What is the absolute slowest you can be to run in college?

Ran for a pretty good sprints/hurdles-focused D1 program, and we had distance guys that never broke 17 for 5000m (not that I was any good).

There were roster spots and budget; they maintained good GPAs and didn’t cause problems for the team; and they didn’t get to travel much at all. They also routinely beat guys from small D1 schools who couldn’t break 17:30.

Bump, my friend has PBs of:

800m: 2:4x

1600m: 5:5x

3000m: 12:0x

(Female)

Do not want to reveal prs down to the second or she may find out but I’m trying to help her because she really wants to run in college.

Obviously NO hope of going D1. Looking for D2 or D3 teams with a similar average ability.

Not A Runner 101 wrote:

Bump, my friend has PBs of:

800m: 2:4x

1600m: 5:5x

3000m: 12:0x

(Female)

Do not want to reveal prs down to the second or she may find out but I’m trying to help her because she really wants to run in college.

Obviously NO hope of going D1. Looking for D2 or D3 teams with a similar average ability.

Your friend has personal bests very similar to a close female blood relative of mine. Actually looking at D-1 opportunities for her. [Not that said female relative feels she is too good athletically for D-2. Looking at D-1 universities for academics.] Did you read the first two pages of this thread? On Athletic.net, you will see D-1 programs with guys racing slower than 4:40 1500m. Do know: for Drake or Penn or Texas relays, T&F teams need to have personnel for 4 x 1500m relay and 4 x 800m relay. Eight-hundred metres is a frequent and severe injury event. [Track workouts similar to those for 400m athletes and mileage similar to those for 1500m athletes for 800m athletes.] Eight-hundred metres runners are always going down with injuries. Coaches know that. If your friend tells coaches she is willing to do 800m, 3000mSC, 5000m & 10000m, more likely to make a team. [A million girls, it seems are willing to race 100m to 400m and race 1500m.]

darn slow.

when I was 49, I jumped into the college/open division of a large college invitational xc meet. I ran 30:12 and beat 37 varsity college runners in an 8K. (including the entire team from a Kansas junior college).

Median 8k finishing time of 34:00 for a conference championship

Only 3 men broke 30, and based on other results, this course ran pretty fast.

Usa-south has 5 full women's teams that average slower than 33:00 for a 6k

Suny-esf men had 14 of the top 15 runners. They also had 0 runners under 30 minutes.

Median 8k finishing time of 39:00

Many of these teams do not have resources or abilities to recruit, and/or do not have knowledgeable coaches. These teams would welcome a high school boy who runs 5:20, as he will probably help them by being in the top 5.

My point is, there is probably a place for you to run, regardless of how fast you are.

Running on a team in college is a waste of time unless they are paying you.

Instead get a part time job and give yourself a head start for when those loans start knocking.

You can still run on your own when you can. If it’s for social reasons than do something less time consuming like a once a week chess club.

If you really love racing there’s thousands and thousands of races to choose from all over the world.

This question gets asked every year on these forums. By running in college I assume you mean not for a club team but for an actual competitive program as in ncaa or naia. And the answer will probably surprise you because you do not have to be that fast at all. Obviously it depends on the specific school: there are D1 programs that totally suck and take 35min 8k men on their XC team (like intramurals IMO), and there are elite D3 programs that have cuts if you’re not at least like a sub16min 5k male and/or can’t break ~27:30 for 8k xc race. I hope this answers your question.

Some of the most competitive D1 programs have pretty competitive NIRCA club teams if you’re not some super super fast recruit (eg UNiv of Virginia NIRCA club team which has guys who couldn’t break 15min for a 5000m on a hot humid day in August to make the team and get a roster spot- some of them eventually leave uva and transfer to other d1 programs )

20 20 Vision wrote:

Running on a team in college is a waste of time unless they are paying you.

Instead get a part time job and give yourself a head start for when those loans start knocking.

You can still run on your own when you can. If it’s for social reasons than do something less time consuming like a once a week chess club.

If you really love racing there’s thousands and thousands of races to choose from all over the world.

True but probably easier to stay motivated competing for the college team than going at it alone, but you could choose not to compete in college and instead hire a private coach and/ or compete for the local usatf club team. And then there’s the whole post collegiate running world- you can test yourself at the longer distances (eg marathon) distance once you’re out of college or sooner like Sage Canaday did for example. Most of us quit at either age 17 or at age 23 once we know we’re not going to be that good since a serious aim at career and family triumphs for a lot of people

There are low end D3 schools all over the country that will take boys that run 5:30 or slower in the mile, girls that run 30 minute 5ks, etc. You have to find them though.

I am sure there are NAIA, NJCAA, etc. schools that are similar.

Oh man, that VMI guy came so close to beating the last Furman runner. I know finishing 9th when 8 guys from another team beat you doesn't mean much, but he would have felt like a hero if he'd been one more place up.

20 20 Vision wrote:

Running on a team in college is a waste of time unless they are paying you.

Instead get a part time job and give yourself a head start for when those loans start knocking.

You can still run on your own when you can. If it’s for social reasons than do something less time consuming like a once a week chess club.

If you really love racing there’s thousands and thousands of races to choose from all over the world.

Did you run on a team in college?

I was a walk-on in college.

Perks:

1) Free running gear.

2) Told head coach the classes I wanted. It did not matter if a class was full or not. Coach got me in.

3) Free meals.

4) Teammates were good friends of mine and still are good friends of mine.

5) A letter of recommendation from coach was better than any letter of recommendation that I received.

6) As long as I showed up to class, guaranteed straight A's in PE-type courses.

7) Head coach was a good mentor.

8) Class registration or financial aid were no issue. Coach handled it.

9) No lines in chow hall.

10) Ate as much as I wanted in chow all, free.

#8 Early/priority registration is a big deal. Basically, you always get into the classes you want and are never waitlisted. Upperclassmen mentors, travel and athletes' locker rooms are perks too.

I never broke 5 in the mile (I did for the equivalent in a 1500, barely), but I ran under 28 minutes for 8k. If you show up for practice and don't brag about your mile time, the coach might be nice and let you start training with the team.

College track is full of walk ons. The cocky studs often lose interest in the sport once they realize they’re no longer the stars they were in high school. When they start having to log 60mpw before a college xc season, the talented but guys who do not enjoy running and just did it for college apps usually call it quits