‘WEATHER’ or Not to Have Olympic Trials?
For those of you who know me, you know that I am very optimistic, positive, and ‘world loving’ per se. This post will give you some insight into the other side of me. There is unquestionably a lot of hype in the air in Toronto as our FAKE Olympic Trials are about to commence. I must give props to Alan Brookes and The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon team. They have done an incredible job of promoting our sport. Furthermore, this is a first class event! That being said…
THIS IS NOT AN OLYMPIC TRIALS. Let me tell you why.
There has been plenty of chatter concerning the ridiculousness of The Canadian Olympic Standards, thus I will let that issue rest. No, wait. One last jab. They are completely absurd.
What I would like to discuss is the weather forecast for tomorrow’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. As of 8:00am on Saturday morning, they are calling for isolated showers, a high of 14, and 35km/h winds from the west. Does this mean our top Canadian guys will drop out at the half way point if the wind proves to be too much? If I was their coach, I would say yes. These gentlemen cannot afford a ‘less than standard’ race (other than Coolsaet). If they drop out, they might be able to re-group and join Bairu in Japan.
Bairu must be licking his chops right now. Bairu pulled out of The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon a few weeks ago due to various circumstances. He immediately put The Fukuoka Marathon on December 4th on his schedule. Bairu might have great conditions in Japan, and moreover, he will know exactly what time he needs to run based on the STWM results.
Furthermore, let’s say that Coolsaet, Gillis, and Wykes hit the Canadian Olympic Standard tomorrow morning. They will be forced to not only run, but peak for another marathon on April 22nd, 2012 BECAUSE Bairu, Watson, and Louiselle for example would be able to steal their spots at The London Marathon on April 22nd, 2012 (the last day to hit the marathon standard). They either run on April 22nd or hit refresh 1,000 times on their computers as the remaining Olympic hopefuls run the streets of London.
Furthermore, they would be required to recover and prepare for the Olympic Games just 15 weeks later, whereas the U.S. Olympic Team will be decided mid-January, providing them with ample time to prepare for The Olympic Games.
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is not a race, just another glorified time-trial. If this was a REAL Olympic Trials, the weather would not be an issue, and we would all just race our lil’ hearts out to see who finishes in the top 3!!!
GIVE US AN OLYMPIC TRIALS WHERE THE TOP 3 UNDER 2:15 GET TO GO!!!
What if every country only sent guys that run under 2:11:29? Would the host city want to put on a marathon for 20 people? I think not. Canada is disrespecting the host city and the institution of the Olympic Games. It cannot be funding. I would personally pay for my own flight and sleep on a park bench if I had to.
2:20 would have put you in 35th place at The 2008 Olympic Games!
I just want to state that I will be hammering through the finish line regardless of the weather (barring any major injuries, of course).
Good Luck to everyone running tomorrow!
