Oly Trials Marathon Re-Run?

It doesn't seem to be the popular opinion but, yes, they should rerun it. There's just no strong correlation between how someone runs in Feb 2020 and how they will run in June 2021; there's barely correlation for JUne 2020.

No, it's not fair to the 6 who qualified, but the delay is not going to be "fair" to a lot of athletes (healthy this year, hurt next year, etc.). In the scheme of bad things that are happening to people due to the pandemic, these aren't anywhere near the top of the list.

.InjuryProne. wrote:

BOHICA wrote:

For plenty of very good reasons that have been explained on this board previously ad infinitum.

Okay so hypothetically speaking if someone breaks the American Record this fall it would be better to not include them in the team ? There’s a difference between what is fair and what is best for the team.

A fair process is more important than selecting the "best" team.

The Olympics is a competition. It's supposed to be best against the best, by Country.

Why do we hold a new trials every four years? Because whoever met standards, was running well, four years ago... that's old news.

Injuries, developing athletes, the toll of time... any number of reasons bring new runners to the fore while yesterday's cream curdles.

It happens in four years and it happens in one year.

Sucks for those athletes who qualified in the Marathon (and other events), but what sucks more is to send a sub-standard team out of sense of misplaced "fairness" or to stroke a few athlete's egos.

If they deserve to be there, they'll prove it (in a new trials).

simple solution: Let every country send 6 runners.

Ernest wrote:

The Olympics is a competition. It's supposed to be best against the best, by Country.

You definitely live up to your name, so naïve.

Like others I think it is only fair to rerun it. Perhaps the Olympics should allow a 4th person from each country over a certain population size to have a 4th team member.

The winners could be absolved of the need to re-race. The others race to prove their fitness -- simply because we know some ahole's who might be injured or past their prime would take a spot just so they could get all the Olympic experience, swag, and the free trip. We know that's been done before!

Kvothe wrote:

what next wrote:

They should rerun it, but can the ones who qualified also go? Maybe expand the field, they deserve to go to the Olympics since they qualified.

can't, few other countries have a qualifying race for the marathon, so they can't just let the us and a select few countries send 6.

That said, I don't believe they should rerun the race.

The IOC can basically do whatever they want. They're the IOC. Ghana doesn't need 6 competitors and many small countries don't want to send that many athletes...

IOC can make it negotiable, on a case by case basis, an maybe you get to send 4, like the IAAF/WA Chamionships

DirtyT wrote:

If the Olympics are delayed a whole year, as USATF and USA Swimming are requesting, then the marathon trials should be re-run. A guy like Abdi, who is older, is unlikely to be able to keep form for another whole year. Discus.

Those six athletes made the team. Don't punish them for things out of their control. They absolutely should not rerun it. That would be profoundly stupid. Sorry your favorite athletes couldn't show up on the day they needed to.

Right, because the IOC/USOC see such great ROI from the Olympic marathon. ?

Purple wrote:

Depending on when it was rescheduled for, I'd keep the team, but mandate that they hit a certain time standard (maybe even just in the half) before a certain time in the lead-up, to ensure that they're in shape and ready to go. If they don't hit it, the next in line who hits it gets to go.

Very Sensible.

Hounddogharrier wrote:

They qualified for the 2020 Olympic marathon. If they don’t have one all bets are off . The 1980 Olympic qualifiers didn’t get to run in 1984. I would say have a half marathon 6 weeks before the the Olympics . If the qualifiers run 1:06 for men , 1:13 women they are in . Also run the next 10 at/large finishers from this year’s trials . If one of the qualifiers can’t meet the time standard in the half , the highest finisher among the at large goes in his place .

The only problem is there WAS a 1980 Olympics. You just decided not to attend. Rupp et al qualified for the TOKYO Olympics. Has Japan already announced their marathon team?

Keep the team. Have an early year US Marathon Championship in 2021 and the top three there can be alternates in case someone who made the team in Atlanta ends up not going to Tokyo.

Since it’s a US Championship, you don’t have to pay for several hundred runners expenses.

Or just do it the way USATF does it for international competitions and go down the descending order list in case one of the three drops.

SouthernFriedRealist wrote:

Keep the team. Have an early year US Marathon Championship in 2021 and the top three there can be alternates in case someone who made the team in Atlanta ends up not going to Tokyo.

Since it’s a US Championship, you don’t have to pay for several hundred runners expenses.

Or just do it the way USATF does it for international competitions and go down the descending order list in case one of the three drops.

Can you imagine the uproar if say for example Emma Bates, Kellyn Taylor whoever ran an American record in this race and was told she was an alternate.

Wouldn't work.

Personally i think it should be re-run on a course that mimics Sapporo, only one stipulation NBC sports coverage gets commentators that actually know what they are talking about.

I like the imaginations of bored people stuck at home on this board, a novel departure from reality!

Cleaver Greene wrote:

Like others I think it is only fair to rerun it. Perhaps the Olympics should allow a 4th person from each country over a certain population size to have a 4th team member.

The winners could be absolved of the need to re-race. The others race to prove their fitness -- simply because we know some ahole's who might be injured or past their prime would take a spot just so they could get all the Olympic experience, swag, and the free trip. We know that's been done before!

Are you freaking kidding me?!? Seriously?!?

As much as you think it's not a big deal to add one or two additional athletes per country to the field, do you seriously think the IOC and/or Tokyo 2020 organizers, not to mention whatever federation that athlete comes from, wants to pay the costs to bring another one or two athletes in?

The IOC and/or Tokyo 2020 is losing money by postponing the Olympics, and they've been clamoring for years about putting a cap on total number of athletes in the Olympics.

The only way I might be on board with it is if they're in the top 50 of the World Athletics rankings AND they were not selected by their federation. They would add value to the quality of the race.

Earlyboy wrote:

SouthernFriedRealist wrote:

Keep the team. Have an early year US Marathon Championship in 2021 and the top three there can be alternates in case someone who made the team in Atlanta ends up not going to Tokyo.

Since it’s a US Championship, you don’t have to pay for several hundred runners expenses.

Or just do it the way USATF does it for international competitions and go down the descending order list in case one of the three drops.

Can you imagine the uproar if say for example Emma Bates, Kellyn Taylor whoever ran an American record in this race and was told she was an alternate.

Wouldn't work.

Personally i think it should be re-run on a course that mimics Sapporo, only one stipulation NBC sports coverage gets commentators that actually know what they are talking about.

Those ladies are tough competitors but none have them have a shot at Deena's record within the next year. They didn't make the Olympic team, so they are really owed nothing.

Double up wrote:

Here's an idea. Why doesn't the IOC invite countries to send up to six athletes per gender in the marathon?

Thus giving countries like the US the option to either run a second trial, or award a place to a form athlete. Others can stick to their original three, or select 3-6 from hereon according to each individual country.

Surely no harm in potentially doubling the size of a marathon field from say, 80 to 160. That would look like a very low key road race under normal circumstances.

Why should there be a special carve out for USA? Most other countries haven't even decided their team. They haven't had to. 2020 Olympic entries not submitted till June.

The U.S. process has never been about sending the best, but rather who had a great day on the day = Trials day.