Olympic Trials Qualifying Times Not Recognized

Two marathon runners must find new events after their qualifying times were invalidated due to a lack of race sanctioning.

Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Running

Olympic Trials Qualifying Times Not Recognized

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Two runners who achieved qualifying times at the Baystate Marathon in Lowell will not advance to the Olympic Marathon Trials. The USATF ruled their results invalid because the race was not sanctioned.

Why it matters

Qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials requires rigorous adherence to USATF certification and sanctioning standards. This oversight means athletes must repeat their qualifying efforts at sanctioned events.

Official USATF guidelines mandate that performance times are only eligible for Olympic Marathon Trials consideration if the event maintains active sanctioning. While two runners met the speed requirements on October 18, 2026, the lack of sanctioning for the Baystate Marathon invalidated these results.

The players

Spencer Friske

A marathon runner who finished the Baystate Marathon in 2:15:04.

Caitlin McGinley

A marathon runner who finished the Baystate Marathon in 2:36:08.

Glenn Stewart

The Baystate Marathon race director who accepted responsibility for the lack of sanctioning.

USATF

The national governing body that oversees certification and sanctioning for Olympic-qualifying running events.

The details

USATF sanctioning serves as a verification process ensuring course certification and administrative compliance. Race director Glenn Stewart acknowledged that the responsibility for obtaining this status, which requires an approximately $2,000 fee, ultimately rested with the event management. Without this validation, the governing body cannot officially recognize the race results for national team selection purposes.

2017-2020: The Baystate Marathon maintained USATF sanctioning.
October 18, 2026: Spencer Friske and Caitlin McGinley ran qualifying times in Lowell.
2028: The Olympic Marathon Trials are scheduled to take place in St. Louis.

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Health Landscape

This development highlights the critical gap between course certification and the administrative sanctioning required for elite athletic qualification. It mirrors previous instances, such as the 2025 Marine Corps Marathon, where athletes faced similar disqualifications due to the technical status of their races.

For competitive runners, this underscores the importance of verifying that specific events hold current USATF sanctioning before attempting to set qualifying marks. Athletes should confirm the event's status on official registries to ensure that long-term training goals remain viable for national competition.

The takeaway

Maintaining compliance with official governing body requirements is essential for athletic performance to be recognized at the highest levels. Athletes are encouraged to check the USATF event database before registering for any race intended for official qualification purposes.