Acali Runner wrote:
HS watcher wrote:I know xc times don't mean a lot but the kid is gonna win. Trust me.
"Senior Drew Hunter of Loudon Valley, Va. left no room for doubt about his No. 1 ranking on Saturday, as he scorched a nation-leading time of 14:20.8 over 5k with splits of 4:31 and 9:15. To give that mark some perspective, Hunter ran 14:54 here last year before going to win Foot Locker South and place fourth at Foot Locker Nationals."
http://www.milesplit.com/articles/166090?page=5The Ethipoian chic also scorched the couse in 16:29. I doubt anyone beats her as well.
WHY?
14:20 on a fast pancake flat course, perfectly cool conditions and a pace cart.
Great splits though! Pretty close to what you expect for 5k on the track. Less the pace cart.
The pace cart doesn't pace the runner. It just leads the way and shows the runner where to go, never actually matching his pace or being close to the runner. Have you ever run a cross country meet before? Have you ever been near the front? I'm gonna guess you ran the 8k in sub-24 in college because you use letsrun, so never mind.
For one thing, the course is not pancake flat, and has several hills. Is it fast? Certainly. But last year, it was only Hunter's 4th fastest course, and he ran Footlocker South 18 seconds faster. If he does that this year, that's 14:02 on an xc course, for those keeping track at home.
For another thing, he ran 14:20 for a legit 5k. What the hell does he have to run for you to think he will win? Has anyone other than Ritz run faster for xc ever? the New Balance Track 5000m races are generally won in 14:15-45, so 14:20 on an xc course, no matter how fast a course, is absolutely incredible.
Finally, Hunter has run 4:02, best among his class, 8:42, best among his class--and better than the running world's revered Grant Fisher--he's already the top returner at Footlocker, and he's raced sparingly this season. Tamagno is pretty much the only person I can think of who MIGHT beat him, but even then, it's gonna take a Herculean effort by him, and Hunter having an awful, awful day.