The U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Marathon will be in Atlanta, Georgia, and hosted by the Atlanta Track Club, it was announced today. The Olympic Marathon Trials are one of the most important events in our sport, held every four years. Yet, the events have to be one of the most difficult to host, as the various rules from the U.S.O.C., made to protect their sponsors, make it quite difficult to finance the event.
Yet, major marathons and key running communties, battle each 4 years to sponsor the event. Many see it as a giving back tot he sport, and others see it as adding to the prestige of their event.
The 2020 final four candidates were Atlanta, Georgia, Austin, Texas, Chatanooga, Tennesee and Orlando, Florida. USATF announced their pick, after visiting each city and meeting with each candidate team.
We thank all four cities for contributing to our sport and congratulate the Atlanta Track Club on their new event in 2020!
Atlanta to host 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon
INDIANAPOLIS – Atlanta will host the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon for both men and women, USA Track & Field and the United States Olympic Committee announced Monday.
Hosted by Atlanta Track Club as the local organizing committee, the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon will be held Feb. 29, 2020, and will take place in conjunction with the Atlanta Marathon, which will be held the following day. The top three female and male finishers in the Olympic Trials who have met qualifying performance standards will be named to the U.S. Olympic Team that will compete at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Atlanta had been joined by Chattanooga, Tenn.; Austin, Texas; and Orlando, Florida as interested bidders for the Olympic Trials, with Atlanta and Chattanooga emerging as finalists. USATF’s site-selection committee, comprised of USATF athletes, long-distance running committee members, and National Office staff conducted site visits.
“We have to thank four great cities for their interest in hosting the Olympic Trials and their commitment to supporting the Olympic Movement and its athletes,” USATF CEO Max Siegel said. “Atlanta’s legacy in the sport, their creative commitment to athlete support, and the experience of their event management team were compelling. USATF looks forward to working with Atlanta Track Club, the City of Atlanta and the U.S. Olympic Committee on what promises to be an amazing Olympic Trials.”
The site of the 1996 Olympic Games advanced a theme of “Olympic Legacy; Olympic Future,” with an operational philosophy focused on expanding the number of athletes receiving financial support to take part in the Olympic Trials. Travel stipends and hotel accommodations will be provided to all athletes who qualify for the Olympic Trials, regardless of whether they have met the “A” or “B” qualifying standards. The Club will provide a hospitality area for the family and friends of athletes as well as an athlete exclusive hospitality area and it will ensure easy and efficient travel from the airport to the host hotel.
“We will deliver a race weekend where all qualifiers are treated like champions,” Atlanta Track Club Executive Director Rich Kenah said. “Atlanta’s continued Olympic legacy will be an investment in the Olympic future. The future is not just those six athletes who represent us in Tokyo, but all of the athletes who qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon.”
A city with a deep running and track & field legacy, Atlanta hosted the USATF Indoor Track & Field Championships from 1994-2001, while Atlanta Track Club has emerged as one of the running industry’s leading organizations. With 28,000 members, the Club has been part of the USATF Running Circuit since the circuit’s inception in 2002, regularly hosting the USATF 10K road racing championships in conjunction with the Peachtree Road Race. As the world’s largest 10K, the Peachtree attracts more than 60,000 runners each year on July 4. It is the Club’s flagship event on what is a busy race calendar featuring more than 40 annual events and programs for runners and walkers of all ages and abilities.
Hosting the 2020 Olympic Trials in Atlanta continues a national tour for the event: In 2004, the women’s Olympic Trials were in St. Louis and men’s in Birmingham, Ala.; the 2008 Olympic Trials were held in Boston (women) and New York (men); 2012 saw both races together for the first time in Houston; and in 2016 Los Angeles served as host.
Start times, broadcast information and specifics on the course for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon in Atlanta will be announced in coming months.
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About U.S. Olympic Team Trials
A collaboration between the United States Olympic Committee and its National Governing Bodies, U.S. Olympic Team Trials are held in multiple sports prior to each edition of the Olympic Games and allow athletes to vie for the honor of representing Team USA. Often the last stop in an athlete’s journey to the Olympics, the Trials also offer fans an up-close experience with America’s sports heroes before they go on to compete on the world’s biggest stage. Selection procedures for each sport are developed by the NGBs in concert with the USOC and follow parameters set forth by each International Federation.
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org.
About Atlanta Track Club
Atlanta Track Club is a nonprofit committed to creating an active and healthy Atlanta. Through running and walking, Atlanta Track Club motivates, inspires and engages the community to enjoy a healthier lifestyle. With more than 28,000 members, Atlanta Track Club is the second largest running organization in the United States. In addition to the AJC Peachtree Road Race (peachtreeroadrace.org) – the largest 10K running event in the world, the Publix Georgia Marathon, PNC Atlanta 10 Miler and Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, Atlanta Track Club directs more than 40 events and programs per year. Through the support of its members and volunteers, Atlanta Track Club also maintains a number of community initiatives including organizing and promoting the Kilometer Kids youth running program to metro Atlanta youth, honoring high school cross country and track and field athletes through Atlanta Track Club’s All-Metro Banquets and supporting the Grady Bicycle EMT program. For more information on Atlanta Track Club, visit atlantatrackclub.org.
