Was I robbed of the school record?

Totally robbed. That's why 4x8 relays piss me off and I won't run them. And I don't care what someone's 4x8 relay split is. Coaches fingers have a quick draw when it comes to relays timing. Right a letter or something 'cause that's just wrong. And who cares about the 4x8 anyway?

yes you have a beef. Relay splits are NOT viable replacements for open race, records. Just point the current idiot coach at your school to any acknowledged records. Open, Collegiate, etc....relay splits are NEVER used to supplant an open race time for record purposes. However, on the schools alltime honor roll, there is nothing wrong with putting it on the top 5 list or whatever they keep, with a 'r' next to it.

I've never heard of an 800m split counting for record purposes. There's no way you can bring it up without someone calling you a bitter old man. Maybe someone mention that relays don't count for record purposes?

slighted 800 guy wrote:

Lots of years ago I ran an 800 meter FAT 1:53.66 which set my high school record.

Some many years later a young lad came along and ran a 1:52.? anchor split on a 4x800 relay.

I have been told that whoever the current high school coach has displaced me as the school record holder and inserted said split as the now school record. Supposedly they have placed an ( * ) by my time but have given the official record to the splitter.

Being a student of the sport, it seems to me that giving school records based on splits is totally contrary to what makes our sport great, ie being able to compare with little to no ambiguity who accomplished what etc..

Do the letsrunners think I have a legitimate beef or have I just become a bitter old man?

You have a legitimate beef, but in all honesty, let the kid have his glory. You had yours.

If I went to your school, I'd suggest that they make the wrong right. I hear what Flagpole is saying, but I also think that records should be earned and not given away.

Yeah, an 800m HS record is no big deal, but I think the lessons learned from the experience may be of some value. If this splitter gets it, what does that do for him? First, he'll never really know if he was really faster or not (unless he gets it legitimately later), and second, it seems to promote a "good 'ole boy" network as opposed to true merit.

And what I meant to say, is that I'd suggest the coach right the wrong so that you, the legit record holder, wouldn't have to say anything.

Flagpole Willy wrote:

let the kid have his glory. You had yours.

Your probably right Flagpole, I guess I am being selfish.

lots of people and coaches up in the stands get all kinds of clockings on relay splits...r u kidding? That split didn't come from an official timer on the finish line but most likely from some coach way up in the stands. NO WAY

They should have placed the asterisk by the split time, not yours! I have never heard of a split time being used as a school record.

I HAVE heard of people completely fabricating their split times... in fact, I remember my high school "split time" being about 4 seconds faster than I ever ran the open 800.

You have a legit beef, unfortuately, if you contact the proper authorities you will appear to be a bitter old man. So, I'd prepare yourself accordingly.

sounds like the coach wanted to say he coached a record holder during his tenore

This reminds me of when I was in high school. Broke the 800 m school record my junior year (open), and then moved to a neighboring high school. The next year a kid from my junior school tried to convince me that the school record for the 800 m was set by some new kid at about 5 seconds slower than I had run the year before. When I reminded the kid of what I had run the response was "Uhhhh, I don't know...".

Cracks me up more than anything else.

Next some kid on the triathlon team will be laying claim to the school 5000m record because of some short course split he can lay claim to.

You have no legitimate argument and the coach is 100% correct in doing this.

On a completely unrelated note, I would like to announce that I too am now the 800m record holder at my old high school.

Being a distance guy, I alway cite my 4 x 800m split as my 800 PR. Why? Because its almost 2 seconds faster than my best open time and it sounds better for a guy like me with no wheels.

You were totally robbed. A hand timed relay split, no matter how impressive (even if it was 1:48 and would have clearly topped your 1:53), should never have a place in a record book. It's somewhat like saying Michael Johnson is the 100m world record holder because his second 100 is faster than the current record. The state record committee should know better. When some kid runs an FAT 1:52.89 next year they're going to have a lawsuit on their hands.

Just reread and realized it was a HS record and not a state record. While the same points apply, its probably more of an intersquad motivation tool than anything and probably not worth hassling over. Give the kid some congratulations and maybe when he runs an open 1:52 this spring he'll think fondly of the guy he took the record from when someone breaks his record at some point.

RunFun wrote:

Totally robbed. That's why 4x8 relays piss me off and I won't run them. And I don't care what someone's 4x8 relay split is. Coaches fingers have a quick draw when it comes to relays timing. Right a letter or something 'cause that's just wrong. And who cares about the 4x8 anyway?

That seems like an idiotic reason not to run th 4x800.

I agree that records should not count in relays, but your logic escapes me.

Have someone else bring it up to the school and coaches in a "matter of fact" way... that way you dont look like a grumpy old *sshole, yet get what is yours

slighted 800 guy wrote:

Do the letsrunners think I have a legitimate beef or have I just become a bitter old man?

Yes.

800 record wrote:

Give the kid some congratulations and maybe when he runs an open 1:52 this spring he'll think fondly of the guy he took the record from when someone breaks his record at some point.

I agree with this post. Hopefully the kid will run an open 800 and legitimately break your record later in the year and the issue will be moot.

For now, it's probably not worth bringing it up with the coach or anywhere else because people will inevitably think that you are petty no matter what your motive.

Personally, I don't think you're being petty, I agree it's a matter of the dignity of the sport. I have no personal stake in this record but I'm also annoyed that some coach is taking liberties with the school records.