You probably assume the process is simple, consistent and repeated, globally, when selecting Olympic marathon teams — none of the above apply

You probably have never thought about how nations select marathon runners to represent their respective countries at the Olympic Games. Unless you are a competitive runner, why would you? But saying that, if the question did not sound "loaded" like the way I have phrased it here, you would probably guess that a nation just sends its fastest. Be done with it, move on.

Nope. Not at all.

How do the Americans manage it?

The USA has a race that the national governing body, the "USATF" arranges for athletes who have pre-qualified to try to make the Olympic team. So, qualify for the Olympic Trials in another marathon (or half-marathon), then try to qualify for the Olympics at the Trials. This turn toward the Paris Olympic Games saw Orlando, Florida as the Trials race venue. It took place on February 3, 2024. Why so far in advance? Because, marathons are arduous, draining and damaging and it takes time to get over them. Then athletes need to start training again and will want to re-peak for another marathon, hopefully in Paris. So, it wasn't really that much in advance as far as marathons go. Most countries provide a one or one-and-a-half-year (give or take) window to qualify.

There are standards to achieve for everyone, with exceptions. So, men need to run sub-2:08:10 and women need to run sub-2:26:50. But, once again, it is not that simple. Athletes can race several times and earn points toward their global ranking. Athletes need to be ranked top 80 globally and or run under those finish times written above. Makes sense? No? Of course not.

The Olympics only accept 80 men and 80 women into the two marathon races, not like the regular professional marathons where you see 20,000 to 40,000 participants. The Olympics only allow three competitors per country, per the two primary genders, male and female. This way Kenya, Ethiopia or Japan, the top-three marathon nations, cannot send a whole bunch of athletes to try to take all the medals and make the races boring.

Kenya and Ethiopia could send over 100 each if there was no restrictions on team size.

So, the USATF (United States Track and Field) system doesn't sound bad, right? Get fast enough to qualify for the Trials, race the Trials and be in the top three and voila! Done.

Not so fast.

Leonard Korir finished in third place at the Trials. You would assume — as many did — that he was a shoe-in to be the third American named to Team USA. As it turned out, he wasn't named to the team. There are two reasons for this: 1. He did not finish a marathon under the qualifying time of 2:08:10, not even at the Trials. 2. He slipped out of the top 80. Meanwhile, two guys did run fast enough. They were Connor Mantz and Clayton Young. They went 1-2 at the Trials and ran Chicago in 2:07:47 and 2:08:00. They killed two birds with two stones. Mantz, Young and Korir finished the Trials going 1-2-3 in 2:09:05, 2:09:06 and 2:09:57 respectively.

When everyone assumed Korir was likely in, it was because at the time his global ranking was within the top 80. Not anymore. Do you want to know why? Universality. That's why.

No, this is not literally about the promise of universal justice. Universality is when the global governing body "World Athletics," opens up a bunch of spots within the top 80 to countries who have no qualifiers whatsoever. In this case, slower runners from weak countries get to leapfrog guys like Leonard Korir. Confusing? I understand. Okay, in some convoluted way, it is indeed an attempt at providing universal justice. But unfortunately, we will get to watch a few 2:40-plus marathon runners run even slower in the heat of Paris this summer. Poor Leonard.

What about the Crazy Canucks?

So, what does Canada do? Canada and its national governing body "Athletics Canada," provide a window of time to go out into the big old world, find a marathon that is *legitimate and run under the times: 2:08:10 or 2:26:50. Also, the athletes need to be ranked top 80 globally while they are at it.

Canada has three going to Paris: Malindi Elmore (2:23:30) Rory Linkletter (2:08:01) and Cameron Levins (2:05:36 North American record). The window of opportunity to qualify was Nov. 1, 2022 – May 5, 2024. So, that is one year, five months and four days to qualify. Several athletes made mad scrambles to Europe on April 28 and May 5 to attempt an 11th-hour qualification in the Hamburg and Copenhagen Marathons. National record holder Natasha Wodak did not qualify in Hamburg, nor did Leslie Sexton or Dayna Pidhoresky. Also, Thomas Broatch, Lee Wesselius and a few others missed in Copenhagen. Pidhoresky and Wodak were teammates in the Tokyo Olympic Marathon with Elmore. Ouch.

Well, to be fair, not a single person from any country qualified for the Olympics in Copenhagen. Weather is a major factor in these 42.195-kilometre events.

Japan. What about Japan?

