This is one of my "if I were king for a day" ideas that I think about in the middle of the night since I no longer sleep, but I think it's a damn good one.
So we have a bit of an interesting situation with the Olympics being postponed a year, making for an long window between qualifying and competing for the current lineup of qualifiers. One can't deny that it was a weird weird day, with many of the favorites biting the dust on an extremely tough course; much different than the type of course they're slated to compete on at the olympics, which may favor a different style of runner. Moreover, we have an extra year for shit to go wrong for our current qualifiers, in which time Rupp is likely to be banned after receiving injections of estrogen laced with covid from a secret supplier whose name rhymes with Saladbar.
So what if next February we have a Trials Redemption Marathon??
1) We re-open and extend the trials qualifying window.
2) Everyone who competed last February is eligible to compete again.
3) Everyone who qualified for the Olympics last February is still entitled to their spot on the team.
4) We have an honest, balls-to-the-wall course on something akin to a drag racing track.
5) Whomever places in the top 3 men & women AND has hit the olympic standard (2:11:30/2:29:30, including at the trials itself) is eligible to compete in Tokyo.
6) The last place runners on each side are granted automatic, mandatory entry into the Barkley Marathons.
This would A) Give us the best chance of fielding a competitive team B) Give Jared Ward a spot FFS C) Give Walmsley an extra year to hone his speed, undoubtedly helping him to shatter 2:10 and soulcrush the field D) Make it more likely the top women go out too quickly and allow Desi to rise from the dead and chainsaw her way to the podium, and E) Keep the pace honest and provide suspense and comic relief at both ends of the pack.
Hmmmmmm?
