THIRTY SEVEN (37) 7th-8th grade boys have run under 6:00 for the mile at the school I work at!!??

Middle school miles usually just predicted who matured faster. In 8th grade track I ended up running a little under 5:15 whereas the fastest kid ran 5:10. I was 5'3" tall and weighed about 115lbs (not sure why I didn't run faster given my stature at the time). The other kid was close to 6', had an Adam's apple, sideburns and thinning hairline. When you're a middle school aged male puberty can give you a tremendous performance enhancing boost against males who develop more slowly.

By the time I was a senior in HS I got down to 4:20.something in the full mile. I was 3rd fastest on our team. Both guys who were faster than me didn't run track prior to their freshman year and it was doubtful if they broke 6:00.

Also, I agree with the untrue assertion about all those sub 5:10 guys on the same team. The problem with mile times in elementary or middle school (sometimes even high school) is that, unless they were run on the track under a coach's supervision then they are not to be trusted.

Sure, but how many of them can run that fast?

Jefe in the CO wrote:

Middle school miles usually just predicted who matured faster. In 8th grade track I ended up running a little under 5:15 whereas the fastest kid ran 5:10. I was 5'3" tall and weighed about 115lbs (not sure why I didn't run faster given my stature at the time). The other kid was close to 6', had an Adam's apple, sideburns and thinning hairline. When you're a middle school aged male puberty can give you a tremendous performance enhancing boost against males who develop more slowly.

Agreed that puberty does play a part but the kids who are fast in middle school usually go on to get faster or do fairly well, for the most part. Here's the IL state 8th grade championship from 2008 and the current status of the top twenty. Sure, they aren't world beaters, but most of them seemed to do just fine.

1 Lukas Verzbickas New Lenox Liberty 4:32.01 Oregon/Triathlete

2 Garrett Sweatt Edwardsville Lincoln 4:33.06 Stanford XC

3 Dragan Simic Rockton Stephen Mack 4:40.87 Cal Poly XC

4 Grant Nykaza Beecher 4:46.47 (current Senior in HS) Florida State

5 Malachy Schrobligen Oak Park Julian 4:46.62 Wisconsin XC

6 Jereme Atchison Buffalo Grove Cooper 4:47.94 Illinois XC

7 Michael Simon Springfield Lincoln 4:51.15 Indiana State University XC

8 Taras Didenko Buffalo Grove Cooper 4:51.91 Bradley Univ. XC

9 Caleb Abfall Mt. Zion 4:52.85 Iowa State XC

10 Alejandro Rivera Sterling Challand 4:54.20 HS football RB

11 Caleb Wiebenga Normal Parkside 4:54.45 can't find after SO year

12 Cameron Harvey Sullivan 4:56.52 16th at IL State XC meet

13 Matt Vermeersch Pleasant Plains 4:57.69 4:27/didn't run XC

14 Kris Heller Mattoon 4:57.98 HS golfer/7th in IL state tournament

15 Connor Frakes Taylor Ridge Rockridge 4:58.56 no XC/400m 52.06 football/basketball/T&F

16 Landon Vowels St. Joseph 4:58.74 Illinois Institute of Tech XC

17 Kurt Fornoff Havana 4:59.36 never ran in HS. Varsity golf and baseball

18 Matt Kendzior Grayslake 4:59.71 no XC

19 T.J. Sterbenz McHenry MS 5:00.38 can't find him

20 Logan Abeling Normal Parkside 5:00.67 had rare lung condition/lungs collapsed

And your name says why.

worst poster wrote:

really?????? wrote:

Its very true.

[quote]Confused Briton wrote:

This is not true.

I am going to side with not true.

5 6th graders from one school did not run sub 5:10. Considering less than 10 6th graders reported on milesplit over the last 5 years have run under 5:10, one school did not 5 6th graders run 5:10 in one year. I know milesplit is far from comprehensive. But 5 years, less than 10 6th graders nationally?

If they were normal aged all 5 would have finished in the top 10 of the 2012 National Junior Olympic 1500 Final.

Seems a bit unlikely.

Not comprehensive is an understatement. State meet records mean nothing. Everyone had to run the mile in 6th grade. We all know some of the best runners never ran track or xc because they played another sport, or their parents didn't want the hassle of keeping them in a seasonal sport.

really?????? wrote:

Not comprehensive is an understatement. State meet records mean nothing. Everyone had to run the mile in 6th grade. We all know some of the best runners never ran track or xc because they played another sport, or their parents didn't want the hassle of keeping them in a seasonal sport.

Dont worry, the 4:30 miler believes your tale of determination and sacrifice.

I remember running the mile in grade 7 PE. In my class, there were only 2 that ran it without walking (including myself). Not sure if I broke 6 minutes, as it wasn't timed (perhaps). Class of 30 people (15 guys), so more than 10 percent.

Not state meet records.... ALL of 2007-012.

Ok I was off on the dimensions of the school. I asked the teachers I work with and they say much closer to 1/2 mile square. I was too quick to answer. Regardless, the dang thing is a mile. They wheeled it, gps'd it, I did, a kid with a Garmin did, its a freakin' mile. Whether it be 100 laps around the basketball court or 4 laps on a 400m grass track, the path is legit.

With that being said, 2 more kids broke 6 today in the other teachers class. I am going to set something up at the end of this month or beginning of June and take them to the high school track which is practically in the same neighborhood. I am hoping to get 1-2 under 5:00, have the other's who have broken 6:00 run even faster, and another 20 under 6:00 who have run between 6:00-6:30 on this slow grass.

I ran 33:40 10k as an 8th grader; 4 years later I was middle of the pack.

Is the course aided somehow, net drop in elevation?

When I was in 8th grade me and another guy from one of the 3 middle schools in our city were the only 2 guys under 6:00. We both ran 5:30. But it was a crappy area with no distance running tradition.

I would think any junior high kid who breaks 6:00 in junior high with no training has to be a lock if they stay interested to be a 16:00-16:30 5k cross runner by the senior year. Can you imagine a high school team with 37 of those types? Obviously at least one of them is going to be near 15:00, and least 5 good enough to break 16:00.

break it up wrote:

Is the course aided somehow, net drop in elevation?

When I was in 8th grade me and another guy from one of the 3 middle schools in our city were the only 2 guys under 6:00. We both ran 5:30. But it was a crappy area with no distance running tradition.

I would think any junior high kid who breaks 6:00 in junior high with no training has to be a lock if they stay interested to be a 16:00-16:30 5k cross runner by the senior year. Can you imagine a high school team with 37 of those types? Obviously at least one of them is going to be near 15:00, and least 5 good enough to break 16:00.

The course is not aided in any way. Flat with no elevation change. The terrain is just a regular grass field for soccer.

And you are absolutely right about what they could run in the future. Most 5:30-6:00 kids run 17's with the right guidance their freshman year. They may even crack 17. Imagine having that many freshman doing that haha But tons of them would go on to run low 15's by their senior year.

So how has the group done? Did they live up to their potential?

really?????? wrote:

Its very true.

Confused Briton wrote:

This is not true.

No way this happened. The course was short or your memory is off.

Yeah what middle school was this at? They should be lighting it up right now.