Footlocker South aka The Drew Hunter Show!

The lengthened section at around the 2k mark seemed to add ~10 seconds or so. I've never seen someone with such a lead at the bottom of the hill before. He didn't settle into a groove, either--he came around the lake at the end flying. I'd easily give that a 14:15 on the previous course.

Last year the course was a certified 5k as well...what did they add??

Virginia took the top 3 spots and 6 of the top 9.

Haha again with the times. Everyone is dissecting and analyzing. He ran 14:26, right? You can't really extrapolate that lightning fast course to another.

The kids who ran a PR want to call it long and the kids who ran bad want to call it short.

Course was lengthened by 70 meters this year..... Drew ran the equivalent of 1410 on the old course.....

The weather was great in NC...prime conditions. I wouldn't be complaining...look back to the rain and mud in 2008. That year was rough for everyone.

BR wrote:

Last year the course was a certified 5k as well...what did they add??

Wrong. Go find the article on the course changes

I was down in NC for the races, and 70 meters is the number that was bandied about by the "in the know" crowd today. Regardless of the exact number, it is reasonable to believe that Hunter's time would have been even faster on last year's course. But even he would likely say that only on the track do times have absolute value for comparison purposes. In fact, he downplayed the worth of XC time/course comparisons when interviewed on camera after last year's Foot Locker South victory.

Seems odd your only example is a guy who was the favorite because he'd run an 8:49 as a junior, was the highest FL returner, broke Alan Webbs course record, and narrowly placed second while sick to a guy who was 20 years old and ended up top ten in NCAA cross as a freshman...

Drew Hunter is going to smash the competition.

Slingerz wrote:

Drew Hunter is going to smash the competition.

This ^ !!

Listen, the good news is that he has run faster than the following -

Alan Webb

Andrew Bumbalough

Sean McGorty

etc., etc., etc.

And after watching the video, a little disappointed in his form. He's very muscular and robotic, very stiff. He's pretty damn physically mature for a SR, but his stride is limiting. Reminds me a little of Bernie Montoya.

He will be great as a grinder, but needs to get more fluid to be a potential superstar in college and post-college.

Looks like a beast and looking forward to him racing FL Nationals.

CLO wrote:

And after watching the video, a little disappointed in his form. He's very muscular and robotic, very stiff. He's pretty damn physically mature for a SR, but his stride is limiting. Reminds me a little of Bernie Montoya.

He will be great as a grinder, but needs to get more fluid to be a potential superstar in college and post-college.

Looks like a beast and looking forward to him racing FL Nationals.

So if you were betting Nationals in 2 weeks, you'd take 'the whole field' over Hunter?

CLO wrote:

And after watching the video, a little disappointed in his form. He's very muscular and robotic, very stiff. He's pretty damn physically mature for a SR, but his stride is limiting. Reminds me a little of Bernie Montoya.

He will be great as a grinder, but needs to get more fluid to be a potential superstar in college and post-college.

Looks like a beast and looking forward to him racing FL Nationals.

I used to think the same thing and comment how he lacked speed. But, last track season blew those ideas away. He closed in 55 or something for the Brooks PR race, then closed equally hard in the Junior National 1500. He's quicker than it looks.

MikeD wrote:

BR wrote:

Last year the course was a certified 5k as well...what did they add??

Wrong. Go find the article on the course changes

A cross country course can be measured, but I don't think it can really be certified the same way a road course can be. It is also usually measured differently (from the center of the course, not the tangents).

Mr. Obvious wrote:

MikeD wrote:

Wrong. Go find the article on the course changes

A cross country course can be measured, but I don't think it can really be certified the same way a road course can be. It is also usually measured differently (from the center of the course, not the tangents).

NFHS changed the rule in 2012. Tangents are used.

See page 14 & 15:

I agree that Hunter will crush the competition. Here is an off the wall hypothetical for you though - if Fam would have made the 30 minute drive from Huntersville and could have run in this race, who would have won it and would Hunter have broken 14 minutes?

Fam was definitely there yesterday........Drew is VERY good and the best HS runner in the country, and I think it would be close given that Famiglietti is 38 now. Dont forget, he has a PR of 13:11, a full 1:10 faster than Drew ran.

Slingerz wrote:

Seems odd your only example is a guy who was the favorite because he'd run an 8:49 as a junior, was the highest FL returner, broke Alan Webbs course record, and narrowly placed second while sick to a guy who was 20 years old and ended up top ten in NCAA cross as a freshman...

Drew Hunter is going to smash the competition.

I think I see where you think you are going with that, but if you are talking about Cormier, he placed 28th in the 2005 XC Nationals.