Chase Easterling says he went out in 4:38 at NCAA Cross Country and was in last place

The first 800 (at least) of the course was downhill. That's why the front few guys hit 1k in 2:31. 4:38 at the mile putting him last (or near last) wouldn't surprise me

chase Easterling wrote:

Was the mile in the wrong spot? The entire field (250) runners running a 28:00 minute 10k pace and faster at the start???

More like 29 min pace.

Chase was 246 at 1k(233)and 552(241) at 2k so yeah he was around that at the mile and pretty close to DFL. You would need to look at the course map to see how flat it was. The start looked downhill to me but judging that stuff off vid can be deceptive.

chase Easterling wrote:

Was the mile in the wrong spot? The entire field (250) runners running a 28:00 minute 10k pace and faster at the start???

On the video, I remember something like 100 runners being within 7 seconds at 2k so sounds about right.

Kiptoo hit 3k at 8:14.

chase Easterling wrote:

Was the mile in the wrong spot? The entire field (250) runners running a 28:00 minute 10k pace and faster at the start???

I totally believe that. I remember back in the mid 1980s running the Notre Dame invitational 8k I split 4:55 at the mile at most there was 2 people behind me at the mile. Most runners go out fast in cross country to get in position so 4:38 at the biggest college race plus a downhill start and wind at their back totally believable 4:38 was last at the mile

ddidididid wrote:

chase Easterling wrote:

Was the mile in the wrong spot? The entire field (250) runners running a 28:00 minute 10k pace and faster at the start???

More like 29 min pace.

Chase was 246 at 1k(233)and 552(241) at 2k so yeah he was around that at the mile and pretty close to DFL. You would need to look at the course map to see how flat it was. The start looked downhill to me but judging that stuff off vid can be deceptive.

4:38 per mile is 28:38 or something and he was dead fn last. 28:40 pace and last and no one ran anywhere close to 28:38. Downhill or not. He said people were laying on the course, out of gas and exhausted.

Made for a very entertaining race. I feel like it’s pretty uncommon to see elite caliber athletes so deep into the pain cave so early in the race. Seemed live everyone was grimacing by 2 miles.

ddidididid wrote:

chase Easterling wrote:

Was the mile in the wrong spot? The entire field (250) runners running a 28:00 minute 10k pace and faster at the start???

More like 29 min pace.

Chase was 246 at 1k(233)and 552(241) at 2k so yeah he was around that at the mile and pretty close to DFL. You would need to look at the course map to see how flat it was. The start looked downhill to me but judging that stuff off vid can be deceptive.

I will take it a step further. He took out at a little slower then his current 2mile race pace. They had dudes from Ole Miss running 38 minutes, yet they probably went out at 4:30 pace. I ran on the old OSU course about 10 years ago and l didn't see a very fast downhill.

chase Easterling wrote:

ddidididid wrote:

More like 29 min pace.

Chase was 246 at 1k(233)and 552(241) at 2k so yeah he was around that at the mile and pretty close to DFL. You would need to look at the course map to see how flat it was. The start looked downhill to me but judging that stuff off vid can be deceptive.

I will take it a step further. He took out at a little slower then his current 2mile race pace. They had dudes from Ole Miss running 38 minutes, yet they probably went out at 4:30 pace. I ran on the old OSU course about 10 years ago and l didn't see a very fast downhill.

The course changed 2 years ago. They got rid of the wood chips and stairs. The course is now like a golf course with longer hills than before. The start and finish is downhill, located by the first downhill on the old course.

I dont think this course is in the same place as their other course. I hope not.

Noooo! That old course was bomb.

this is truth serum! wrote:

I dont think this course is in the same place as their other course. I hope not.

