NXN Southeast Regional vs Foot Locker NE Regional

I've run Sunken Meadow and it is a tough course. Course record I believe is around 15:32 and is like 30+ years old. Gigantic hill about 1.5 in (Cardiac) that has two parts, with last part very steep.

WakeMed is a fast course. It should run somewhere between 10 and 15 seconds slower than the Footlocker South course at McAlpine, which is even faster than running on a track. It's fast.

I've coached teams at both courses. The Nike course is ridiculously fast. Not only because it is relatively fast, but the footing is perfect.

Aside from running fast, the NXN Southeast Regional is a much better meet. Nike goes all out to provide an all-you-can-eat Pasta dinner with guest speakers and giveaways. Last year, SHALANE FLANAGAN spoke at the dinner and took pictures with the athletes. She even attended the awards ceremony the next day, and handed out awards. Cary, NC is also a pretty cheap place to travel.

Last time I was at Footlocker NE, it appeared like they were doing the bare minimum to get the race in.

bump

From Dyestat circa. 2002 - Toughest courses review...

http://www.dyestat.com/3us/2xc/toughest/NY-SunkenMeadow.htm

Also...read Tim Dearie's comments from an interview with ArmoryTrack.com...He's the current St. Anthony's HS (NY) XC coach...

AT: How often do you take the team out to Sunken Meadow for training sessions? How does the work done on that course translate to racing on other courses?

TD: In the summer, the boys meet two times a week at SM for team runs and I know several others go there more often than that on their own or with a friend. When we start official practices, every one is held there until school is fully in session. We continue to go there on weekends until invitationals start. Once that occurs, we only go there for Wednesday dual meets. We go to 2-3 invitationals there during the regular season and if we schedule a weekend off, we go there for a workout.

Sunken Meadow is a killer course. I don’t like the guys to race there too often, especially the 5k course, because it will beat you down. I rarely give repeat hill workouts there or anywhere else for that matter. I like to include hills as part of a run or loop workout. One workout I’ve been doing there for 25 years is picnic loop repeats. The picnic loop is in the middle of the 5k course and the long gradual uphill in it is the lead-in to Cardiac. This loop is almost exactly an 800. It has a little bit of everything in it, is soft, and the boys always seem to have great workouts on it. I think the training at SM makes the boys strong and prepares them for any other course we run. After months of mileage there, then some speed, good things will happen.

From a prior question (same interview)...Cross country courses are changing, too. Van Cortlandt used to be roots, rocks, and uneven footing. There was definitely caution that had to be employed in the back hills. That’s no longer true. It’s like a road race. Now, even Sunken Meadow has had a lot of crushed stone added where sand and rough terrain used to be. They’re adding more each week in preparation for Footlocker. Bowdoin is the only course of significance to us that still has its natural terrain.

no one who has a choice would choose to run a FL event over a NXN event.....NXN is so much better run.... as far as the course is concerned, unless you've run SM many times I would not recommend it for a significant race for your first attempt at it... WakeMed Park, although challenging ( a 640m hill twice), is a much better course and can be run efficiently without having much experience on it.

From my experience at SM (the last 4 years) it has been getting shittier every year