There are too many runners in the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon

You're not serious if you really think you model excellence and quality. ?

I agree with this. The country is ripe for some kind of Hobby Jobber Championships (find a better name), and let all these no-chance to make the team, runners compete for the Common Man Championship, if you will.

With the right marketing, this could be BIG.

Open up the standard a bit, 2:25 for men/2:50 for women, but have time cutoffs every 5k.

If you're off qualifying pace at 5k you're pulled off the course. At 10k if you're behind OTQ-5 you're gone etc.

Just think of the drama when someone is being picked up by the lag wagon at 35k while running 2:15 pace.

I felt the exact same for a long time in my younger days. I held the view that this race should only be for the crème de la crème, that if you raise the bar then people will simply, naturally rise up to that level. I also knew I had no shot even if that bar was set at 2:30, or at least I felt I didn't and had no resources (coaching, group) available to me at that point to even try and so I didn't. Yep, like many here I convinced myself to feel left out and to feel contempt for those I also didn't subjectively feel belonged. I was woefully naïve, then I grew up and found a more holistic view. I saw the significant cognitive dissonance that had plagued my mindset. I also got to know, train with, and coach people who stuck with the sport when they could be doing any number of other things with their time, helped form groups to support aiming for the OTQ in the marathon. I saw first-hand the evolution of the "sub-elite" part of the sport from a barren wasteland in the late '90s to a flourishing and fun robust community today. I could choose to feel jealous that I couldn't find that during my own years of relative prime, but that's not helpful to anyone. I could also let envy lead me to resent those with better ability who can take a shot and expect to come close, as I see oozing through the attitudes of many posts here, but I'd rather be happy than sad. No participant on Saturday can realistically take the shine off anyone else's quality, as I saw first-hand in LA this truly is a both/and beneficial scenario. This is the rising tide that lifts all boats, if you actually love the sport then this is the ideal you want to see playing out. There are multifaceted incentives to stick with or return to the sport after college, that there's a meaningful goal to shoot for (beyond BQ) and meaningful support to help get there. It would be even better with a few different levels of tangible, annual goals with requisite support and reward between BQ and OTQ, but we're not there yet. Talk to anyone who was paying close attention leading into Y2K, without the Trent Brineys of the world we'd probably be seeing Olympic teams produced exclusively by NOP and BTC -- and two or one men and women in the marathon -- and little more than one-dimensional interest in the sport at that level. It would be a whole lot less interesting to a whole lot of people.

It's part of the participation medals mentality that this generation grew up with.

U know nothing Jon Snow wrote:

Kenya had 90 guys run sub 2:10 last year

Ethiopia had 68

Japan had 8

USA had 1

Olympic marathon is not really competitive compared to any major

Don’t bother posting on this thread if you don’t follow the sport. Everyone knows that we had 3 (even with Rupp dropping out late), and you are advertising your ignorance.

We should count ourselves pretty lucky we have more qualifiers in 2020 than in 1986. Given growing standards of living, a 50% increase in the general population, and a growing interest in global marathoning, it would be worrisome if we have fewer marathon qualifiers year in and year out. Honestly, I’d have expected more than 260 men’s qualifiers given just the basic trends listed above...

doctorj wrote:

Does it sound convincing to any of you that the male minimum Marathon standard for this race is slower than the times of the top woman in the world? Do you see now how ridiculous that 2:19 standard is? If you can't see that, then I am terribly sorry for ya'll, go ahead keep glorifying mediocrity.

Blogstar wrote:

It's part of the participation medals mentality that this generation grew up with.

These sentiment are absolute bull$hit.

If you are in the top 500 or top 200 athletes in the most popular participation sport in a country of over 300 million, you are not mediocre. There are 832 full scholarship NCAA basketball players in the tournament. There are 780 active MLB roster spots at any given time. There are 713 NHL roster spots. Nobody would suggest that these sports are "glorifying mediocrity."

I'm not suggesting there's a raw equivalency (for instance, on the one hand there are a lot more people who run than play ball sports, but on the other hand, the ball sports leagues draw from other countries and financial incentives make it unlikely that the most talented will quit). I'm just pointing out that running seems to be one of the only sports where the hardcore fans are so invested in arguing that everyone is terrible unless they're in world record shape.

Most qualifiers have had to train basically like professional athletes, on top of full time jobs, kids, etc. There are countless thousands more who gave it their all for YEARS trying to reach that level and failed. And the the only people who start that journey are people who are already at the very thin end of the bell curve. So honestly, eff you for calling an OTQ a participation medal.

+1

Absolute garbage post.

The best runners will be gone within 1km, it's a great occasion that gives many purpose and helps the sport. I can't even be arsed to elaborate further.

Dear USATF. There are too many qualifiers these days. Please Eliminate 3.

PS. I am NOT a crackpot.

There are 3 spots for the US marathon team in 2020 for each sex , maybe less for women when transgenders start winning in the division . There are how many spots in NCCA Basketball and MLS Baseball? Also, it's running, how many runners will be at the olympics, It's more like a tryout for only basketball centers or only baseball pitchers.

dunes runner wrote:

otter wrote:

They need to drop the female standard so it is consistent with the men. 500+ is crazy

Are you a woman?????

If not, then it's none of your business.

Are you a trials qualifying woman?????

If not, then it’s none of your business.

Yup ... everyone is sub elite; let them all in. That’s the problem, everyone doesn’t deserve to be part of the Olympic Trials. Get rid of the majority of the downhill marathons (CIM..lol, joke race) we might be going in the right direction. Think before you post your drivel.

Yeah, Giant and elite basketball centers are a better comparison because like elite marathoners they are freaks of nature. How many Basketball centers should be given a chance at the Olympic team?

Hitting the current standard to get into the Trials takes a pretty talented and dedicated athlete.

Leaving the standard as it is gives them something to shoot for.

Dropping the standard by several minutes would leave a big hole in the running community, I believe.

I think a lot of good runners would quit.

I don't see the positive in making it harder.

It certainly doesn't hurt the selection as it is now.

Just get rid of the B standards. A standard only. Would be more like 70-90 runners most likely. I'd watch that!

^ wrote:

Yup ... everyone is sub elite; let them all in. That’s the problem, everyone doesn’t deserve to be part of the Olympic Trials. Get rid of the majority of the downhill marathons (CIM..lol, joke race) we might be going in the right direction. Think before you post your drivel.

Who says you should be the arbiter of who's deserving? Based on the level of intelligence and understanding you display here, you're unworthy. But you can still post on the LRMB, so not all is lost!

To know that a 2:44 woman is not going to make the team, we'd have to know that there was no chance of having weather in the upper 30s with rain and a strong wind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU10G8I4FZc