U.S. High School 5K top 10 Observations

The same period was a drought for the mile and the 3200.

I assumed that but have not looked it up to get direct evidence.

It can't all be dumped on a low mileage emphasis can it?

Cogo wrote:

I assumed that but have not looked it up to get direct evidence.

It can't all be dumped on a low mileage emphasis can it?

I don't remember anyone caring.

Why? When the over-age Africans and other top runners from around the world flooded the NCAAs, there was no chance to win for young runners in the 5K or 10K, and even the mile became difficult. It is too tough of training to do all those miles and intervals without a chance to win.

I remember Rono's 5K WR of 13:08.4 at a triangular NCAA meet in April. Rono was 26. He lapped very good runners, but much different if he was 18-22 years old. Who wants to train so hard after being lapped in an April meet?

Also, it didn't help that Pre was beat in '72 Olympic 5k, and the word started getting around about doping.

Finally, I'd say the USA boycotting the '80 Olympics had a very negative impact. Many runners could not expect to give everything necessary to run so fast and risk the heartbreak. I know people who were expected to be in that Olympics, and not everyone had much of a chance to make the team in '84, as there are always the younger runners coming up.

Sub 4 minute miles dried up until Alan Webb, and I was one of the many former track athletes who was thrilled he ran so fast. It seemed to make the sub-4 accessible again to HS runners:

It’s also a lot of kids focusing on post season races that are 1 mile or 2 mile, if those 8:45 kids ran the 5000m they’d probably near or get under the sub 14:00 barrier

cramister wrote:

It’s also a lot of kids focusing on post season races that are 1 mile or 2 mile, if those 8:45 kids ran the 5000m they’d probably near or get under the sub 14:00 barrier

Good point...there were only a couple of post-season races for HS. Either run against college runners or run in summer fun meets.

Untrue. Kids were not breaking 4 minutes or 9 minutes during the lull. Too many of you are providing excuses without looking at the data. I think it is pretty simple. There were a few outliers in the 60s and then it took a while for a population increase coupled with better tracks and shoes and training.

Hutchins > Tuohy wrote:

Untrue. Kids were not breaking 4 minutes or 9 minutes during the lull. Too many of you are providing excuses without looking at the data. I think it is pretty simple. There were a few outliers in the 60s and then it took a while for a population increase coupled with better tracks and shoes and training.

You sure about this?

I was one of the HS runners from the 70s...the times of some of runners still rank near the top, especially in the most competitive HS states for mid-D and distance of CA and IL.

On average, 11 boys broke 9 per year in the 1970s. Only 3 per year did it in the 1980s-1990s. It has been averaging 40 per year over the past 10 years. The lull in the 3200/2mile corresponds with the lull in the 5000 and the mile.

Thorvaldson is the Queen of the Track wrote:

On average, 11 boys broke 9 per year in the 1970s. Only 3 per year did it in the 1980s-1990s. It has been averaging 40 per year over the past 10 years. The lull in the 3200/2mile corresponds with the lull in the 5000 and the mile.

I have no choice but to agree with the facts you are showing.

However, if we have been averaging 40 per year over the past 10 years, why have we had only 3 additions to the top 10 over the past 20 years?

It seems like there are fewer meaningful 5K options such as Juniors that there once was. Also, do high school kids, outside of Young last year, get invites into big race fields (Pre etc.) in events other than the mile?

Cogo wrote:

I assumed that but have not looked it up to get direct evidence.

It can't all be dumped on a low mileage emphasis can it?

Pretty much all of it can. The difference between running 50mpw and 80mpw is going to be 10-20s for most people over 2 miles. So instead of running say 8:50, you run a 9:10.

There were also some demographic things going on with less kids AND more of those kids playing other sports like soccer.

If states ran the 5k instead of the 3200m, I expect we would see more names on that list but even in good years the top kids would probably end up more in the 14:10 range than the 13:55. Most of the kids on that list have solid 2 mile times.