Jeneba Tarmoh, Allyson Felix Runoff: Tarmoh Must Not Back out of Race Now

You could hardly blame Jeneba Tarmoh and Allyson Felix if they were absolutely furious at the USATF for having no protocol in place in the event of a dead heat after the two tied for third place in the the women's 100 meters final on June 23.

But you could blame Tarmoh for backing out of the race, as has been reported, and depriving both herself of a shot at the Olympics and fans of American track and field of one of the most anticipated races in years.

UPDATE on July 2nd at 12:05 p.m. ET

According to David Leon Moore from USA Today, Tarmoh is dropping out of the race.

"

Jeneba Tarmoh's agent: She will not run today....The Great Race is off.....Jeneba surrendering spot.....

— David Leon Moore (@dlm_usa2day) July 2, 2012"

Though rumored that Tarmoh would consider not running, it's pretty shocking that she'll concede her spot in the 100 meters. It's a disappointment for track and field fans hoping to see the much-anticipated runoff, and certainly a bitter disappointment for Tarmoh.

__________END OF UPDATE__________

From the Associated Press (via ESPN):

"

Sprinter Jeneba Tarmoh is reconsidering her decision to take part in the race against training partner Allyson Felix, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made. A message was left for an official at USA Track and Field.

The runoff -- a winner-take-all race -- is scheduled to be held at 8 p.m. ET -- 5 p.m. local time -- at Hayward Field. The winner earns the last spot in the event for the London Games.

"

You have to feel for Tarmoh. She was announced as the third-place finisher immediately after the race and thought she had earned her ticked to the London Games, only to later learn she had in fact tied with Felix.

That's pretty brutal, especially when you consider she's been training her entire life for the chance to compete at the Olympics and thought she had accomplished her dream.

But she can't back out now. She can't give up. She has to run, for her own sake.

Because the USATF remarkably had no protocol in place in the event of a dead heat—and I cannot emphasize just how ridiculous and mind-boggling that is—Tarmoh and Felix were given three choices: a runoff, a coin flip or one of the runners giving her spot to the other.

Right, like any competitive athlete would ever do that.

According to the AP report, Tarmoh was never pleased with the idea of a runoff, but she essentially had no choice in the manner. She wasn't going to concede, and you don't train to leave your Olympic fate in the hands of a coin flip, so what else could she do?

She knew she had to run. Why that has changed, I'm not sure. Perhaps she is trying to see if she can get the race pushed back one more day. Perhaps—having thought she already earned her place in London—she is sulking a bit.

But at the end of the day, the race finished in a tie, and we need to determine a winner. Moving forward, a runoff will probably be the protocol for how ties are decided anyhow.

You have to run, Jeneba Tarmoh. You need to definitively earn your place in London. At the moment, Felix deserves the spot as much as you do. You've come too far to give in now.

Ignore the spectacle of the runoff, as well as the fact that the race will be a huge event for American track and field. None of that matters.

Run this race for yourself.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets want Dwight Howard to just get traded already, too.