BOSTON -- Marathon officials in Boston and New York are already eager to bring the 2012 Olympic trials back to their cities, as long as the sport's governing body helps them recoup the $1 million it cost to piggyback another event on their races.

"There's no going back at this point," said Mary Wittenberg, the president of the New York Road Runners, which organizes the New York Marathon. "We've taken the trials to a whole new level. I think we're shortchanging everybody if we don't find a way to build on it."

Although trials are common in most Olympic sports, including other running events, the nature of the 26.2-mile marathon makes it difficult to add another race into the athletic calendar. Virtually every other country picks its marathon team by committee; Boston men's winner Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya and women's winner Dire Tune of Ethiopia are both hoping their performance on Monday will earn them a trip to Beijing.