That was the most pathetic mile I’ve ever seen

I honestly don't care what the winning time is.

I raced very hard to run 4.30 for 1 lap.

It isn't the time as such but the way the race is run. If there is no race until the finish then I would hardly think I was seeing a mile race.

You're free to think whatever you want but the fact is that Mario is the 2022 NCAA MILE champion.

The sprint race in track cycling is three laps (often 1000m total distance), but hardly anyone ever takes off from the start. In fact, they are often going as slow as possible/at a standstill (trackstand) on the second lap, and only the last 200m is timed. So, that's an analogous event that that kind of formalizes the fast finish. It'd be interesting to hear how it's gone if a track cyclist ever went into most sprint taking off from the gun instead of racing the last 200. They'd have to get the jump on the other cyclist to try to keep the other cyclist out of their draft, and then they would need more of a pursuiter's strength than sprinter's speed to hold their opponent off.

Someone should've challenged Garcia Romo harder for the lead. Beadlescomb got stuck back a bit too far, so he waited.

Wow ... ok, you're consistent. For me a college men's national championship mile won in 9:00 is not a mile race.

I'm going to go with your commitment here: so, if they walked all but the last 100 yards and then sprinted the last 100, you'd think that was a great mile race (won in say 15:00)?

"The sprint race in track cycling is three laps (often 1000m total distance), but hardly anyone ever takes off from the start. In fact, they are often going as slow as possible/at a standstill (trackstand) on the second lap, and only the last 200m is timed. So, that's an analogous event that that kind of formalizes the fast finish. It'd be interesting to hear how it's gone if a track cyclist ever went into most sprint taking off from the gun instead of racing the last 200. They'd have to get the jump on the other cyclist to try to keep the other cyclist out of their draft, and then they would need more of a pursuiter's strength than sprinter's speed to hold their opponent off."

That's actually a decent analogy. Well done. I'll think about that.

"I honestly don't care what the winning time is".

That doesn't mean that I don't care about how the race is run - it means that I don't worry about the numbers next to the names in the NCAA finals. As for this race, I enjoyed it (I wouldn't say that I loved it). For your impossible hypothetical, it is hard to say without actually seeing the race whether or not I would enjoy it but I doubt that I would call it "great".

I think that your response is honest, fair, and consistent. Thank you!

Romo ran a very smart race. He went to the front after the first lap, and never relinquished his position. He ran the shortest distance, as he was always on the rail. Pretty much the same as what Centro did in Rio.

The Michigan State guy who finished second didn't position himself well. So he ended up exerting extra energy just going through the traffic. He also ran a longer distance than Romo.

This is a very unique thread for Letsrun.

I’ve never seen the topic of people complaining about a slow middle distance championship race before.

There’s such amazing insight to think that a slow runner could beat a faster runner by making the initial pace fast and leading them.

I don’t understand the hate for tactical races. How are time trials more exciting? The outcome is mostly known in time trials. In this race, and other tactical races, the outcome is much more unknown. I love that. It’s fun to watch.

I found the women's mile far more entertaining, and it has nothing to do with the time.

A "time trial" (aka race) is more exciting for (at least) two reasons: 1) the possibility of a new record (or a PR) and 2) runners are seeing how close they can get to the red line without blowing up.

Well I'm sure glad I didn't watch! Someone's the champion of something with a 4:07, yippee.

The outcome in time trials is meaningful.

I think it's mostly sub-elites and up that are interested in watching "tactical," nobody else races enough near-peers for it to happen much.

Seasonal form charts are affected by time trials and create a sort of leaderboard. Successful racing sports like Nascar have a points system. One great contest would be to award one point for every hundredth of a second under 3:35 throughout the season, causing a mad rush to go fast lots of times. That would show who's the best.

Better yet put it on a curve, where each hundredth under 3:32 is worth 2 points, each one under 3:30 is three points.

Pics, stud? Love the energy though I'd put it to better use between my smooth, quaking thighs.

You do know it was an 8-lap race, right?

Because it feels like you don't know that.