Pikachu wrote:
Just congrats to the guy!
I don't get the two extremes "everyone with 8:39 3k is able to run 2:16 with proper training" and "it sounds fishy".
I'd say with 8:39 3k and undertrained it still is a huge difference to run 2:16, but it might be doable for some folks - like this guy here made it!
E.g. I only ran a 15:2x 5k with 18 and later ran a couple times under 2:20 myself, but it was years of hard work and I know many faster guys who never ran up to their theoretical potential in the marathon.
To say that a sub15 collegiate athlete usually is able to run 2:16 is a stretch. Usually the 2:15-20 endurance types are able to run 14-14:30ish, like 14:20-29:45-1:05-2:17. A well trained 14:59 runner (when he maxed out his 5k) usually won't be much quicker than 31:00 - 1:07 - 2:20 at best. It's mathematics.
When people run 2:16 with a 15:00 PR it usually only means they don't care about their 5k PR.
Pikachu
Your last sentence is bang on the mark. A PB that's a really slow outlier relative to other best marks usually means the runner just didn't take that distance all that seriously. I think Bill Rodgers's best mile was something like 4:18. I don't know that he ever raced a mile after he left college and if he had the time would surely have been much faster.