12 year old runs 4:36 mile

The next Lucas what's-his-name.

Grace Ping ain't afraid of that tool.

https://usathss.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/ping61417.jpg?w=295&h=231&crop=1

Dude's huge! He looks 16. I couldn't tell which one he was from the mature men in some of those pics. The record is a record, but physiologically, he's not a typical 12 year old.

This article claims that his sister is an All-American cross country runner...

She's got a 12 minute 3200 best.

B.S. ALERT B.S. ALERT B.S. ALERT

Not claiming that he didnt run the time but in addition to the made up claim about his sister being an All American...

He only runs one time a week!!!!

Just wow... wrote:

Dude's huge! He looks 16. I couldn't tell which one he was from the mature men in some of those pics. The record is a record, but physiologically, he's not a typical 12 year old.

He is quite tall, or Mom is quite short. And isn't 12 a bit young to be a rising 8th grader?

Also parents identified as elite (or close) athletes, fwiw.

And article incorrectly disses the mile as an "unofficial" distance.

Otherwise, good job kid.

After some research it looks like his sis was a USATF Jr. Olympic all american in xc for the same club (Los Gatos TC). Entering 8th grade at twelve is fairly young. It's a great time for his age. Time will tell but he has some good coaches around him and Scotts Valley high has a good program. I think they have a female alum running at Stanford.

Gains 30 pounds and washed up by 16. Sorry, but these huge 12 year olds do that.

If he looks like a 14-year old and quacks like a 14-year-old...

Age doping is not unique to Kenya. The pretend-elite parents will do anything to get an edge for their kids at AAU meets.

(That and the average journalist doesn't know the difference between a mile and a kilometer, let alone a 1500m.)

If he's 12, he's certainly very far ahead physically compared to his peers.

For comparison, this is Jakob Ingebrigtsen at 12 on the right:

https://img5.custompublish.com/getfile.php/2097724.1495.tbafefeaqv/Furumo_5km_Barnestjernene.jpg

Our obsession with children runners need to stop.

Oh god, what have we become?

Grace Ping, Jacob, 12 year olds, eight graders, age-cheat teenagers who pretend to look younger than they really are... ew.

I know a guy who ran a 4:39 1600 in the summer after 7th grade (a rising 8th grader like this kid). He was definitely mature for his age at the time, but it's still a great time. He eventually ran 4:16 in high school, also great but not among the top kids in the nation like he was as a rising 8th grader. Looking at this kid, who to me could pass for 15, he may end up similar...or who knows maybe he runs sub-4:00. Will be fun to see, but like others I don't put much stock in the middle school-age records due to the vast disparity in physical maturity among boys that age.

HGH is quite common for USA 12-yr olds. Some even get TUE for it.

I don't think this is right. For the 2017 outdoor season, his fastest 1500 was 4:26.

https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/Athlete.aspx?AID=10301094#/L0

No, this kid is very talented and is getting most of his fitness from other sports. You can see it in him. He is very mature for his age and maybe he's going to turn 13 this year, I don't know, but he just dropped 21 seconds in one race with a week or two of running four or five days after running a day a week for a while. He's got the family support and I would be shocked if he doesn't run sub 4:10 in high school and probably scare 4 flat. Sub 4 would be unsurprising. Los Gatos is a very, very wealthy area with that great all comers track series every year, which attracts some serious runners from Stanford and the area sometimes. It is legitimate. And their youth athletes do so well.

That athletic.net says he ran the 4:26 and another time a bit slower for 1500m earlier in July just before the 4:36 mile, at junior olympics. It also says he is in the 13-14 age group, rather than 11-12. So, there's a discrepancy. Anyway, it doesn't matter. The kid's fast and will be running low fours by the time he's a junior and senior in high school.

I watched Jason Balkman run 4:24 on that track as an 8th grader then 4:17 as a frosh at CCS finals.

Watched him later in the oly trials 10k.

Not all age group phenoms burn out.

His father, Pete, used to be a professional triathlete, and still continues to be a top age-grouper. His mother, Shari, was a professional mountain biker. I used to train with them occasionally back in my triathlon days. I'm not surprised at all that their offspring are of this caliber of talent.

He'll run 4:15, never achieve the greatness predicted of him, stop running altogether his second year of college and by age 30 will be married and 225# with 2 kids. Mark my words.