Anyone have experience getting DFL?

A teammate was seeded in the fast section of the 1k at BU a few years ago. He was a freshman, probably in 1:58 800/2:34 1k shape. The pack went through the 800 in 150, leaving my friend waaaaaay off the back. It was pretty funny, and a pretty messed up thing for our coach to do.

In middle school got DFL in every mile race but two. Also finished there last race of high school-- ran in the 800 at state sectionals in the slow heat. Got tripped up while leading at 420-430m in and couldn't get the pace back to where it was supposed to be. Everyone was by me before the final turn. Don't worry about it too much, you'll have chances to do better later and the opportunity to compete against better competition is almost always worth it.

I did it in a road mile once. I raced the elite division with about a dozen others. I knew I'd be near the back, but thought I would still be in contact. Being more of an endurance guy, I was DFL from the gun, and after everyone but myself went through the 1/4 mile at sub 4:00 pace, I figured I was out of it. I kept running, but stopped racing. I wish I hadn't because at least half the guys blew up big time and started coming backwards. I surely could have beat a few and maybe even finished right in the middle of the pack, but because I already thought I was out of it I finished DFL.

I suppose the moral is that if you are racing a high level race and DFL early on, don't give up because there are probably many people barely hanging on who you might be able to pass eventually if you don't give up. I feel like the higher level you are racing the more people need to take risks to just hang on, and that is how spectacular blow ups can still happen at an elite level. It's all or nothing.

Lots of times in high school track. I typically found myself right on the bubble of the slow end of the seeded heat and the fast end of the unseeded heat.

In college XC I was once 3rd from last in a 300+ runner race. I was supposed to be JV, but two of our varsity guys no-showed for the bus, so I got thrown in with the big boys (8k, sub 24 won it). It was also randomly 80 degrees and humid in october after being in the 50s for the previous 2 weeks and I felt like crap pretty much from the gun. Yeah, it sucks to be slow AND have a bad race.

In college: 1500m with some guys trying to hit NCAA autos. Had already run 14:16 in 5000 the night before on windy night. Ran 3:46 for DFL. Worst feeling ever seeing that many guys right in front of you and can't do anything about it. I'd like to see those fresh speedsters double in 14 hours and still run that quick.

To OP-as long as you aren't running slow for DFL, just hang on for the ride.

Captain Spalding wrote:

I DFLd in a couple track races. The worst part was definitely the pity claps and the "good job" that I got from people. No, it f-ing wasn't a good job!

Yes. I think I would have felt better is they had actively insulted me.

Let's go city!! wrote:

A teammate was seeded in the fast section of the 1k at BU a few years ago. He was a freshman, probably in 1:58 800/2:34 1k shape. The pack went through the 800 in 150, leaving my friend waaaaaay off the back. It was pretty funny, and a pretty messed up thing for our coach to do.

What's wrong with your coach doing that?

Y'all, DFL is not dead last, it has to be last by a big margin to merit the F. The 1:43.77 at the olympics doesn't count, IMO, because he was only .5 seconds behind Kaki. but yes that final was unreal.

DFL'd in an 8th grade 200 (35 seconds if I recall). some guys on the sideline were like "yeah....almost there!" and started laughing. Pretty unclassy way to treat a 13 year old.

Advice for the race: start out SLOW. as in 1st mile 10 seconds slower than you normally run. Try not to lose sight of the other last place runners, but feel ok being 100-200 meters behind them. Then pass people in the last 800 of the last mile. Think about it from their POV. You can't be the only person who realizes they're overmatched. The classic mistake here is to try to go out too hard and then die. Pass the stragglers. Finish strong.

Good luck.

I ran an indoor 3k last year, mixed club/open race with mostly dudes. PR'ed with a 10:20 and was still at least 5 seconds behind the next girl. I was actually pretty thrilled since the last time I ran a 3k/3200 was in high school... . I went out conservatively with the other 3 girls and ran even splits. Just go out and try to hang with the back of the pack.

I was DFL at 1986 DIII xc nationals running with the pnuemonia - stopping to cough a lung up every couple hundred meters.

This was in about a foot of snow - I knew I was in trouble when the last 3 guys passed me (one was from San Diego - I met him on the course the day before and it was the first time in his life he had ever seen snow).

As it was a multiple loop course, some official was worried about me getting back into the race a lap down and at about 3.5 miles, came up to me and tore my bib off.

