Amazing running. Back when I ran in college, (40 years ago!) some years there would not be a single college runner under 4. It's the shoes, it's the tracks, it's the training and... it's the internet. All these top miler quartets in college (above) are from the last 8 years. Include all the amazing times at BU yesterday. When I ran, we found out about most track results once a month - when Track and Field News came out! In addition to the leaps in technology, everyone now knows every day how someone on the East or West coast - or around the world - trained or raced that day. Back in the day, we ran against our teammates and our conference rivals. Today, everyone races everyone every day - virutally. It gives the runner a sense of what is possible (remember no one could break the 4 minute mile, and then after Bannister broke it, Landy took 2 seconds off his time 7 weeks later - he knew it could be done). Better shoes, better tracks, better training, better knowledge and better daily competition, better goals to strive for.
I have said before there are a preponderance of older guys in the College System right now.
5th an 6 year guys are a plenty. more than ever, by a lot.
You have to do the bio's work, but they are out there,
It explains a few guys… but this is a delusional take. Guys with freshman / sophomore eligibility are dropping sub 3:55s like nothing. Remember how Fernandez running 3:55 broke the NCAA? Won’t even get you acknowledged these days. College guys are destroying 13:30 for 5k which would have made you an NCAA favorite not even a decade ago. It’s not coaching, an entire generation of coaches with long standing systems and methods didn’t all suddenly “figure it out” in 2020. New shoe tech dropped and the rest is history.
It explains a few guys… but this is a delusional take. Guys with freshman / sophomore eligibility are dropping sub 3:55s like nothing. Remember how Fernandez running 3:55 broke the NCAA? Won’t even get you acknowledged these days. College guys are destroying 13:30 for 5k which would have made you an NCAA favorite not even a decade ago. It’s not coaching, an entire generation of coaches with long standing systems and methods didn’t all suddenly “figure it out” in 2020. New shoe tech dropped and the rest is history.
It could also be guys having a few extra years due to Covid and redshirting. Look at Joe Waskom. Graduated high school in 2019 and is a sophomore at the University of Washington and yesterday ran a 3:51 mile. He's still got two more years!
I have said before there are a preponderance of older guys in the College System right now.
5th an 6 year guys are a plenty. more than ever, by a lot.
You have to do the bio's work, but they are out there,
It explains a few guys… but this is a delusional take. Guys with freshman / sophomore eligibility are dropping sub 3:55s like nothing. Remember how Fernandez running 3:55 broke the NCAA? Won’t even get you acknowledged these days. College guys are destroying 13:30 for 5k which would have made you an NCAA favorite not even a decade ago. It’s not coaching, an entire generation of coaches with long standing systems and methods didn’t all suddenly “figure it out” in 2020. New shoe tech dropped and the rest is history.
Of course.
What shoes were they all wearing I only looked quickly and saw the stripes....so Adidas? Or.....?
Looks like Pete Farwell's a better miler coach than Andy Powell. Ryan ran 3:56 at Williams (D3) last year, 3:59 here. Maybe Wascom would be a 3:48 guy at Williams. :]
This is just wild. A 3:51 mile was basically unfathomable for a runner in the NCAA until very recently. I would love to see the carnage that would unfold at nationals if someone took the whole field out in 1:55-1:56 - would we see another slew of times like this?
That was exactly my thought. I remember being flabbergasted when German Fernandez ran 3:55. These guys are just straight up disrespecting 3:54
SHOES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!! Just beause everybody is running the mile 3s faster with new super spikes doesn't mean the spikes have anything to do with it. Nope. It is just human evolution that corresponded exactly in time with the shoes.
Not that anybody needs more context for how great Washington's depth is, but I calculated a list of the historical top four-person mile squads by adding each team's four fastest performers in a season.
In this race alone, Washington's top four of Waskom, Fay, Green, and Lumb became the fastest four-person team in NCAA history, narrowly beating Oregon's 2020-21 team with Teare and Hocker 3:50, Hunter 3:53, and Brown 3:56. But behind them, Washington's "B" team of Ellis, Houser, Ahl, and Ryan would rank #7 all-time. Pretty insane that this was all done in the same race, and some of these athletes will likely go even faster later this season.
Top-10 list below for anyone interested (includes altitude and flat track conversions):
1. 2023 Washington 'A': 15:30.52 (3:51.90, 3:52.03, 3:52.76, 3:53.83)
SHOES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!! Just beause everybody is running the mile 3s faster with new super spikes doesn't mean the spikes have anything to do with it. Nope. It is just human evolution that corresponded exactly in time with the shoes.
No evidence of advancements on the elite level. Why?
This is just wild. A 3:51 mile was basically unfathomable for a runner in the NCAA until very recently. I would love to see the carnage that would unfold at nationals if someone took the whole field out in 1:55-1:56 - would we see another slew of times like this?
That was exactly my thought. I remember being flabbergasted when German Fernandez ran 3:55. These guys are just straight up disrespecting 3:54
Shoe tech deniers punching air and it’s not even February
It's not the shoes, these guys are just old as fukk. The average age of these geezers is like 23 with most guys on their 5th or 6th years of eligibility.
Cool, if it’s not the shoes then why run in them? Because it’s the shoes. It’s the reason HS kids” parents are shelling out $200 for nylon and foam. Absolute circus.