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by John Dye
First of all, these are not rankings.
Cross country times are not comparable because conditions are rarely
the same. Courses vary infinitely in surface and terrain.
How can you compare a time on billiard table flat Florida courses
to the tortuous hills of Mt. SAC, Holmdel Park, Hereford MD, and
Van Cortlandt Park? Even distances are not standard and sometimes
a little off (Mt. SAC is 2.95 miles). Not to mention weather
variations from freezing to boiling, with all sorts of differences
in precipitation and footing.
Nevertheless, fast times should be recognized.
DyeStat's XC Leader Lists include any times in the country that
are faster than cutoffs for 3 mile and 5k races. Most state
championships and major invitationals are run at these distances.
How to get on the Leader Lists
First, run faster than the times in the table below.
Second, make sure DyeStat knows about it. Meet results published
on DyeStat will be reviewed for qualifying performances by DyeStat.
Any other qualifying performances should be sent to John
Dye by email at [email protected]
with all the information on the XC
Leader List Performance Input Form.
| XC
Leader List Cutoffs - 2001 |
| |
BOYS |
GIRLS |
| 3
miles |
15:35 |
18:35 |
| 5,000
meters |
16:05 |
19:05 |
About Distances
Many course distances are approximate, being a few
meters short or long of the published distance. DyeStat Leader
Lists will use distances that are "close" and will disclose
the actual distance if known. The only alternative would
be to proliferate into a dozen different lists for different distances.
Consider the following table to show how confusing it can get:
| Mile |
Meters |
Yards |
| 3.0000 |
4827.9000 |
5279.8556 |
| 3.1000 |
4988.8300 |
5455.8508 |
| 3.1069 |
5000.0000 |
5468.0665 |
Note that 3.1 miles and 5000 meters, which are often
considered interchangeable, are actually a little more than 11 meters
different. This is more than the 9-meter difference between
1600 meters and 1 mile -- a difference which can set off holy wars
during track season.
Return to DyeStat Rankings
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