4:02 Japanese high schooler - Sonata Nagashima - runs 28:31 10k. Which American HSers in history could do this?

Which in history if running today with tracks and shoes and training? Probably about 50.

Rudy Chapa, Ed Ches, Bill McChesney

No Japanese teenage can sprint sub-47 400m; no Japanese teenager can race sub-1:46.5 800m. Japan won't produce a 10000m medalist at Olympics or W.C.

They’ll produce marathon medalists and marathon depth

Rupp, 4:01/13:37.91/29:09, comes closest, though Rudy Chapa ran 28:32. Lex and Leo Young would be close this spring. Leo Young ran 4:00.77/8:39 3200 and Lex ran 4:01.5/13:43.95 as juniors.

Probably a fair number if they trained for it which no HSers do. If a bunch of HSers started running 10ks regularly, you and your website would be full of comments about abusing kids and overuse injuries.

Although in terms of age comparison American and Japanese H.S. runners might be similar, the events they hold in prestige isn't. Japanese runners focus their training specifically for long distances while Americans focus mostly on middle distance. If Americans focused on 10k (Chapa) they'd have much greater success at that distance than current top lists show. The reverse applies to Japanese middle distance.

I have stated on here for more than a couple of years, it is a waste of usat&f time and money to invest in u.s. men, 10000m & Marathon. That stated, U.S. has produced 9 or 10 Olympic Marathon medals, Japan has produced 5 or 6 Olympic Marathon medals. Per Capita, fine, Japan is better than U.S. at Marathon. Most U.S. men are 5'9" to 6'1", 160 lbs. to 200 lbs. Most Japanese men are much smaller. The vast majority of U.S. men are too large to race good Marathon times. Fact: Japanese men per Capita are better Marathoners than U.S. men. Fact2: Kenyan men, based on the number of sub-48 400m men they produce are probably per Capita better at 400m than U.S. men. Fact3: As of now, no per Capita Olympic medals given out.

Probably don't even need to train for it as much as do it. If XC season was replaced with road 10km, we would see a dozen times right around 29 every year with the occasional super stud pushing 28:30. As it is the US system is all about running fast miles/2 miles in HS.

Ritz. Cheserek.

Why so much vitriol?

Gerry Lindgren ran a 27:11 6 mile when he was 18 or 19, so he would logically do better than that.

Japanese don't have as much upside potential/talent versus other countries, regarding 10k and below. They just don't. These teenage runners with the times listed tend not to improve very much at the track distances as they get older, so they turn to the marathon. That is all true, not an indictment. They train hard when young, improve quickly, then the progress slows because they hit their upside potential at a young age. Long story short, don't get all excited about Japanese high school distance times. Rojo might get offended at that, but, Rojo, tell me how that is not true?

Hot take: by skipping indoor track, Japanese HSers get better development and less burnout than the US. Kids here seemingly race 1-2X/week from September-June with maybe a month off if they're lucky.

(If I'm wrong and they do run indoor track, mea culpa).

A fair number:

- Chapa

-Lindgren

- Ritz

- Rupp

- Verzbicas

- Nico

- Lex/Leo

maybe Solinksy, probably forgetting a couple others. No one trains for it in US HS prep.

By looking at history from that country this could be his lifetime PR or close to it.

Obviously Japan cant compete w/USA in distance running. Japan doesnt even crack the top 10 in the US all time 10 guys. McGorty would be a running god there.

And now another high school kid just ran 13:22 to shutter the HS record by nine seconds.