Japan is a powerhouse. Outside of Ethiopia and Kenya, it is Japan. They are deep. Their system includes a Trials which ran in Oct. 2023. The weather was hideous, cyclones, tornadoes, and rain.

Japan guarantees the top two women and top two men from the Trials regardless of finish time. Then the third, fourth and fifth finishers are provisionally selected and now have a target on their back. The top five from their Trials are not the same top-ranked Japanese athletes according to World Athletics' tracking system. So, a third and an alternate (in case of injury) is named and will have to wait to see who should be selected.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia had a Trials for Tokyo, but the problem was they did it at altitude. Why is this wrong? Because Sapporo, Japan is at sea level. Athletes respond differently at sea level versus altitude, so a winner in the mountains may not be fast at sea level and the opposite may also apply.

Also, the course was short. Something like 37kms. And hastily and at the last minute put together. Chaos. Perhaps they are so deep, they do not care.

Most countries have selection committees. You may ask why, if you have to be ranked and run under specific times and or win place or show at a Trials, why would you need a committee?

Canada had head-to-head competition as a factor for Tokyo. The committee appeared to contradict itself. They chose Levins, who did not beat a fellow Canadian in head-to-head competition (London Marathon, again in hideous conditions). Tristan Woodfine had run fast enough and had bettered Levins. Levins tried a last-ditch effort in Austria, ran fast enough and was selected. There was an appeal by Woodfine, but the decision was final.

Committees confer on difficult decisions.

Kenya

Kenya is so deep, that all Athletics Kenya does is select who they feel like selecting, regardless of head-to-head competition, heat, cold, Trials, windows of opportunity, standards, or rankings.

Kenya's team is so strong, that they could win everything (probably won't though). They in theory could win even without their best who died in a car accident. Kelvin Kiptum has the world record in get this: 2:00:35.

Also, despite Ethiopia having the women's world record holder Tigst Assefa. She has run, get this: 2:11:53. Feel slow? Don't, they have carbon-fuelled shoes and run 200kms per week in training for months on end.

Currently, Australia has not announced a team. It's May 17, the Games start at the end of July. Travel plans need to be made, as do training plans. They should get on that.

So, when you watch the Olympic marathon this summer, consider that each person on the start line has qualified by similar but not the same standards.

Strange facts:

In hockey and basketball in North America from the National Hockey League or National Basketball Association mostly, it is simple: Pick your best players who want to go (yes, by committee, of course).

For the marathon in the Tokyo Olympics, it was very strange. Remember COVID? So, the qualification window was open for the same year and a half for Canada. But, because of COVID, the window was closed. The window was back open again late and voila! People started trying to qualify again.

Pidhoresky for Canada was the first Canadian across the finish line in the 2019 Toronto Marathon. So was a guy named Trevor "The Hof" Hofbauer. The arrangement with the Toronto race is that the first Canadian is automatically guaranteed under all circumstances (barring injury) to be on the team. Including delaying the Olympics by one year and closing and re-opening the window of qualification.

So, by the time Pidhoresky and The Hof got to Tokyo nearly two years had passed. To add to the weirdness, during her flight to Tokyo, someone in the jet arrived with COVID. Therefore Pidhoresky was detained in her hotel for her entire stay. By the time she hit the start line in Sapporo, 800kms north of Tokyo, the detraining had set in. She finished last in the heat at 34C. By the way, the marathon and racewalk events were moved to Sapporo because of the fear of heat in Tokyo. On race day it was the same temperature of 34C in Tokyo and Sapporo — you just can't win.

What these athletes go through to get to the start line is nothing short of amazing.

In regards to the asterisk placed by the word "legitimate." Some marathons are not exactly right for qualification. Boston, yes, the fabled Boston Marathon is not a qualifying race. It has too much downhill and is point-to-point. You need a course that ends up roughly in the same place from where it started (by 25% of the length of the races apart or less). Can you imagine if you had a tailwind in Boston? You would have a tailwind for the entire race, meaning you would likely produce unrealistic results. A similar scenario exists with the California International Marathon in Sacramento. CIM as it is referred to, also is net downhill and point to point.

For most people, the athletes seem machine-like, perhaps unrecognizable, foreign, skinny, and superhuman, which is partly true, but they are people. They have stories and they have lives and emotions. It's fun to follow their pursuits as they attempt to qualify and grasp for the brass ring...

Check out some of the athletes named to a few of the teams, here: https://athleticsillustrated.com/paris-marathon-teams-ethiopia-kenya-usa-canada-and-japan/