WC 50km opened to women

[mal]

Let them walk, but for goodness sake just put a time limit on the finish time. Like in the tour de france. If you are in past the time you are cut.

I'm sure it'll get some men too. At a certain time, redirect the course cones into a some nearby park

[gh]

Let them walk, but for goodness sake just put a time limit on the finish time. ...

that's already part of the protocol. If you haven't started the last loop by x time (too lazy to look it up), too bad, cuz they'll be closing the course.

[Davidokun]

In order for athletes to be allowed to finish the race in London, they shall be required to start the last two-kilometre lap within the time limit of 4:17:00.

Source: http://www.iaaf.org/news/press-relea...-women-50km-wa

[polevaultpower]

So we had five with the standard, plus two area champions? The list of six did not include Randall, is #6 the other area champion?

[MJR]

So we had five with the standard, plus two area champions? The list of six did not include Randall, is #6 the other area champion?

Yes, South American area champ.

[polevaultpower]

It was so petty of the IAAF not to make a target field size of like 12 and extend invitations to a few more people. At least then you have to beat someone to get prize money.

[polevaultpower]

It's also petty if they use the same 4:17 cutoff for the women. The men's standard is 4:06 and the cutoff is 4:17, so it seems reasonable for the women to have a cutoff of 4:41 or so... at least then you would have more actual finishers.

[norunner]

Why is anything petty at this point? The whole 50km is a farce, nothing they could do would make it better or less ridiculous. No racewalker on the planet can be in shape for a 50km if you give him only two weeks to prepare. There is simply no way to save this, so why even bother and try.

[nztrackfan]

Why is anything petty at this point? The whole 50km is a farce, nothing they could do would make it better or less ridiculous. No racewalker on the planet can be in shape for a 50km if you give him only two weeks to prepare. There is simply no way to save this, so why even bother and try.

Totally agree. This event should have had a 12-18 month notification to have been remotely authentic. The fact that this was only 2 weeks makes other considerations around this event rather meaningless.

[18.99s]

It's time to remove racewalking from the IAAF and have it be its own separate sport. The IAAF doesn't really want it, and the racewalkers probably don't like being under the IAAF either.

[mal]

that's already part of the protocol. If you haven't started the last loop by x time (too lazy to look it up), too bad, cuz they'll be closing the course.

Not too lazy, just don't care. Don't care one iota for walking events. John Cleese is the best walker I have ever seen.

Just ring the bell, pull out the big hook. Not every rule deserves google. Including yours.

[tandfman]

So we had five with the standard, plus two area champions? The list of six did not include Randall, is #6 the other area champion?

The latest list now shows 7, including Randall.

[Tuariki]

Does that mean no CAS court case??

[MJR]

Does that mean no CAS court case??

Yes, they would have lost. Should have listened to just about everyone involved when they let Taylor-Talcott race last year and create a standard and qual period, but Damilano only listens to himself and needs to be removed from his position, finally.

[polevaultpower]

Yes, they would have lost. Should have listened to just about everyone involved when they let Taylor-Talcott race last year and create a standard and qual period, but Damilano only listens to himself and needs to be removed from his position, finally.

Yes, this.

I can understand if the IAAF wanted to play dumb and claim that women just didn't want to participate in the event, but over the past year and some change, that has been challenged. They can't use that excuse anymore. And it's not like the multis where they can pretend there is an equivalent alternative event... it's not like the women had the option of the 35k RW or something.

Everything about this from the IAAF has been petty af. Council members like Bubka have the nerve to take shots at the IOC for not being progressive enough, when this nonsense is going on in their backyard.

I mean that's the thing... yes, this event will be a joke this year. But it's not a joke because a handful of race walkers got in a legal challenge in at the last moment, it's a joke because the IAAF ignored the writing on the wall last year, when there would have been enough time to allow athletes to begin training properly for this event. And it's an even bigger joke because the IAAF is dragging their feet every step of the way and refusing to take even the tiniest of baby steps that could make the event better this year.

And FFS, it's not like it was some serious logistical challenge. The event is already being contested and it's not that hard to add women to the same course as the men.