised if she opted out of an Olympic bid for the sake of running a WMM, no matter the appearance fee.

Dearest Rojo,

Des receives 100k appearance fee EACH to race NY and Boston plus dollars won plus Brooks bonuses.

If she runs the trials and finishes 3rd she earns about 35k plus the same Brooks bonuses. So she loses at least 65k

Olympics equals no prize money for her unless she medals Run NY instead and earn a minimu of $100k.

Skipping the trials will make her nearly 200k more than running trials.

Oh hey....doesn't anyone remember Nick Symmonds?

The Beers were talking wrote:

I predict (based on a little knowledge from Josh Cox) that Des Linden will run Boston Marathon in 2020 and skip the Olympic Trials. ...

An athlete like Des is hot right now and guaranteed big appearance fees at NY and Boston. However, if she runs poorly at the Trials she will go down significantly not to mention the inability to run both the trials and Boston.

It's also a chance to make the podium again in Boston and maybe for the first time in New York against fields weakened by the Olympics and Olympic trials. Politically it would be difficult but, honestly, it may not be a bad move. Hasay just came back from a serious injury and beat Linden by 2 minutes in Boston. If the top runners are healthy, Desi isn't a favorite to make the US Olympic team this cycle. I'm a fan but I'd bet Flanagan, Cragg, Hasay and Huddle ahead of her. Again, that's assuming all of those women are healthy which is never a given.

" Help me with the math" wrote -- "Skipping the trials will make her nearly 200k more than running trials."

Of course, I'm not NYRR or BAA or one of their sponsors...but if I'm considering a payment to someone -- who I'd want at promotional events and press conferences in front of audiences/media that are not exclusively running -- like TCS NYCM and Boston attract....

...I'd think long and hard about shelling out "the full payday" to someone who would not even try to make the team, and who would probably have to explain her absence. Bad optics in an Olympic sport in an Olympic year.

Faking a pre-Trials injury is almost as ugly. Looks like a papered-over drug bust.

Possible solution? Deliberately eat something that causes food poisoning the day before the Trials, puke all over the start line, DNF after a mile and puke some more.

themanontherun wrote:

Skipping the Trials and the chance to compete for an Olympic berth to go chase a payday at a WMM would be career suicide for an American.

KK?

Why is everyone in this thread thinking this is money related? She said many times how much she loves boston. And the time to try to win it again is the year where everyone is headed to the trials instead. And as everyone pointed out already she is probably not the favourite to make a team against Hasay, Cragg and Huddle and maybe Shalane and Sisson as well. So she will gain nothing by placing 4th ot 5th in the trials. But trying to win Boston again must be way more exciting.

Seems like the BAA and USATF could work things out so that it would be possible to run Boston AND the Trials, and perhaps even make them the same race. Maybe that makes too much sense.

rojo wrote:

The Beers were talking wrote:

This will change the way many top level Pro Americans handle the Olympics in the future. The only reason that top Ethiopians and Kenyans run the Olympic Games is because their Governments force them to.

Yeah, great post. It's not like they don't have huge shoe contract bonuses for making Olympic teams.

It's not like there isn't big money at the Trials and it's not like developing an image of being money hungry wouldn't hurt your brand.

The difference with Desi is she already has created her place in running. Hence, she could dictate where and what she does.

nnnmk wrote:

themanontherun wrote:

Skipping the Trials and the chance to compete for an Olympic berth to go chase a payday at a WMM would be career suicide for an American.

KK?

COMPLETELY different situation. Khalid was already living in the US and waiting on his US citizenship and chose not to run for Morocco because he would then be unable to run for US once he got his citizenship. It's basically the same as Cheserek now.

runningchick wrote:

Why is everyone in this thread thinking this is money related? She said many times how much she loves boston. And the time to try to win it again is the year where everyone is headed to the trials instead. And as everyone pointed out already she is probably not the favourite to make a team against Hasay, Cragg and Huddle and maybe Shalane and Sisson as well. So she will gain nothing by placing 4th ot 5th in the trials. But trying to win Boston again must be way more exciting.

But often, Boston is a trials "choice" for Kenyans. She might actually face a few Kenyans fighting it out to make their Olympic Team.

I also think the shoe money could make up for most of the lost appearance money.

runn wrote:

runningchick wrote:

Why is everyone in this thread thinking this is money related? She said many times how much she loves boston. And the time to try to win it again is the year where everyone is headed to the trials instead. And as everyone pointed out already she is probably not the favourite to make a team against Hasay, Cragg and Huddle and maybe Shalane and Sisson as well. So she will gain nothing by placing 4th ot 5th in the trials. But trying to win Boston again must be way more exciting.

But often, Boston is a trials "choice" for Kenyans. She might actually face a few Kenyans fighting it out to make their Olympic Team.

I also think the shoe money could make up for most of the lost appearance money.

There will always be East African competition at Boston and Desi has no chance of winning. If she does it she's trying to capitalize on appearance fees plain and simple.