Why so many fast high school track times lately

I was running Iowa high school track within the previous 5 years, and the times to Q for the Drake Relays 3200 were AT LEAST 10 seconds slower.

When the blue standard of 9:35 was introduced, only a handful of guys would hit that. This spring all but only 1 or 2 kids out of ~20 had the standard.

Not sure exactly what is causing the times to be so much faster (likely several factors), but it’s clear that HS distance running cannot be compared to what it was even 5 years ago.

A rising tide raises all boats. The competition is stepping up and belief levels are climbing. Back in my day (when the earth was still cooling) we didn't even understand proper hydration or nutrition before a race. There were days I ate or drank nothing on race day so I could 'feel lighter'. Didn't have a clue compared to knowledge and training these guys have today. Kudos to the chasers of big goals! I see a day coming when America has some real depth and presence in international mid-distance.

I suspect that a non-negligible piece of the puzzle that hardly anybody ever talks about is that more athletic kids are running track today, whereas 15-20 years ago kids capable of running 3:56-4:02 mile were far more likely to be playing ball sports (especially soccer but others too) instead of running. I was in high school in the mid 1990's. Back then, it was comparatively unusual for athletic kids to run - track got the kids who wanted a lettermen's jacket but weren't athletic enough to do anything else. You'll see this big in certain schools with an established history of excellence, where running is cool and good athletes want to carry on their school's tradition of winning states, competing at nationals, etc (think Saratoga girls; Newbury Park boys; Loudoun Valley boys), but even outside of the stacked schools, I think it is less unusual today vs. 20 years ago for a kid with the potential to be a high-caliber athlete choosing to use that talent to run fast instead of using it to hit/kick/throw/catch a ball. Back in my day, with the most genetically capable athletes playing other sports, kids in the next lower tier of talent would appear to be the best runners even though they're really weren't.

The number of high schoolers running sub-4:10 has been steadily on the rise from around ~10 in 2000 to ~40 in the last year. “Super shoes” are a less likely explanation as 1) no one was even talking about them until 2015; and 2) until very recently, super shoes meant carbon, zoom x foam, or their combination that were known to provide economy improvements primarily in longer distances races, not the mile.

The HS pop is not a 2022 phenomenon, but rather one gradually in the making for about two decades that happened to reach the tipping point of multiple sub-4 breakthroughs this year. I’d be more inclined to bet on improved training, especially mileage from a younger age, and the ease with which reliable training and nutrition information can be accessed online. Notwithstanding a large amount of misinformation online, it’s still tremendously easier for high schoolers or their parents or coaches to do their own research online compared to having to go to libraries or talk to sports scientists until the turn of the century.

Interestingly, the pool of high school kids 12-17 actually decreased:

26 million (2007) vs 25.1 million (2022)

I don't believe there is one answer. I imagine what athletes are doing on a 24 hour basis is what you have to look at. It's not just the shoes.

Sleep

Various recovery methods

Better knowledge/coaching

Better nutrition choices

Better training shoes

Added strength/stretching etc

Pacers/big meets (In my day, Arcadia had kids only from California)

When an athletes checks every single box, one can go from a 4:20 miler to a 4:08 miler really fast. Sure, the shoes are faster too. However, if you look at the number of sub 4 collegiate milers over the years, they have gradually increased. I think there were roughly 4-6 under 4min in the late 80's.....10 years ago, maybe 40.

Cycling is the same. These athletes are faster in the water, bike and run. There are no super shoes for the first two events.

Basically, modern day athletes have replaced alcohol with massage and quinoa, so to speak.

PT

Life is short. Better achieve something today than nothing at all.

Good luck in whatever approach you take in life. It's yours to choose, not for debate. But sure, if you want others to stop developing, keep promoting the dogma that running is bad.

More slowly, so that they can maximize volume and quality of workouts and the minutes spent running near 60% max HR.

1. Same percentage of gifted athletes but a larger number of humans alive now

2. coaching has got so much better that it’s less likely to burn people out

3. many other factors from east access to training materials, diet, easier life, better materials, better clothing, better shoes - the 1% improvement

Are we considering the age factor? so many of these HS record setters are 19... aka they should be college freshman.

IMHO High school records need to be achieved before someone's 19th birthday