Why should we have 17-18 year olds racing 25 year olds in college? The reason we have eligibility restrictions in the NCAA is to ensure that each generation has a fair chance to win the collegiate championships. These are the rules that keep collegiate sophomores from racing some old American distance runner who thinks his name could get a boost out of winning the NCAAs and goes back for one semester.Where do you call it fair having a talented 18 year old from Ohio racing a 22 year old Kenyan who has had four more years to train, but happens to have a bogus birth certificate?
I love racing, I love running and I am all for discovering who is the best. But 25 year olds belong in the professional circuit racing against other professionals, not racing against teenagers right out of high school. NCAA eligibility rules have age limits to them with good reason.
Pros should run against pros, leave college for the people that age.