Ben Saarel runs 3:55 converted!

3:55 is slow

No offence to Christian Soratos here, but I once happened to find a video of his 3:56 converted race at altitude.

Throughout the later portions of the race, he looked as if he was jogging, even turning to the crowd, waving and using hand motions to pump them up.

Obviously he proved his fitness later, but I do not think the conversion he got was accurate judging by how he ran that race. Was not an equivalent effort to a 3:56 mile at sea level.

Note that he also received an extra conversion for running on a 200m flat track

cowatcher12391 wrote:

Ben Saarel ran a 4:01 on the CU home track with Perrin and Klecker right behind him. Is no one going to talk about this?

STOP CONVERTING TIMES.

He either ran 3:55 or he ran 4:01.

You always see these converted times, but the person can never run a comparable time when it counts.

Who is figuring these conversions?

When Saarel run 3:55 at Pre, I'll believe it.

I guess he has hard classes or something.

Game Changer wrote:

Golden Buffalo wrote:

True, but it's 300 meters, unbanked, correct? Still a smokin time...

I believe the curves are nearly identical to an outdoor track. I'm not arguing the impressiveness of the time. It's very good. However, this track is likely faster than an outdoor track. If someone is going to break 4:00 for the mile in CO it will be on this track.

+1

Game Changer wrote:

Golden Buffalo wrote:

True, but it's 300 meters, unbanked, correct? Still a smokin time...

I believe the curves are nearly identical to an outdoor track. I'm not arguing the impressiveness of the time. It's very good. However, this track is likely faster than an outdoor track. If someone is going to break 4:00 for the mile in CO it will be on this track.

Can't they just pump in some oxygen to make it equal to sea level.

As evidenced by Kip Keino's 1968 run as an altitude adjusted athlete and even Jim Ryun's(non adjusted) 3:37.9 for second, a six second conversion is laughable.

What do you give for Mexico City 7.5?

Especially since these guys(CU) are at altitude more than 7 months of the year, if not more?

Boulder is 5430

Mexico City 7340

There is no way Ryun's disconnected 3:37.9 was worth 3:31.x or way faster than the existing WR.

I laugh out loud at the NCAA conversions for almost everything.

You should see the flat to banked DMR conversion , when almost the whole race or longer legs are run in lane1 to 1.5.It is like 7 seconds.

I do not care what the math or experts say, it hardly ever holds up. I think one NCAA team in last couple of years got in with a 9:37 adjusted down, take a look at what they ran on the year?

I don't think the flat to banked conversions are laughable at all, look up some of the times guys run on flat tracks vs. BU. I've seen guys run 2:27-28 in the 1k at my College's home track and then run 3:58 in the mile a week later at BU.

Every now and then you'll find that people do not run as fast as their converted times may show... Although it could be the difference of them just simply having a bad race, who knows??

However, altitude times are pretty solid, at least in my experience. I've seen guys run faster at sea level than their converted times show, and it is proven to be pretty accurate, hence why the NCAA approves it in the first place.

If you don't think it really makes a difference then go race in Boulder or any place at altitude, I'm sure you'll notice a difference.

Bachez

Bro - Mama wrote:

cowatcher12391 wrote:

Ben Saarel ran a 4:01 on the CU home track with Perrin and Klecker right behind him. Is no one going to talk about this?

STOP CONVERTING TIMES.

He either ran 3:55 or he ran 4:01.

You always see these converted times, but the person can never run a comparable time when it counts.

Who is figuring these conversions?

When Saarel run 3:55 at Pre, I'll believe it.

Altitude conversions were designed for sea-level athletes, not for altitude-adapted athletes. Huge advantage to Saarel, BYU, & NAU boys. Why would CU ever race at sea-level if they wanted NCAA qualifying times?

How many of you think Ben Saarel would run a 3:55 at sea-level right now?

Reedding Comprehenshun wrote:

NOP Skeptic wrote:

I thought CU was known for having a really crappy indoor track

Is this track new? From the pictures it looked new?

Look at the second word in the post you quoted and you'll have your answer.

wonderful post reedding...I loled on this one

italia, excellent points

better yet who thinks Klecker and Perrin are 3:55.x and 3:56 guys? Really?

Very good runners for sure, sub 3:56.00 and just above? Not so sure that is happening at sea level.

italia wrote:

Bro - Mama wrote:

STOP CONVERTING TIMES.

He either ran 3:55 or he ran 4:01.

You always see these converted times, but the person can never run a comparable time when it counts.

Who is figuring these conversions?

When Saarel run 3:55 at Pre, I'll believe it.

Altitude conversions were designed for sea-level athletes, not for altitude-adapted athletes. Huge advantage to Saarel, BYU, & NAU boys. Why would CU ever race at sea-level if they wanted NCAA qualifying times?

Yeah, that's really the story with the conversions. Pretty good for sea level runners, not so much for runners already at altitude. Not too much more to say about it.

cowatcher12391 wrote:

Ben Saarel ran a 4:01 on the CU home track with Perrin and Klecker right behind him. Is no one going to talk about this?

SEE YOU IN COURT

Bro - Mama wrote:

cowatcher12391 wrote:

Ben Saarel ran a 4:01 on the CU home track with Perrin and Klecker right behind him. Is no one going to talk about this?

STOP CONVERTING TIMES.

He either ran 3:55 or he ran 4:01.

You always see these converted times, but the person can never run a comparable time when it counts.

Who is figuring these conversions?

When Saarel run 3:55 at Pre, I'll believe it.

this board is as anti-science as Trump.

Me. He's run 3:38. That's already a 3:55.x mile.

Altitude conversion!! Yeah, people said it was crap too when he was in high school. Just notice that he ran 4:08 and 8:49 at 4500 feet and everybody said the altitude conversions didn't mean anything. Then one week later he dusted Cheserek, McGorty and Arroyo in the dream mile and ran a 4:02 in heavy winds. If you have never run at altitude like this you don't know anything. Just go back and look at the high school times of Saarel, Puskedra, Nye and now Clinger at altitude and then see what they run at sea level. Its consistently about 6 seconds faster in the mile and 13-14 in the 3200. Mic Drop.... See yah.

Altitude conversion!! Yeah, people said it was crap too when he was in high school. Just notice that he ran 4:08 and 8:49 at 4500 feet and everybody said the altitude conversions didn't mean anything. Then one week later he dusted Cheserek, McGorty and Arroyo in the dream mile and ran a 4:02 in heavy winds. If you have never run at altitude like this you don't know anything. Just go back and look at the high school times of Saarel, Puskedra, Nye and now Clinger at altitude and then see what they run at sea level. Its consistently about 6 seconds faster in the mile and 13-14 in the 3200. Mic Drop.... See yah.

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http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=8047300&page=1#ixzz4YQV9WQNj