With no doubt about qualifying for the Olympics, time was not an issue. The only differences, and monetarily a fairly significant one, was the prize money for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd along with the honor of being Olympic Trials champion. When it came to that with Linden closing the gap, is when Cragg sped up - and at that point there was no doubt about the top three unless Flanagan physically collapsed on the course before finishing. When we get to the track trials, time may be an issue, especially for the 10000m, where it is not unusual for one or more of the top 3 finishers to not have an Olympic qualifying time.
With no doubt about qualifying for the Olympics, time was not an issue. The only differences, and monetarily a fairly significant one, was the prize money for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd along with the honor of being Olympic Trials champion. When it came to that with Linden closing the gap, is when Cragg sped up - and at that point there was no doubt about the top three unless Flanagan physically collapsed on the course before finishing.
When we get to the track trials, time may be an issue, especially for the 10000m, where it is not unusual for one or more of the top 3 finishers to not have an Olympic qualifying time.
Oh, I know the time didn't matter. I just had never seen something like that before. Maybe it happens a lot and I've just never seen it.
Why is it not unusual for the top 10000m people not to have a qualifying time? I know nothing about the 10000m.
Are we there, yet?
Oh, I know the time didn't matter. I just had never seen something like that before. Maybe it happens a lot and I've just never seen it. Why is it not unusual for the top 10000m people not to have a qualifying time? I know nothing about the 10000m.
There aren't many opportunities to race 10000m on the track. Some of them are very early in the season before the runners are in top shape. Remember that road times aren't accepted. The standards are 28:00 for men and 32:15 for women. Last year only 8 American men, one by .12 seconds, and 14 women met that standard all year. That includes Rupp, Cragg, and Flanagan, who are all qualified for the marathon. It's not likely that Cragg and Flanagan would also attempt a double in the 10000m. Some of them may opt for the 5000m instead. Most will not attempt a 5000m/10000m double.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.