I did dream. And boy did I work. From the mid eighties to the mid nineties I thought if I worked hard enough and kept dreaming, I might could punch a ticket to the Olympic Trials Marathon.
Important to note here, without a coach. One of the things I’d go back and change if I could. So full of youth and arrogance. Largely poo pooed the information that was available, thinking this wheel would be easy to reinvent.
I remember the day well when reality set in, the day the dream died. I cried just a little.
Saturday’s USA Olympic Marathon Trials are the largest in the history of the event. 373 runners.
These Are Not your dad’s trials. In the 70s there was a simple rule for the Trials. The 100th fastest Marathon time in the U.S. was the cutoff. Period. No B standards, no petitions by near misses. No excuses.
Saturday’s Trials are a different beast altogether.
211 men have qualified. A mere and disappointing 86 men qualified by running the marathon standard of 2:19:00. 27 hit the A standard of 2:15. 125 men qualified by running the requisite sub 1:05 half. Half marathoners are considered to have met the B standard, so 27 A qualifiers and 184 B qualifiers. Remember this one?
| Zach Hine | 1:04:48 | B | Twin Rivers Ymca Freedom Run | Valley NE USA | 9/7/2014 |
Here’s a stat I am proud of for personal reasons:
246 women have qualified. 198 by running the necessary 2:45. 42 hit the A standard of 2:37:00. 48 women achieved the B qualifier by running sub 1:15:00 for a total of 204 B qualifiers.
Some will say the women’s standard is too soft and thus explains the disparity in numbers.
My muy, muy unpopular position is that both male and female standards, both A & B, are too soft.
Remember this is from the guy that dreamed and worked. And then went into the very highest echelons of administration within our sport. And listened to America’s very best athletes. Shaped my opinions based on their input. That the more difficult the standard, the harder they will work to meet it.
Those Dreamers and Workers!
Thanks to Jason Zakaras for setting me straight on yesterday’s error. He now represents Team Nebraska (that was one of the things that threw me) and not LRC Racing. There is no Nebraska Ultra Trails team, it was a failed notion. Both Team Nebraska and LRC Racing have formed “MUT”, Moutain Ultra Trail divisions within their clubs. My error was in thinking that they had broken off and joined forces.
What I was correct about is that the are coming after Nebraska Run Guru Elite, the top club in Nebraska and the midwest in the realm of ultra and trails.
And I couldn’t be happier.
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