Why is Colorado so good?

Yeah thats how people are on this site, It just means the haters are louder at times and the proponents are louder at others. The haters can't argue a pac-12 sweep, so they're quiet until CU doesn't do well again. Every team has fluctuations from season to season. Look at oregon right now, they are about what CU was in 2010. What needs to be looked at is 5 year periods, or the averages of those fluctuations.

With regards to elevation: I'd venture to say that the jury is out on whether or not this actually helps CU. You could make the argument that your physiological adaptations at elevation are a huge help at sea level etc, but many people don't understand the toll that elevation training takes. You recover way slower, so you can't pound the next day after a hard workout (or day after that) in training and continue to get the neovascularization and neuromuscular benefits you cold at sea level. Also, you can't practice running in your lactate threshold at elevation for very long. You're either aerobic or anaerobic, but rarely in between in that zone you race in, a zone which benefits from training.

Lets look at that high school PR wise as talent coming in

OK State

German.....4:00 8:34 3rd FL

Colby Lowe.....4:08 8:50 4th FL

Girma only has 8:56 9th FL

Wisco

Mo Ahmed....14:12 5k

Reed Conner.... 8:55 4:10 Won NXN

Finnerty.. 4:01 8:50 9th FL

Darling.... 8:58 10th Fl

Skipped a few but couldnt find high school PR's for them

Colorado

Medina 4:15 – 9:15

Wacker – 4:24 – 9:19

Bosshard 4:22-9:11

Thompson 4:24 – 9:25

Moussa 4:10 – 8:49 (obvious outlier)

Medina 4:26 – 9:30

Theroux 4:13 – 9:13

So tell me those guys are the same?

How many of those times were at altitude? Were these guys undertrained in high school?

A competent coach should be able to improve undertrained 9:10 runners by a good bit.

Medina brothers were at altitude the others are sea level