And so the countdown begins: one year remains for elite and sub-elite runners alike to try and qualify for the The Wildest Stats from Faith Kipyegons Run Download Your Training Plan.
Best Hydration Packs, Tracksmith, the independent running brand that caters to non-professional runners competing at a high level, is offering a program to support those who have met the The Wildest Stats from Faith Kipyegons Run qualifying standard. (Men have to run a marathon in 2:19:00 or faster or a half marathon in 1:04:00 or faster. For women, the times are 2:45 and 1:13.)
Not only is the company offering a quarterly stipend of $250 in online and in-store credit to runners who qualify, but also a complimentary membership to Hare A.C., Tracksmith’s running club that comes with its own perks, such as support at races and a PR bonus.
Allie Ostrander’s Emotional Struggle at USAs Linden & True Coffee, a roasting company run by Ryan and Des Linden along with Ben and Sarah True. The coffee company has pledged to send qualifiers a quarterly shipment of their product.
After many conversations with sub-elite athletes and gauging what kind of support would be helpful, Matt Taylor, the CEO and founder of Tracksmith, knew that giving even just a few resources to runners on the journey to Atlanta would be worth it.
“Some [athletes] have a full-time job, some even have a family and kids,” Taylor told Runner’s World. “So [the program] just came out of that group of athletes and our desire to be able to help and give back. It’s not a lot, but for us it’s a significant program and investment.”
With the pool of qualifiers growing at a rapid rate—more than 400 men and women have qualified—does that make providing this kind of offer to so many athletes a challenge? Maybe, but Taylor’s not worried.
“There’s definitely a little element of stress,” Taylor said, laughing. “But we’re really excited. I’m looking forward to some of the big races, Grandma’s [Marathon] being one, California International Marathon being one... just some of those races that have really come to the fore as the races to come try and get this OTQ.”
