Julie Isphording had an instant recall to 29 years ago when she heard the news. When organizers of Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon contacted Isphording to tell her they were going to put in a bid to host the 2016 U.S. Olympic marathon trials, Isphoding's thoughts immediately flashed to Olympia, Wash.
It was May, 12, 1984 and Isphording was taking part of the first U.S. Women's Olympic Trials. It was the first trials because the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games were hosting the first women's Olympic marathon.
"It was a pioneering moment in 1984," said Isphording, who earned a berth on the U.S. team by finishing third. "This is another pioneering moment."
Officials from the Flying Pig Marathon and the Greater Cincinnati Sports Corporation announced their intention to put a bid in for the trials Thursday afternoon in downtown Cincinnati. The Flying Pig has steadily grown over its 15 years, including having more than 30,000 combined participants for its races this past May. The bid will formerly be placed next week to USA Track and Field, with a winner expected to be announced by the end of 2013.
Two-time Olympian Ryan Hall and Mary Wineberg, and her 2008 Olympic gold medal from the 4 x 400 relay,
were also at the announcement press conference with Isphording. Organizers have asked Hall to help set up the course and provide input to better help them in their bid.
Iris Simpson Bush, executive director of the Flying Pig, said New York, Houston, Los Angeles and Myrtle Beach have also announced their intentions to bid on the trials. There are expected to be two or three more bids placed as well. Houston hosted the trials for the 2012 London Games. Flying Pig organizers have bantered about the idea of a bid before but things got serious after this year's event.
"On the heels of Boston, it was almost surreal. We were just a couple of weeks later," said Bush. "The support we got from our fire, police, first responders, the community at large, everybody from the city manager down to the participants who were saying that 'I didn't train for a full marathon but I can do the 10K.' Our Saturday events went through the roof. In this community there is a very extensive runner community. Our infrastructure, our community support is there to put it on, so why not?"
Hall won the Trials in 2008 and placed 10th at the Beijing Olympics. He was second at the Trials in 2012. A hamstring strain forced him to drop out of the marathon at the London Games. He ran the Flying Pig course on Thursday and was pleased with its mixture of flat stretches and undulating hills. Hall said he was pleasantly surprised when organizers called him and asked for his help.
"One of the things that makes Cincinnati different is they want to know how to do things right for the athlete and they want the athlete's opinion," said Hall. "That's not something you get very often. That means something. That's something special."
If Cincinnati wins the bid, the plan is to host the trials in October 2015 ahead of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which are scheduled for Aug. 5-21, 2016. The trials would be run seperately from the Flying Pig race, held tradionally in early May. USAT&F has a window from October 2015 to April 2016 to hold the trials, so running them in conjunction with the Flying Pig is out of the question. Flying Pig organizers, Bush-Simpson said, are looking at planning a second running event for the fall and it is possible that event could be held in conjunction with the trials.
