A lot of people can run D1 track if they train the right way and for enough time (obviously the amount of time varies person to person). People on letsrun just have no idea how to train properly lmao. And yeah if you aren't that talented you might need to have started training a lot earlier in your life but if you really want it you can make it.
D2 is free tbh.
Yes
If you are 4:50/10:20/17:30 you can walk onto low-tier D1 programs. If you’re 4:30/9:50/16:30 you can get maybe a few thousand dollars semester. I have a friend who ran D1 with 4:30/9:50/16:30 and was top 5.
For D3, the 5th man on my H.S. team ran 18:30 senior year and walked onto a WNY D3 program and did well.
Now you have to train. My D1 friend dropped to sub 15 in cross country 5K. My D3 18:30 friend dropped to low 17:00 in cross country 5K.
The reason more people don’t run is that it’s a lot of time to commit to something you’re not getting paid for, especially if you are doing STEM etc. 20 hours a week to be the seventh man?!?! It’s not talent. Any sub 5:00 HS runner is talented enough to do D3.
There are lots of D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and Juco colleges out there. I think just about anyone could find a team to compete on. Many teams will take ANYONE. You may not get any money, but you’ll find a team. I would say anyone with a 18:00 5k time could even find a team in which they are the “star”.
Alan
Just pick any state and look at the schools in that state. As an example, look in the state of Kentucky. Loaded with NAIA schools and D1-2 schools. Look at Indiana. Look at the “regional” campuses associated with the “big state school”.
Alan
ncrunner25 wrote:
It’s not talent. Any sub 5:00 HS runner is talented enough to do D3.
Sub 5 in high school takes talent.
The majority of boys could probably run sub 6 if they train properly. And 80+% could probably run sub 7.
I wonder if the sprints would be easier. I've seen times as slow as 12.4/25.1/56.0 match all three of the OP's criteria.
For the worst D2 schools and mediocre D3 and NAIA schools, it would be easy for anyone with even just average ability to pull off with some training. Take me for example:
HS prs:
10:51 3200 and 17:30 xc 5k
college prs run at a mediocre NAIA school:
8k xc: 27:30
half marathon: low 1:16
10k track: low 35s (never had a good race in my only college track season)
I finished well inside the top 90% in nearly all of my races, and in a few cases in the top 50%.
100, 200, 400 wrote:
I wonder if the sprints would be easier. I've seen times as slow as 12.4/25.1/56.0 match all three of the OP's criteria.
Poor for a true sprinter but those times take heaps of talent for the average joe. 90%+ aren’t getting close. It takes way more talent to be mediocre at sprinting than it doesnto be half decent at distance.
You want something that has the smallest talent pool and can be improved the most with training. Think something skill-based, like golf or piano.
The only event that would fit both of those categories would be the pole vault. Everything else is out. Sprints and throws? Too many football players doing it to get/stay in shape for football. Distances? Cross country is usually the second most popular fall sport (football is the most popular). Jumps and hurdles? Nope, they're too dependent on height and leg length (genetic), and you do get basketball guys who try those after their season ends.