At the recent USA Track & Field Convention, the Long Distance Running Committees established the qualifying procedures for the U.S marathon team at the 2001 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Edmonton, Canada and for the next U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

For Edmonton, U.S. women who run the five fastest marathon times from January 1, 2000 to April 30, 2001 will be offered roster spots on the U.S. team. Performances run on courses that drop more than 4 meters per kilometer will be excluded.

Men's roster spots for the Worlds will be offered to the top three finishers at the 2000 Olympic Marathon Trials (Rod DeHaven, Peter DeLaCerda and Mark Coogan). The remaining spots on the U.S. roster for Edmonton will be filled by those running the fastest marathon times between January 1, 2000 and February 4, 2001. DeHaven, the 2000 Olympic Trials marathon champion, has said he will not compete in Edmonton.

At the 2001 World Championships, for the first time, the prize money will be extended to the top eight--not just for the medalists. The new award structure will be: individual events ($60,000, $30,000, $20,000, $15,000, $10,000, $6000, $5000 and $4000) and marathon team ($20,000 for first to $6000 for sixth place).

For the next U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, U.S. women must run 2:48:00 or faster in order to enter the Olympic Trials. By running 2:39:59 or faster ("A" standard), athletes will have priority for their expenses paid to the Olympic Trials. U.S. men will need to run 2:22:00 or faster to qualify for their Trials. A "funded" standard has not yet been established for the men's competition. Performances must be run on certified courses and verified by the USATF Road Running Information Center.

The first opportunity to qualify for U.S. men and women will be at their respective 2001 USA Marathon Championships. Thereafter, the qualifying window will re-open on January 1, 2002 and close 30 days before the Olympic qualifying race. Athens, Greece hosts the 2004 Summer Games.

For the 2000 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, 114 men and 210 women qualified. 69 men and 35 women met the "A" standard (2:20:00 and 2:42:00 or faster).

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Special thanks to 
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Coordinator for providing us this press release.
USATF Road Running Information Center
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(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 696-6252
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http://www.usaldr.org