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1998 Foot Locker Championship

About the Mt. SAC distance

It's Not 3 Miles (Beattie)

You're Right, it's short (Speck)

It's Not 3 Miles (Beattie)

From: John Beattie [[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 1998 1:45 AM
To: John Molvar
Subject: Re: t-and-f: Footlocker Final Preview

John Molvar wrote:

> Footlocker Final Preview
>
> Upstart Rohantinsky made a miraculous recovery from an anemic >condition that left him staggering across the line in only 6th in his own   
> state
> meet, to have an easy win in the Footlocker West Region. He reportedly
> passed the 3 mile mark on the Mt SAC course in a time that has only been
> bettered by runners who have run 2 miles in 8.36, 8.44 and 8.46 and 2
> others who were Footlocker Final champions. Hold on before you declare
> him the easy winner of this race. If the time claimed was accurate at 3
> miles that means it took him 47 seconds to run the last 200 which is
> very slow jogging. Something doesn't add up, but it was still a great
> comeback win by a solid margin over some excellent runners.

Something doesn't add up because the "3 mile" Mt. SAC course is actually 2.91 miles long.  Before you start bombarding me with posts of "You buffoon, you don't know what you're talking about!" know that the course has been measured many times using measuring wheels by people who are very anal about that sort of thing. The 5000 meter course at the Western regionals used the traditional Mt. SAC course plus a finish on the track of approximately 300 meters. Since the regionals course measured out to 5000 meters, it only makes sense that the traditional course is short.

Rohantinsky's time at the traditional finish, however, was quite spectacular and ranks him up there with the aforementioned previous greats (He passed the traditional finish in 14:43, while 2-mile national record holder Jeff Nelson's course record is 14:32). He could very well be in the running for a win at the Nationals based on his regionals performance.

*John Beattie*
[email protected]

You're Right - It's short of 3 miles

From: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 1998 1:41 AM
To: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Re: t-and-f: Footlocker Final Preview

sorry for misunderstanding on the Mt. SAC course distance---
The Mt. SAC course when last measured by me was 60 yards short of 3 miles—I sense where they’ve shaved a corner or two since then that
probably has made it about 80 yards short (someone had something in a result about it being 2.95 miles, which would be,what 88 yards short
(?). Anyway, let’s settle on 80 yards short of 3 miles. The darn course is so tough and hilly that in your mind you always think of it as three
miles (great people and no one has come close to 14:00 on this thing!).
When I stated that Josh passed the 3 mile point, I really should have stated that it was 80 yards short of three miles when he passed the old
course finish line. After that point he traversed the 188 yards plus 80 (about 270 yards) in 47 seconds. 37 seconds for the 220 and 10 for the
final 50 yards for about 5 minute mile pace with a comfortable lead and no pressure at that point in the race would make sense to me. I’m
just glad I took the times there, as he is in some very select company at the 14:43, with a time faster than any of those listed ahead of him
ran as eleventh graders!