I want to run in college but I don't think I will get fast enough

There’s always D3, reach out to coaches and see if any are receptive or willing to take you as a walk-on once you get in. If you’re not that fast, your priority should be good academics and a good fit and if running helps that fit then look into programs you can get onto. I went into college with a 3200m PR barely under 10 and just recently ran a 25:40 8k as a sophomore - some people take to college running well.

There is also club running, which I can’t speak to much, but I have seen some club teams (Cal Poly SLO and UCLA) travel to a lot of good track meets and compete decent enough. At a faster school like those, you might still be able to get your running fix by just competing with the club. Your college choice should not be based entirely around running unless you’re really serious about it, but it doesn’t hurt to factor in club/D3 a little.

Lots of schools would appreciate a 1630 5k runner who gets good grades. Just not the schools you will here about at letsrun. If you want D1 dig into the middle to back of the pack conferences of FCS schools. Or look into D2 and D3 schools.

This. Absolutely.

NAIA will take anyone.

Agree

16:30 XC 5k is plenty fast enough for most D3s.

Wrong. Not good D3’s or academically inclined D3’s

Wartburg takes just about anyone. And some top academic D3 schools aren't great XC schools.

Nah...he's right. He said the OP was good enough for MOST D3s. That is correct. He can find a lot of good academic schools too that would be glad to have him with such a time. The TOP D3 athletically schools would take a pass (assuming the 16:30 is his best PR), but again, MOST (the VAST MAJORITY) of them would be glad to have him.

Many D2 schools would be glad to have him too.

AND, if he wanted to have the experience of running against big time schools (and he is good enough academically to get in), he could shoot for D1 Vanderbilt. No track there, but they'd be glad to have him on their CC team.

I am just not buying that. 16:30 is pretty good entering most D3 and the majority of these universities primarily use sports to increase enrollment numbers.

Go to a good school located in an area with good running clubs, and not school running clubs. Many clubs have good coaching, which would allow you to progress without the burden of over racing.

You can absolutely run in college. What are your track marks? 16:30 is good enough for tons of D2s and D3s, make yourself a 15:40-15:50 guy that can break 2:00 in the 800m by the end of next year and you can look at walking on at mid major D1s as well.

NJCAA and NAIA are always options too. You can get scholarship money at some NJCAA schools for surprisingly slow marks, you’ll have cheap college for 2 years, and then you can transfer to a D1 or D3 school to finish your bachelors and get to work on a graduate degree if you’d like.

Don’t stress about it. Even if you need to take a year off of being on a team after highschool to continue training, you have years of competition ahead of you. Enjoy the process.

Not to mention that's his junior year PR. He could easily lop off 30 seconds from that next year, which would make him a good fit for pretty much any D3. To OP: don't sell yourself short, there's a school out there for you that will give you both a great academic and athletic experience.

Fine. 16:30 is good if you want to run in school. You’re not going to run at Vanderbilt

Just checking the result pages of D3 conference meets can easily debunk this claim.

And 16:30 is no longer a special time. look at all of the 16:30’s on mile split. I encourage you to run and go wherever you see fit. But 4:30 isn’t special, 16:30 isn’t special and 2:00 isn’t special.

Is D3 running 5 k’s at conference meets now?

My advice. Get off of LetsRun and eat right, train hard and get sleep. Study like it’s a job.

Agree. If you don’t break 4:00 or 13:30 in highschool quit. There are a number of 17 and 18 year olds running those times and if you are not one of them there is no point even setting foot on a track or XC course again.

What is your definition of special? We can play this game all the way to a world record. If he can get onto a team that he’s satisfied with that’s literally all he needs to worry about. There are collegiate athletes that bust 33 minute 8ks at every race and are almost always dead last, but they keep on racing.