. . . Thus, a 14:10 on Woodward would be a sub-14 on a "1" course; . . .
Correct that to 14:20 . . . or something a few seconds faster that German's 14:24 . . . using Colin Sahlman's 14:03 last year at RunningLane a week after running 14:26 at the CA meet as reference marks.
Does California still measure courses the same way now as they did 48 years ago? Many states follow the NFHS Rules which recently (within maybe 10 years) changed their ruling on course measurement. Curious what procedure California uses now and if that is the same as in the past?
Don't know . . but hoping a CA xc official, coach or running statistician will notice this thread and offer an answer or best guess opinion.
However, having been to Woodward many times, I have never heard even a whisper that the 5k course is short or has been mis-measured.
What I do know is that the course hasn't changed . . . which is one reason why it has such a rich history, allowing multiple generations of runners to compare themselves to each other . . . something almost all other courses around the country cannot claim.
And, since we're talking central California, the weather at the end of November is almost always ideal . . . only have there been a few years where Woodward has been muddy/cold from rain earlier in the week.
Also, regarding course difficulty, Woodward is a 5 or 6 on a 1-10 scale, making it the perfect "fair" xc course. RunningLane would be your easiest at a 1 while monstrously hilly courses such as Crystal Springs, Holmdel Park, Bowdoin Park, several others are your 10s.
Thus, a 14:10 on Woodward would be a sub-14 on a "1" course; i.e., the fastest, if not the greatest, US hs boys xc performance ever.
That's what many are hoping to witness on Saturday.
There is no way that course is a 5 or 6 in difficulty. There is no grass. There are not very many turns. And there are no monster hills. It is not a flat racetrack, but most midwest courses are more difficult because of the grass alone. Plus more turns usually.
They're not going to blow it out at the California state meet. They have NXN seven days later and they better be concerned about winning that. I don't see them as a sure thing 1-2 at NXN.
They're not going to blow it out at the California state meet. They have NXN seven days later and they better be concerned about winning that. I don't see them as a sure thing 1-2 at NXN.
They're not going to blow it out at the California state meet. They have NXN seven days later and they better be concerned about winning that. I don't see them as a sure thing 1-2 at NXN.
Course record at Woodward > Win at NXN
More importantly Woodward is where we will be able to look at NP21 vs NP22 in a virtual dual meet
I'm really hoping they break it. Nico, Colin, and Leo have all come close, and it's really given me appreciation for how great GF was. Hearing about how GF was so great because he ran 14:24 didn't really click with me a couple years ago when I started following the sport, especially since he didn't win nationals and didn't break 4. Now that I've seen 4 of the best ever miss the record, I have way more respect for it, and now that I have way more respect for it, I'm excited to see it get broken.
I agree that if they don't break it, it's gonna last a whole lot longer. They said they wanted to do WJXC, so I wasn't too surprised when they missed it in October. I do expect them to break it now, though. Lex came into the season with a 13:43 PR, so when they're peaking, I think 14:23 isn't too crazy.
I'm really hoping they break it. Nico, Colin, and Leo have all come close, and it's really given me appreciation for how great GF was. Hearing about how GF was so great because he ran 14:24 didn't really click with me a couple years ago when I started following the sport, especially since he didn't win nationals and didn't break 4. Now that I've seen 4 of the best ever miss the record, I have way more respect for it, and now that I have way more respect for it, I'm excited to see it get broken.
I agree that if they don't break it, it's gonna last a whole lot longer. They said they wanted to do WJXC, so I wasn't too surprised when they missed it in October. I do expect them to break it now, though. Lex came into the season with a 13:43 PR, so when they're peaking, I think 14:23 isn't too crazy.
I'm really hoping they break it. Nico, Colin, and Leo have all come close, and it's really given me appreciation for how great GF was. Hearing about how GF was so great because he ran 14:24 didn't really click with me a couple years ago when I started following the sport, especially since he didn't win nationals and didn't break 4. Now that I've seen 4 of the best ever miss the record, I have way more respect for it, and now that I have way more respect for it, I'm excited to see it get broken.
For the record, German ran a solo 3:56 indoor mile at ~18 years & 2 months (and would run 3:55 later in the year).
Unlike most people in the thread, I actually respect Fernandez and the Youngs enough to remain a neutral observer.
Imagine running 15:15 and not even counting in your team's score. That's crazy!
He went to a different school freshman year and was #1 for it. He also scored in some meets for NP last year when Dapple wasn’t in full strength. I don’t think he ever was last fall, But that gave Doshi and Martinez a chance to catch up to him. So frickin sad that Martinez is not in XC this year and he is a senior
Also note that the Youngs and Aaron Sahlman are not the only national stars in this meet.
Sadie Engelhardt/Ventura soph will race the Div II girls race at noon PST. She broke 17 last year as a frosh and is ranked #4 nationally in Dyestat's 11/17 list.
14:28 (rounded up) win for Lex , , , his best ever at Woodward . . . but German;s 14:24 lives on . . . another 15 years? . . . 30 years? . . . until the end of this century?
