What times make a high school athlete ELITE

46

1:46

4:11

9:00

46-1:50-4:05-8:55

46.9

1:52.2

4:08.8

8:56.0

15:18 (legit 5k)

Depends if you are talking about elite in your city, your state, or your nation. But I think most people think nationally when they think about being elite. Generally I would say if you can run at a D1 school, you are elite. If I really have to be tied down to numbers, I guess :49, 1:52, 4:15, 9:15. Those are just the times that came quickly to mind with no serious thought.

Three of us responded in the same minute, likely not seeing each other's posts and came up with very similar numbers. Sounds about right! I was going off of old approximate Track & Field News cut offs.

If you mean qualify for World Championships or Olympics while in high school, that is one level. If you mean qualify for a 1/4 athletic grant at a D1 university, that is another level.

28:32 for 10000m

25:02.1 for 8k

Well wrote:

46

1:46

4:11

9:00

1:46??

Why don't you just change those other numbers to :44, 3:52, & 8:20 then?

49

1:59

4:39

9:49

I want to be like those guys wrote:

49

1:59

4:39

9:49

everything 800 and up is too slow

I would consider a high schooler with any of these times "Elite" at the (typical) State Level:

400m: 47.95

800m: 1:51.25

1600m: 4:13.25

3200m: 9:08.75

I would consider a high schooler with any of these times "Elite" at the National Level:

400m: 46.50

800m: 1:49.95

1600m: 4:05.25

3200m: 8:55.95

Now, there are plenty of "very, very, very good" high schoolers with times slower than those, but that's where I would draw the line as truly "Elite".

Elite at the (typical) High School level should give you several D1 Scholarship opportunities.

Elite at the National Level should give you D1 Scholarship opportunities almost anywhere.

Oh, and if you have to ask if a time is Elite at the International Level, it's not.

nope not it wrote:

I want to be like those guys wrote:

49

1:59

4:39

9:49

everything 800 and up is too slow

Yeah...sure, how many HS kids can run those times in the 800 on up? ? I bet on a percentage basis around 10% - 15% of all 1600 meter runners can muster a 4:39 or better. Similar percentages for the other times. This ain't Kenya where fast HS-age kids come a dime a dozen. Give the kids some credit - 4:39 is fast and not easy to do. Those times posted are very fast for the average HS dude.

Not even close.

400: 46.2

800: 147.2

1600: 4.03

3200: 8:47

5000: 14:02

From Milesplit:

The average 3200m HS PR for athletes in the mens race (at NCAA XC championship 2018) was 9:11. Notably, fourth place finisher Isai Rodriguez and sixth finisher Tyler Day are well above the average with PRs of 9:26 and 9:28 respectively. Day's PR ranks 151st of the 174 athletes for which we have a HS 3200m PR.

Are you sure? wrote:

nope not it wrote:

everything 800 and up is too slow

Yeah...sure, how many HS kids can run those times in the 800 on up? ? I bet on a percentage basis around 10% - 15% of all 1600 meter runners can muster a 4:39 or better. Similar percentages for the other times. This ain't Kenya where fast HS-age kids come a dime a dozen. Give the kids some credit - 4:39 is fast and not easy to do. Those times posted are very fast for the average HS dude.

Don’t be weak. A freaking 4:39 is freshman sorta stuff. The OP was talking about elite, not “what is a little bit faster than most kids can run?”.

I’d say elite is

200- 21.5

400- 48.0 (open 400, not 4x4 split)

800- 1:52.5

1600- 4:10

3200- 8:59

Of course the higher distances may look skewed because the number one guy is gonna be around 8:40, but it usually drops a bit and significantly for each national placement after the number one.

How many of those times would you have to hit in order to be considered elite? Is one enough?

Well...Mac, are there specific cutoff times at the HS level that determine "elite?" ?

1600 - Sub 4:10

3200 - Sub 9:00

5000 - Sub 15:00 (XC)