The last us census showed that A) most 13 yr olds were over weight and B) the rate of obesity was growing rapidly in that age group and finally C) most could not perform minimum requirements in 7th grade gym class such as 20 push ups, run 1 lap (1/4 mile), and go over a small obstacle course, just complete is passing.
So, yes your kid is probably way above the curve. Running is usually boring at that age. It was to me.
NO. My highschool sprinters struggle to do this.
I was a sprinter for ten years, and even in my best shape, I could barely run over a mile. I just wasn't built for it.. I'd cramp up randomly after the first 800 or so.
I'm probably a bit of a weird case, though.
I put this question up to the phys ed teacher at my kids school. He refered to the low rate of kids earning the Presidental and National levels in the annual fitness test. It's not just being able to run 3 miles that is lacking in the US, it's overall fitness as well.
My 13 year old is a 25 min Saturday morning 5K girl with hit or miss training. I don't see many of her peers out there.
just saying..... wrote:
"Shalane"
Correct. My typo.
"That boy's got talent!" - Line from Eddie Murphy's Uncle played by Sam Jackson in the movie - Raw
That's good - He'd better join the CC and Track team in High School.
Take care - Coach Tief -
hahahahahahaha wrote:
Former Sprinter wrote:I was a sprinter for ten years, and even in my best shape, I could barely run over a mile. I just wasn't built for it.. I'd cramp up randomly after the first 800 or so.
I'm probably a bit of a weird case, though.
That's because sprinters are pussies.
That's as stupid as the argument that a distance runner is a pussy because very few could put up 200+ on bench.
Sure, they could do it if they worked hard enough at it, but a sprinter could run a few miles if they worked hard enough at it too.
Not in this country......
I'd say about 95% couldn't do it. The number may be higher than that.
If he's been playing competitive soccer or basketball up until this age, it is not uncommon at all. My kid ran 5:45 for 1600 at age 13 on almost nothing but playing midfield for his soccer team. I've coached 13 year olds who could run 7:00 pace for 3 miles within the first 10 days of running - they all had hard core basketball or soccer backgrounds from a very young age.
If he's been playing video games and sissy sports like baseball, he may have some true natural talent.
I am sad to report that the average 13 year absolutely can not run 3 miles w/o stopping, in fact the average 13 year old would struggle to run 2 laps on a track w/o stopping. Obviously a lot of that is mental toughness; the average 13 year old probably could gut out 3-4 laps if they really wanted to, but definitely not 3 miles.
Kids are naturally aerobic, a 13 year old who is not overweight and has some level of physical fitness from an active lifestyle or participating in sport could run 3 miles w/o stopping when they accept it as a challenge, but, this does not define the average 13 year. Go to your average middle school and you will see 8 grade girls who look like rap video dancers and boys with a beer gut. When I was in middle school, you might know one or two kids like that and they where unique, but now this almost the average kid.
I lot of people bemoan seeing young kids running in road races, but I enjoy seeing it as long as they are having fun and not over doing it.
Hell yeah. He's not fast, no offense. To be fast you should be able to run a 5-6 min mile. My daughter is in 4th grade and her classmates can run about that time. Personally, I don't think he can. He's too slow and the entire fourth grade class of our school decided to support the cancer society and ran 3 miles in less that 20 min. So nope, he's a snail.
Father Time wrote:
Just wondering, because my 13-year old son can do this without any training, and I wondered if this means he might have a future in running. He's not fast, (7:30 - 8:00 miles). Can most kids do this without much effort? Seems like hardly anyone can even finish a mile nowadays. Thanks for the input.
When Americans were slightly less obese, in the late 90s, I think that maybe 40% of SKINNY people without specific running training could "jog" 3 miles. But they would have to pace themselves.
Now, the average 10 or 12 year old could probably make it half a mile at the same pace.
I could do that when I was 7 or earlier, but those were the days when kids roamed freely unrestricted by fear nor paranoia. I was a bit more far-faring than most, but I think by age 10 just about every boy in the neighborhood could handle 3 miles easily, except the fat ones, of whom there were few.
In those days we didn't have computers and the adults hogged the one tv with boring crap like Agronsky and Company or the news, so naturally we spent most of our time outdoors.
When I was a high school senior I used to be able to a slow 6 miles in about 50 minutes without any training. All I did was play basketball all day and every day. Now I can barely do a half mile without my legs tying up. I have gained about 30 pounds and maybe half is muscle and half is fat. If you have an ideal build for jogging and are active you should be able to do that easily if your active.
Do you mean he can average 7:30-8:00 for 3 mile runs, or that he can run a 7:30-8:00 mile?
At 13 years old, running a 22-24 minute 3 mile off of no training shows he has some potential, but not necessarily varsity before he's an upperclassman (obviously, that depends on the size of school and caliber of coaching he'd get).
For a measure of comparison, we had two kids that could run 21 minute 5k's as incoming freshmen last year, and the only training they did was 8 weeks of middle school track (short season around here, or maybe that's the standard, I don't knot). Unfortunately, they also skipped out on most of the summer training, so I had to be pretty careful bringing them along this fall. But by the end of the season, one was our #4/5 (helping us to a 7th place finish as our #5 at state with a 17:36.8, and that's what I would call an "average" 5k course - neither notably fast or slow) and the other has run 11:20 for 3200m this spring - not varsity, but will probably make the cut for the league championship meet as a freshman (mid-sized schools). He'll probably be varsity either next year or the year after.
And as for the question of whether or not most 13 year old kids can run 3 miles non-stop... I'd say absolutely not.
3 miles is not really far; I bet that many if not most kids could do it.
As a teenager many moons ago I ran 10 miles for a charity event, off of zero training. My legs were very sore the next day but I did it. My running companion was a kid who was about 7 or 8 yrs old. Granted we did some run-walk-run.
Father Time wrote:
Just wondering, because my 13-year old son can do this without any training, and I wondered if this means he might have a future in running. He's not fast, (7:30 - 8:00 miles). Can most kids do this without much effort? Seems like hardly anyone can even finish a mile nowadays. Thanks for the input.
10/10
Contrary to what's been said, I think there are many younger kids who can run 3 miles. Our school district sponsors a 5k and lots of the participants are kids 12 and under. We also have a Girls on the Run program for 4th and 5th grade girls, so they've been building up to the 5k. I have kids who started running this race when they were 10, and I wasn't sure if they would be able to make it the whole way, but it wasn't a problem for them, or most of the other kid participants. At the time they had house league type soccer and baseball background. The only running they ever did was around the neighborhood and at recess. When they got to middle school, one of my boys decided he might like to try running as a sport and went out for the XC team. Doesn't run in the winter and has taken up track, which started mid April. They had their first meet and he ran his first timed mile on a track in 5:25. It was a small meet with no competition. If he wants to qualify for the state meet though, he'll have to run a 5:13. Not sure if possible.
The best 5k he has run is 19:20, when he was 12. Hasn't run one since he turned 13. That's okay fast but there are kids faster. All I hear and read is that it doesn't really matter what times are when you are in middle school. He may get faster and he may only show mild improvement.
not a weird case, just a huge pvssy!
Former Sprinter wrote:
I was a sprinter for ten years, and even in my best shape, I could barely run over a mile. I just wasn't built for it.. I'd cramp up randomly after the first 800 or so.
I'm probably a bit of a weird case, though.
based on all of the kids who line up at the front of the race at the local 5ks, sprint for 100 yards, then stop in the middle of the road, i would say no.