Is Pat Tiernan of 'Nova the fastest (but not best) runner in NCAA XC?

This is cross country. Trying to compare times is a total waste. There are also a bunch of nobodys who have run faster than Tiernan. Times are irrelevant until track season.

The course he ran 22:23 on was about a quarter-mile short, so I've heard

Solid point about the course. After taking a little hiatus from the forums, looks like I missed this thread:

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=6825618

Oops.

Times don't matter wrote:

This is cross country. Trying to compare times is a total waste.

This.

what's a 'Nova?

helpless n' clueless wrote:

what's a 'Nova?

I thought it was a program on like PBS...

I think you have to look at track times and see that he is very fast but, other guys among the elite also run fast times i.e. 13:30's like thomas curtin and justin knight, and anthony rotich (among others I'm sure).

then there is edward cheserek who has run 13:18. i'm sorry but ches isn't just winning because he's the best racer. ches is also head and shoulders better than everyone, he just chooses to use his leg speed because nobody can match that asset of his either, and that is how he is most comfortable running championship races.

ches may even be so much faster at the end of races just because he's physically not as tired as everyone else and can not only kick, but straight up run full speed (which his full speed is still ridiculous). the only people that have beaten him are those who could run as fast as him like lawi, and jenkins if it were a time trial type race. Because those guys are only as taxed as he is, but sometimes not even that matters because he like I said before is extremely quick in terms of 100 meter dash speed along with having awesome aerobic ability.

I would not call Rotich a great cross country racer. Yes on steeple. He has not broken top 10 since his freshman year. I don't think he will break top 10 this year either.

Looking at the overall results suggest the course was not legit, but that aside I am picking Pat to finish runner to Ches.

NAIA Guy

So, the statement: Tiernan is the NCAA's fastest distance runner right now, but is not the best because the other guys (Ches, Rotich, Justin Knight) are simply better racers.

Thoughts?

It's funny that you say that given that Knight is only 1 for 3 this XC season and Rotich is only 2 for 5, whereas Tiernan is undefeated (but obviously against weaker fields).

Maybe you simply picked bad examples.

He's going to finish top 5 at NCAA's.

Cross Guru 22 wrote:

NAIA Guy, you know you are an idiot, right? To say that a time on a cross course makes you faster than someone who has not run that course in current fitness, is absolutely STUPID! Learn more about the sport as your statement publicly here is Plainly Stupid. Will Tiernan run faster than Ches or Knight on the track, well history already says no. So when Tiernan can run 27:30 and nobody else can or 13:08, then he is the fastest but poor racer, Cross Country times are IRRELEVANT, does anyone qualify on time for NCAAs or is it by Place - DUMB ASS!

Dude, nice. Love to see this kind of passion for our sport.

C'mon dude, are you really going to look that much into times? Course was clearly short.

Your argument is flawed in many ways. Try again.