Selection Procedures - Marathon

Team size:  5 men; 5 women

Team Composition

Men's automatic selections: Two (2) team positions from the top ten male finishers* at the 2006 USA Marathon Championships.

Men's at-large selections: The final three (3) positions will be selected from a time list of marathon performances* from September 1, 2005 through April 30, 2007.

Women's automatic selections: Two (2) team positions from the top ten female finishers* at the 2006 USA Marathon Championships hosted by the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon October 2, 2006. Two (2) team positions from the top ten female finishers* at the 2007 USA Marathon Championships, to be hosted by the B.A.A. Boston Marathon on April 16, 2007.

Women's at-large selections: The final position will be selected from a time list of marathon performances* from September 1, 2005 through April 30, 2007.

* Minimum performance standards of 2:18 for men and 2:42 for women must be met in competitions recognized by the IAAF. Performances must be achieved between September 1, 2005 and April 30, 2007. Only performances on IAAF-approved courses [PDF] will be considered.

Team Selection Process

• Priority will be given to performances at USA Championships and/or events named as selection races.
• Remaining positions will be named from road and track performances.
• Road performances used to evaluate potential team members must be run on USATF-certified courses.
• Track performances will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Performances at similar distances may be used for specific team selections (e.g., 20 km, half marathon, or 25 km for 20 km Team).
• For promotional and travel purposes, all teams will be named at least 30 days prior to the event (unless otherwise noted), with the exception of substitutions based on illness, injury, or fitness.
• Athletes must accept or reject an offered team position within 48 hours after receiving an invitation.
• In the case of the need for a substitute, the team coach/manager and USATF will agree on a replacement athlete.
• Active athletes on the selection committee will exclude themselves from decisions regarding teams for which they hope to be selected.
• USATF reserves the right to name athletes who have demonstrated exceptional fitness, provided the athlete has expressed interest and demonstrated fitness at least 30 days prior to the selection of the team. When and where applicable, any selected athlete must show proof of fitness to the satisfaction of the selection committee.
• Final selections will be made by USATF at the discretion of the selection committee.