It is the same place, but they did a lot of moving dirt around. The old start hill is now in the middle and again at the end of race - the start line is at the top of that hill facing north. The first 800m or so is a straight line and slightly downhill - and on Monday had a 15-20 mph tailwind. Kiptoo went out at about the same pace there through 1k in the 8k in September, but without the tailwind

I believe it too. I have almost the same story as michiganrunner55. I was running the Notre Dame invitational in early 80's and hit the mile in 4:48. There were about 170 runners in the field and when I looked around at the mile, I saw maybe only 10 or 12 behind me. Shocked me. I picked off a few people as they faded and finished around 115th if I recall correctly, but geez, that first mile was totally ridiculous. That was my first, and ended up being my only, Notre Dame Invite, and I was never in a 10k or longer race before or after where I ran a 4:48 first mile and was nearly last. So yeah, I believe at Nat's, somebody might go out in 4:38 and be dead last.

In college I had to rebuild during XC after an injury. I got tired of my roommate (who wouldn't have otherwise beaten me, had I not been coming off an injury) beating me, so I paid attention to how he raced. He was a numbers guy and very logical. He didn't go out crazy. I took the lesson and started racing way better. It took some confidence to do it.

I remember at NCAA XC in 2000 (coldest I've ever been, by the way!) I remember after about 400 meters looking around and it was me, my roommate, and one of the Torres brothers from Colorado if not in the last places probably in the last 5-10 places in the race. We all moved up a lot over the course of the race (Torres, whichever one it was, especially!).

I think on a big, championship style course putting yourself in debt for position is overrated.

chase Easterling wrote:

Was the mile in the wrong spot? The entire field (250) runners running a 28:00 minute 10k pace and faster at the start???

To put things into perspective these are the stats that I found about this runner, Chase Easterling:

His best times: 4:20.91 (mile), 8:53.07 (3000) and 15:06.29 (5000), all indoor.

2020 Indoor: Competed in five meets for the Zips...registered a season- and career-best time of 8:53.07 in the 3,000 meters at the Akron-Kent State Dual (Jan. 24)...recorded season-best times of 4:20.91 and 15:06.29, respectively, in the mile and 5,000 meters at the Doug Raymond Invitational (Feb. 15) and Akron Invitational (Feb. 7)...crossed the line third in 9:00.28 in the 3,000 meters at the Akron-Central Michigan Dual (Jan. 17).

2019 Cross Country: Ran in all six races for Akron...placed 35th at the Mid-American Conference Championships (Nov. 2) with a time of 26:33.1...posted a season-best 10th-place finish at the Tommy Evans Invitational (Sept. 7) crossing the line in 20:03.4 (10th) to help Akron to a team title...recorded a career-best 8K time of 26:29.7 to place 38th at the All-Ohio Championships (Sept. 28) to help the Zips to a team title in Division I...registered a career-best 10K effort of 32:43.0 (100th) at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional (Nov. 15)...also added times of 25:20.16 (48th) and 26:35.3 (45th) at the Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational (Oct. 4) and Penn State National (Oct. 18).

Chase Easterling, University of Akron. Tail gate hero NCAA cross country, 2021.

Looks like $1 million in the photo. He can go faster for sure.

Easterling: based on his 4:20 which is equal to about 402 for 1500 m, he should be capable around 820 for 3000 m and 1430 for 5000 m and low 30 minutes for 10,000. His current best time for 3000 m and 5000 m are not in line with his mile time.

Go Easterling!

He runs for Youngstown State now. Iirc he ran 8:29 for the indoor 3k this past winter.

Thank you for the update. 8:29, very good and much more in line with his best mile time 4:20.

non mechanical advantage spikes wrote:

I think on a big, championship style course putting yourself in debt for position is overrated.

I want to say in the 80/early 90s there were a couple courses that narrowed down after 2 miles and passing got trickey. If the race went out slowly(happens like 1/decade or two) it could be an issue. We definitely had a bunch of those in HS. But on that course Monday, it looked like you would just have to go wide.

Ignoring downhills and the like(was that 438 more like a 450 effort), to some extent you need to big and get in the top quarter of the field, or back off run your race off the big. In the middle you are going to go out too hard and still end up having to fight your way through traffic to move up.