Is Running D3 Worth It?

Yes, if you’re going to be going to a D3 school anyway, I would highly recommend it. Was a great part of my undergrad experience.

However, if you’re asking this question than it’s probably not worth it. Most D3 runners know for sure they want to continue running but can’t make it at the D1 level. If you’re questioning the worth it may not be for you

Running D3 is kinda like jr high.

Everybody has fun and everybody gets a juice box after practice.

I agree with alot of what former d3 said.

As a former D3 runner, they were some of the best times of my life. I knew I wanted to run at the next level no matter what. For me, that meant either D3 or a D1 club as my PRs of 52/2:00 weren't going to excite anyone. Other factors like cost, major, even teammates pushed me in the D3 direction.

But, there's more to running that life. If you're between running for a D3 team and getting a massive scholarship elsewhere - you better consider that. If you're between a D3 team without your major and an elite school with your major - you better consider that.

That said, I wanted to continue to have the comradery of a team and I wanted to continue to push myself. I'm glad I did. I wouldn't trade those memories for the world (and I never got better in college so that should tell you how much fun I had with my teammates and coaches).

Bad take.

D3 running is what you make it. Put in effort and it’s a great opportunity to continue improving your times while having a team to train with.

Well said!

Running D3 was a great choice for me. Came into college with PRs of 11:04 and 18:00, left with 15:28 and 8:57 (3k).

Never took it too seriously and had fun the whole time, while getting worlds better with my teammates and coaches who are still some of my best friends.

D3 programs can vary pretty wildly in quality. Figure out what the program is like.

I was recruited by a D3 coach, he made a really good pitch, had me convinced to go. Then I heard from a friend of a friend that the team didn't have practices. He posted the workouts, every one ran by themselves, then you would go to the meet where they would hand out uniforms. That wasn't for me, I'm glad I found out before I enrolled.

For the vast majority of runners it makes no difference if they run D1 or D3. They arn't getting any money, and 1 in 100,000 are going to become pro runners that will make more running than they would with an average middle class career.

I'm currently a freshmen at a competitive D3 school and I'm really enjoying it here. There are plenty of guys ahead of me (4:20 1600/9:35 3200) but I don't feel as out of my depth as I would in a half-decent D1 school.

A few things I will say about D3 are that the quality of the programs can vary wildly. Depending on where you go, D3 can feel like a weaker D1 school in a lot of senses, just make sure to vet the school heavily to make sure you visit wherever you want to go to.

D3 running is probably the best part of my college experience. 10x better than high school for me. Perfect balance of competition, school, social life, and internship

Running D3 was the greatest decision I made for my running career. I wasn't that great in HS (never broke 10:00 in the 2-mile) so I couldn't go to a big D1 program. So instead I got a great education and graduated with almost zero student loans. I made an amazing group of friends on the team and truly enjoyed competing with them. I developed dramatically by my senior year and continued running after college, joined a professional training group, and qualified for the Olympic Trials. Couldn't have dreamt of a better outcome...and running post collegiately at a national level makes no difference what college you went to. Don't be ashamed to be a D3 runner.

DIII 2020 Indoor Performance List"

https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/2772/2019_2020_NCAA_Div._III_Indoor_Qualifying/2020/i

DIII 2019 Outdoor Performance List:

https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/2572/2019_NCAA_Div._III_Outdoor_Qualifying_(FINAL)/2019/o

If your question is "is it fun" read the previous posts. If your question is "is it competitive" judge for yourself with those links.

Depends on the team and the individual

I'm a junior in high school right now and I think with my times I could probably run at a fairly competitive DIII school, if I may ask where are you go?

I ran D3 and enjoyed myself tremendously. Made great friends who I still keep in touch with 15 years later; learned a lot of life lessons from a compassionate, motivating coach; and took my running game to places I never thought possible in high school.

Coaching and program situations vary widely in D3. Make sure you do your due diligence on the coach and the program. Learn about the xc program culture, academic demands and what your potential teammates are like. Your D3 coach should have an academics first mindset. Since you'll probably be paying to go to school, you don't need to deal with coaches who will make demands of you and your time as if you are a D1 runner. One of the benefits of D3 is there are a lot of coaches out there who can guide you to improved performance, but balance that with an understanding that you most likely won't be going pro and need to focus on academics first.