How can D3 athletes feel successful knowing D1 exists?

Presumably troll, but....

We're all at the level we're at. We work hard to succeed at that level, and work hard to get to the next level. Many find it gratifying to do well in competitions with comparable athletes, to make significant improvements, to qualify for some level of competition we haven't yet qualified for, or to beat someone that we "shouldn't have" on paper.

How can NCAA division 1 athletes feel successful knowing that the majority of the athletes in their event at the Olympic Games would completely destroy them?

Except for a few athletes in any given event, everyone has someone that's sure to beat them when/if they compete head-to-head.

Because most D1 runners burn out, get injured, quit, or transfer to a D3 school where they can actually develop and enjoy the sport. D3 runners generally take solace in the fact that being a D1 runner doesn't mean squat if you can't improve and be consistent. They also feel successful when they receive and are able to develop d1 transfers much better than the d1 programs ever could. (i.e north central, eau claire) So yes, most D3 runners feel fairly successful compared to most d1 folks struggling to run their hs prs and stay healthy enough to you know, actually get better? But I suppose receiving free running gear and being able to say you're a d1 athlete makes it worth it I guess.

that's not true

IanLamere>mostd1dudes wrote:

Because most D1 runners burn out, get injured, quit, or transfer to a D3 school where they can actually develop and enjoy the sport. D3 runners generally take solace in the fact that being a D1 runner doesn't mean squat if you can't improve and be consistent. They also feel successful when they receive and are able to develop d1 transfers much better than the d1 programs ever could. (i.e north central, eau claire) So yes, most D3 runners feel fairly successful compared to most d1 folks struggling to run their hs prs and stay healthy enough to you know, actually get better? But I suppose receiving free running gear and being able to say you're a d1 athlete makes it worth it I guess.

It's nice to get a quality education, not have to worry about taking classes you don't need because some you want to take interfere with team practices. It's nice to be able to compete on your terms and not worry about losing aid because the coach may not want you. It's nice to be able to travel and have a group of friends but not the stress that goes with some D1 programs.

Because Nick Symmonds.

I'll bite...

Former D1 runner weighing in here (3x outdoor regional qualifier...solid, but never AA type yadda, yadda, yadda)

Why does it matter? It's the meritocratic, yet also highly personal, ethos of running that blurs the lines between divisions. Most of us, regardless of division, compete to improve ourselves within a team culture that may help breed individual and collective success. Year in and year out, there will be runners at D2 and D3 who could absolutely succeed at the D1 level (LaMere, Ribich, etc.), and there will be many horrifically mediocre D1 runners who couldn't even qualify for the NCAA D2/3 prelims. That's kind of what makes NCAA xc/track so fantastic: divisional lines are organically blurred. When I got to race at meets like Stanford or Mt. SAC and saw a D2/3 athlete in my heat I gave zero credence to the name on their singlet--I simply knew that they could run. Ultimately, that's all that mattered.

0/10 So annoyed people even bit at this troll.

Unless the OP or one of us is Bekele we will have always run knowing tons of people out there were competing on a higher stage. I guess if you aren't Ken Jennings you shouldn't go to trivia night, either. Get out of here with this spiteful BS. You can still feel successful without being #1 or holding yourself to somebody else's arbitrary standard.

And that right there is the beauty of he sport. The times you run are the ultimate determinant.

How can the track team of nearly every other high school on earth stand to look at themselves when there are high schools in California (and Texas)?

(Yes, you'll get the odd Lucas now and then from elsewhere, but when you see a kid turn a 1:48 the first week of March it puts it in perspective.)

Had Some Myself wrote:

How can NCAA division 1 athletes feel successful knowing that the majority of the athletes in their event at the Olympic Games would completely destroy them?

Forget the Olympic Games there are high schoolers overseas who would destroy the NCAA's best in distance running.

Shoebacca wrote:

0/10 So annoyed people even bit at this troll.

Unless the OP or one of us is Bekele we will have always run knowing tons of people out there were competing on a higher stage. I guess if you aren't Ken Jennings you shouldn't go to trivia night, either. Get out of here with this spiteful BS. You can still feel successful without being #1 or holding yourself to somebody else's arbitrary standard.

But running is the only head-to-head direct comparison activity. You might be the best darn vegetable manager the A&P ever had. But no one will ever know for sure. In running, there’s no way you could argue that 2017 Drew Hunter would beat 2001 Webb. We have the advantage of direct comparison. No one will really know if the guy who beats Jenning’s record in the future was really better than Jennings, or just luckier. But the clock don’t lie.

How can D1 athletes feel successful knowing Professional running exists?

winnr1 wrote:

How can D1 athletes feel successful knowing Professional running exists?

They can go to the Olympics, no?

Dlll is JV

Virtual reality wrote:

?

how can you live with yourself knowing your life consists of trolling letsrun?

Virtual reality wrote:

?

I was an OK D3 runner. I have an OK D1 runner working for me.

I guarantee he’d trade his running career for my business career. The free shoes don’t exactly close the pay gap.

So that’s how I feel successful knowing D1 exists. We both made the same amount of money from running and I have more money now.

I was a good D3 runner who didn’t pay much attention to D1 running at the time. Fast forward and I am now focused on D1 running with little interest in D3 except for the athletes who are the competitive level of D1.

How does anyone run knowing Bekele exists then. I literally think it is like saying that. Bekele is in Ethiopia now leafing at D1 over here. Who cares if your D1, D2, D3 or evan D10. Forget about what other divisions are doing. Might as well not do a career to, knowing that Noel Edmonds exists, and you won't be as successful as him.

I read the responses and a lot of you guys are very...insecure. It's just running. If you run fast, you run fast.