It’s a mistake wrote:
Conditions for bob firman and NXR were nearly identical with the weather. Agreed EJ may have not been gunning for a record but Boyden also ran alone once Green dropped out of that race so who knows how much faster he could have gone.
Word is Boyden is back in very good shape and will be ready for footlocker after a ton of time off so I think it will be Boyden, Methner, and Morris throwing down. Should be fun to watch.
Again, the Eagle Island Course Record is 14:49 set by Luke Puskedra in 2007. Boyden is #4 on the list, and the fastest this year. The changes to the start/finish area reduced congestion for the mid-pack runners, but it didn't really effect the front runners at all (alley start with a longer straight before the first turn, but it's flat for that portion of the course with either layout). It's essentially the same course it has been for decades.
Sub-15:10 times at Eagle Island:
14:49 Luke Puskedra, Judge Memorial UT 2007
14:51.29 Conner Mantz, Sky View UT 2014
14:55.66 Tanner Anderson, North Central WA 2014
14:59.5 Thomas Boyden, Skyline UT 2019
15:02.9 Evan Holland, Ashland OR 2019
15:03.0 Joe Hardy, Seattle Prep WA 2012
15:06.16 Elijah Armstrong, Pocatello ID 2014
15:06.3 Kai Wilmot, North Central WA 2012
15:06.7 Grant Gardner, Springville UT 2018
15:06.75 James Mwaura, Lincoln WA 2017
15:08.3 Ben Saarel, Park City UT 2012
15:09.4 Zach Erickson, Idaho Falls ID 2018
15:09.97 Kai Wilmot, North Central WA 2013
I had hoped that Boyden would race NXN so we could see just how well he stacks up with the other elite runners this year.
FWIW, it's not perfect, but here's a comparison of how Boyden and Holland did against the same competition (Smith and Visser) at Firman/NXR:
Boyden, Smith and Visser were within 2 seconds of eachother at the first split (~ 7:00 into the race), and had built a ~15 second lead by the second split (14:00-14:15ish). Boyden ended up beating Smith by 19.7 seconds and Visser by 13.2.
Holland, Smith and Visser were within 2 seconds of eachother through the first 3 splits (so at least 6:10 into the race). On the second lap of the course (between the 2k and 2 mile splits), Visser fell off pace and Smith stayed within 2 seconds at the 2 mile mark. Between the 2 mile mark and the stretch of sand near the mile marker, Holland pulled away Smith and had a lead of 11 seconds at around the 3930m mark (11:43 to 11:54), and the lead was up to 17 seconds at the last split (just after the downhill, about 4350m in) 12:57 to 13:14. That's similar to Boyden's lead over Smith at Firman in the last split (13:59.8 to 14:17.7).
Similar gap going into Poplar Lane, the final difference in time was that Holland let up more at the end. The two look very similar this year, and it's unfortunate they won't get to race eachother (if Boyden opts for FLN over NXN).