We're just to create an all-time top 10 list at our high school, but need to convert some old times from 1500 to 1600 and 3000 to 3200. What is the best method to convert? I know converting up is questionable at best, but there were some performances that deserve to make the list and for consistency (and indicated with an *), we'd like to include converted times. I'd appreciate any suggestions.
1500 to the mile you normally multiply by 1.08, and 1600/mile the conversion is usually 1.4 seconds, so I guess you could multiply by 1.08 and then subtract 1.4 sec.
3000 to 3200 is a little tougher. Maybe try dyestat or one of those sites that ranks HS times.
Race all the distances
Thanks to all. The milesplit conversion calculator is great. I have the Jack Daniels charts, but it doesn't provide the 1600 and 3200.
UK, did you mean "rank" all the distances? It's a good idea, but our state only did 1500/3000 for a few years, so I think converting works best with a note about whether it's a 1500m to 1600m conversion or even a 2 mile to 3200m conversion.
From the track and field news lists you can figure out what conversion factors they use. Look at the boys' mile and 2 mile lists, there are a bunch of converted 1500, 1600, 3000, and 3200 times.
So...if German's 4:00.29 1600 equates to a 4:01.69 mile, then the conversion factor from 1600 to mile is 1.005826293etc.
If Cory Leslie's 3:49.51 1500 equates to a 4:07.88 mile, then the conversion factor from 1500 to mile is 1.0800400etc. My guess is they were going for the commonly accepted 1.08 conversion.
The 1600/1500 conversion factor is 1.08/1.005826293 = 1.07374405etc. Now where do you round? 1.074? 1.0737? Let's test it.
Using Leslie's 3:49.51 1500 again, the long ass decimal conversion factor makes his 1600 equivalent 4:06.43. With the 1.074 conversion factor it is 4:06.49. With the 1.0737 factor it is 4:06.42. With 1.07374 it equals 4:06.43.
So maybe go with 1.07374 or 1.0737.
One point - you may think that since German's 4:00.29 to 4:01.69 is exactly 1.4 seconds and someone already suggested using 1.4 seconds that T&FN uses this method. They do not appear to based on the other 1600 to mile coversions.
Example - Joseph Franklin 4:09.13 1600 they converted to 4:10.58 mile, a difference of 1.45 seconds.
They must have used the 1.005826293 conversion factor. And...yes, when I do the math that's what they did.