So, actually, I ended up a DNF, but would have been DFL if it weren't for that official.

Haushinka wrote:

There is a significant chance that I will get dead last in my next race because it is the highest level of competition I've competed against. Although, I may actually beat a few people if I have a good day. How do you deal with this? Is it a badge of honor? Something to laugh at? Be ashamed of?

How would it ever be a badge of honor??

Haushinka wrote:

There is a significant chance that I will get dead last in my next race because it is the highest level of competition I've competed against. Although, I may actually beat a few people if I have a good day. How do you deal with this? Is it a badge of honor? Something to laugh at? Be ashamed of?

Badge of honor, no. And not to be laughed at either. Only be ashamed if you give up and accept DFL.

Been there, and I'm not talking a track race with a handful of runners, I'm talking conference meet the first year I ran XC in college. Ran a good race (for me), right in line with my pr's. Knew I wasn't last, but as I came through the chute they started tearing the lines down behind me. Asked my coach what was going on because I knew there were 2-3 other runners behind me, he told me their coaches pulled them with a mile to go. The next year I finished 3rd from last, for DII that was a tough conference!

Almost finished DFL in my age group at triathlon nationals back in about 1990. Point to point 1500m ocean swim at Hilton Head, first time I ever swam in the ocean in a race. I was an awful swimmer. Came out of the water 3-4 minutes behind 2nd to last place in our wave. It's really weird running into the transition zone to get on your bike and it's the only bike sitting on your group's racks. Was making up time on the bike, caught a couple people in my age group, then got a flat. Ended up coming off the bike still last. Managed to catch a few on the run to save face.

My philosophy is I'd rather get last in a race against good competition than win a race with no competition.

JeremiahJohnson wrote:

Haushinka wrote:

There is a significant chance that I will get dead last in my next race because it is the highest level of competition I've competed against. Although, I may actually beat a few people if I have a good day. How do you deal with this? Is it a badge of honor? Something to laugh at? Be ashamed of?

How would it ever be a badge of honor??

I personally think it is very honorable.

Succeed or Die! wrote:

I was DFL in the 800 my junior AND senior year at the state championship meet. My senior year I got sick the week before the race and was fried halfway through the 3200 (my 3rd race of the day) but my coaches made me run the 800 anyways. I was last by a good 5-10 seconds and I just started waving to the crowd. My coaches were pissed.

No heart.

Nope. I got an AG 1st place recently.

I just kept saying, "quankaquankaquanka."

I used to compete in Decathlons as a kid. One time when I was 13, they didn't have any other competitors in my age group, so they bumped me up into an older bracket with the 17 year old and possibly 18 year old kids. They weren't going to run a separate Decathlon for one kid. For my age, I was middle of pack, but against these kids I was destroyed event after event. Not even close. Although I did win the 1500.

I always feel a little sorry for the men and women who finish DFL in elite races like the Carlsbad 5000. But I'm guessing they'd rather be in that position than winning the community race.

D.C. runner wrote:

Y'all, DFL is not dead last, it has to be last by a big margin to merit the F.

D F L: Last race of college, first time getting the pity clap (at Hayward Field no less), and I was double lapped! I was the last Q into West Prelims for the 10k in 2011. I had a pretty poor conference meet two weeks prior as I had been dealing with an Achilles injury building up to it. By the time "Regionals" came around I was in pretty poor running shape.

1 Elliott Heath SR Stanford 29:11.44 Q

2 Colby Lowe JR Oklahoma State 29:11.83 Q

3 Chris Derrick JR Stanford 29:13.10 Q

4 Jake Riley SR Stanford 29:13.75 Q

5 Miles Unterreiner JR Stanford 29:14.46 Q

6 Keith Gerrard SR New Mexico 29:14.67 Q

7 Jeff Schirmer SR Southern Illinois 29:14.91 Q

8 Joe Bosshard SO Colorado 29:15.57 Q

9 Stephen Sambu JR Arizona 29:16.72 Q

10 Maverick Darling SO Wisconsin 29:17.56 Q

...

42 Nick Szczech JR Marquette 30:59.68

43 Rory Tunningley SO Texas 31:16.30

44 Jason Pedersen SR Northern Arizona 31:58.78

48 guys started, so I "beat" a couple guys that DNF'd I guess.

What does the D in DFL stand for? Sorry if this is very obvious. Dead Finish Last? Does Finish Last?