Average high school 3200, 1600, and 800 meter times

dfsfdsfsd wrote:

4:30 is not average, even among college bound runners. 4:30 is a state qualifying time in most states, even placing in many small school divisions. If you looked at what the average high school 1600 times for college competitors, it'll be over 4:40 I bet, if you look at D-1 through D-3 and NAIA.

The high school mile times on my college team for the top 10 guys my senior year were 4:20, 4:23, 4:26, 4:29, 4:30, 4:31, 4:31, 4:38, 4:41, 4:45. That comes out to a 4:31, and that's just the top 10. Once we factor in all the guys, the average is closer to 4:40.We were probably an above average/very good cross country team, so I absolutely believe the average would be over 4:40 once you factor in the crappy teams.

Those guys went on to run 4:12, 4:04, 4:23, 4:14, 4:02, 4:08, 4:13, 4:03, 4:08, and 4:15 (in the same order). The 4:12, 4:23, 4:13 and 4:15 guys didn't finish up their eligibility, or they probably would have run faster.

cbenson4 wrote:

hmmm..... wrote:

You don't have a concept of average do you? 11:24 and 5:15 sound about right.

Go to most high school varsity track meets, and the only place you might see 11:24/5:15 is in last place.

Not even close

Here's what I have gotten overall from all the sources I could find:

HS Boys average times:

800-2:29

1600-5:19

3200-11:41

Here's what I have gotten overall from all the sources I could find:

HS Boys average times:

800-2:24

1600-5:19

3200-11:41

5k (XC)-21:35, but courses vary greatly in their terrain (surface being grass/pavement/sand and the frequency/quality of hills). Don't forget that there are some kids that do xc (guys and girls) just to get into shape for another sport.

HS Girls average times:

800-2:48

1600-6:09

3200-14:25

5k (xc)-25:05 (again, take into account the terrain, frequency and quality of hills are going to vary for every course, and some girls do xc just to get into shape.

Don't get too hung over about this though. If you are not at this point in these events, do not get discouraged. Some people are just genetically "gifted" as many put it, or simply "born to run". Also, just because one may be able to do this for 800-1600-3200 meters, it does not mean that they could do this for longer distances, at a respectively similar pace.

Here's what I have gotten overall from all the sources I could find:

HS Boys average times:

800-2:24

1600-5:19

3200-11:41

5k (XC)-21:35, but courses vary greatly in their terrain (surface being grass/pavement/sand and the frequency/quality of hills). Don't forget that there are some kids that do xc (guys and girls) just to get into shape for another sport.

HS Girls average times:

800-2:48

1600-6:26

3200-14:25

5k (xc)-25:05 (again, take into account the terrain, frequency and quality of hills are going to vary for every course, and some girls do xc just to get into shape.

Don't get too hung over about this though. If you are not at this point in these events, do not get discouraged. Some people are just genetically "gifted" as many put it, or simply "born to run". Also, just because one may be able to do this for 800-1600-3200 meters, it does not mean that they could do this for longer distances, at a respectively similar pace.

Recognizer of Brilliance wrote:

Thanks for putting this out there. I am so tired of folks on here calling 9:17 guys 'mediocre'.

Exactly.

I know many Footlocker Finalists who simply hated track and thus were 4:20/9:20 guys

List 5. There are none without a reason.

We are in the Midwest region. I have coached many 9 flat kids who ran 15 flat in XC but I have never had a kid finish top 20 in the region.

There are probably a fair number of NXN and FL Nationals runners who ran track at elevation and never got in fast track races at low elevation at peak fitness, hence a perceived gap between XC and track PRs.

I won’t bother doing it, but I assume a review of the Colorado and Utah performances would back this up.

XC fast is not always track fast. There are some kids who can never figure out how to run if they're not on a track.

In California, courses are 3 miles by and large, not 5K.

765dfciyui96y7 wrote:

XC fast is not always track fast. There are some kids who can never figure out how to run if they're not on a track.

In California, courses are 3 miles by and large, not 5K.

This thread is awesome and puts a lot of know it all elitists in their place. I have coached high school for over 10 years, and these numbers stack up as I've pretty much imagined.

I think part of the disconnect has to be that a lot of the die hard fans of running come from areas with strong running cultures. Realize there is a world out there where nobody cares about running, and kids who wouldn't make the cut in your area are the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd runner on their team. There are FAR FAR more places out there that lack running culture than those that have it.

I've always thought of the simple line of 2:20, 5:20, 11:20 as the ballpark of average. I'm always looking for a yearly running goal. Maybe next year, after I turn 40, I will set these median times as my yearly goal!

In my freshman health class I ran a 5:01 mile. Interestingly it was the only timed mile I ever ran.

No there aren't.

Interesting thread I found after watching the Arcadia Invitational meet tonight. Almost 30 years ago, I had 5:02 and 10:41 in high school and was #2 on my team way behind the #1 runner who ended up running for BYU with times around 4:20/9:20-range. I always felt I was way below average by LetsRun standards but good to know I was somewhat above average. Still obviously far from the elite runners that can qualify for Arcadia Invitational but I remember doing OK and often scoring in league dual meets. On the other hand, now in my mid-40's I can run faster than my high school PR's in everything from the mile up to the marathon.

Even some varsity kids are not that fast. Small schools will struggle to get a kid in every event, so their "varsity" kid would be JV at a larger school.