(image courtesy Competitor.com)
I know this is totally running-nerd news. But if you follow the world of track and field, you’re probably aware that the marathon trials for the 2012 USA Olympic team are this Saturday morning in Houston, Texas. Unlike other countries who choose their teams by prior race performance, in the USA competitors use race times to qualify to run the Trials. The top three male and female finishers in Saturday’s marathon will be the USA Marathon team at London in 2012!
Unfortunately, NBC will not be airing the Trials live, nor will they be streaming them online. I could rant about how stupid that is (I WILL PAY THEM TO WATCH ONLINE HOW MUCH DO THEY WANT) but look, if NBC doesn’t like money (and clearly they don’t — have you seen their ratings and lineup lately?), no amount of ranting will change that. However, they are throwing a small bone to running fans and will be airing the highlights between 3-5 pm on Saturday. Both the men’s and women’s races should be pretty amazing, and there’s going to be serious competition for those three slots on both Olympic teams.
Even if you aren’t a big running fan, this is a good way to whet your appetite for the Summer Olympics, so be sure to check your local affiliate NBC stations and set your DVR!