My Garmin logged 6.22 miles (total coincidence I suspect) but I see a lot of 35:xx run splits and one guy that went 32:xx. Looks like the average run split of the top 10 guys was ~5min faster compared to last year.
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maybe it was long last year.
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given the quoted distance was supposed to be 6.2 miles, and your GPS enabled watch, accurate to 100m, showed 6.22 miles, that’s probably not a coincidence.
Sunday’s course was different than last year. I don’t know what difference it makes since I didn’t do it either year, but that might account for something.
I cant vouch for this year’s distance, but I know that last year’s race was swelteringly hot. Something like 95 degrees. If anything I’d say last year’s times were unusually slow.
Seems like my run time this year was about where my other times have been though.
except gps watches tend to read high because they measure your every side to side movement
sounds like the course was measured with a GPS too perhaps? =)
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maybe it was long last year.
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given the quoted distance was supposed to be 6.2 miles, and your GPS enabled watch, accurate to 100m, showed 6.22 miles, that’s probably not a coincidence.
I had many of those same thoughts.
-My Garmin has always been fairly accurate. It measured 6.22 and I typically run the most direct line. I can’t imagine it was off by more then +/- .1 mile total.
-Last year was warmer but at 8:30am when the Elites were out there it wasn’t much to deal with. I remember a warm run but it wasn’t brutal until later in the morning. Might make a slight difference but not 1min/mile on average for the Elites.
-Very possible that the previous course was long, but again, we’re talking 5+ min faster run splits for the top 10 finishers. I can’t help but notice how many posted 35min runs…that’s pretty quick in a tri.
Only other thing I can think of is this years field was significantly more fit and simply a higher quality group of athletes. I haven’t compared AG times/splits. I went 2:12 last year and that was good for 13th OA. This year a 2:12 was about 60th.
There were way faster guys this year. I went 6 minutes faster than last year and ended up in 15th, I was 10th last year… Plus, it was at least 95 degrees last year on the run. I ran right at my normal time, I’d say it was a very accurately measured course…
I also think it may have been a tiny bit short, but less than .1 of a mile. My Garmin read 6.22, but I know I did not take the shortest possible line. (I know I took at least a 10 yard detour into the weeds at mile 3 for a bathroom break, for example.) In certified races I’ve done, I got 3.12 for a 5k, 6.25 for a 10k (but it was the Lawyer’s Have Heart that had a long underpass under the Whitehurst Fwy., so I don’t know what my Garmin did down there), and 10.13 for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. So if it was short, I’d guess it was no more than .05 miles short, and probably less than that. I probably ran closer to the shortest line in this race because it wasn’t crowded than I would have been able to do in the Cherry Blossom, for example, which was a mob scene.
My splits exactly matched up with the marked splits, though.
I hope it wasn’t short because I PR’ed by 2 minutes over my best open 10k time, and would have been 2:30 except for my inability to pee my pants while running.
FWIW, I measured 25.16 on the bike.
i had a great run too. i just attributed it to the awesomely cool run esp since i was wave 5.
I didn’t hit start on my watch until close to hitting the road - i think the run start mat was just outside of transition, & my garmin measured 6.17miles. It seemed to auto lap about the same distance past the mile marker flags. So I was thinking it was pretty accurate.
I did the race last year (no GPS) and it was definately hotter. But I swear the last mile seemed like forever compared to this year. I remember turning up streets and then turning around thinking, “when is it ever going to end!”. Last years run just seemed longer… maybe I was hot and blowing up, I don’t know.
The race got faster this year too. Something like 57 people were under 2:20 last year, this year there were 144 folks sub 2:20.
I started my watch right on the mat before turning onto the street. I suppose everyone else just got really fast. I knew I was completely unprepared and didn’t expect much. I was just surprised at how the entire field, or at least the Elites, jumped 5-8min faster on average.
I started my Garmin late (after getting out on the road) Logged 6.16 miles. All of my mile splits reflected a consistantly :30/mile faster run than last year, so… Cooler day = faster run or I am just in better running shape. Probably not the later. Conditions were perfect. Trust your results.
I started and stopped my Garmin pretty much dead on the mats and came up with 6.23 miles. All the mile markers were within a step or two of where I expected them and looking at the points my Garmin laid down on the map it was pretty accurate. I was in an early wave and picked the shortest line as best as possible, that plus the cool weather, few turns, and almost no congestion definitely made it a fast course. I am not surprised that some of the early people on the run course could have laid down some great times.
I did not race last year but am actually more surprised at the lack of sub 40 times then than the fast times from this year.
My Garmin logged 6.22 miles (total coincidence I suspect) but I see a lot of 35:xx run splits **and one guy that went 32:xx. **
The top runner was Rob Wade. He’s a wicked fast runner who knocks out open 5ks in the low 15s. I did a sprint race against him this summer and was shocked when he went past me and ran down the top guy who was a couple minutes up the road. I think he’s Irish and ran in college somewhere in the US. He can also ride very strong. All he needs to do is get his swim down and he’ll be on top.
Overall, the field at Nations was significantly stronger this year.
I also think it may have been a tiny bit short, but less than .1 of a mile. My Garmin read 6.22, but I know I did not take the shortest possible line. (I know I took at least a 10 yard detour into the weeds at mile 3 for a bathroom break, for example.) In certified races I’ve done, I got 3.12 for a 5k, 6.25 for a 10k (but it was the Lawyer’s Have Heart that had a long underpass under the Whitehurst Fwy., so I don’t know what my Garmin did down there), and 10.13 for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. So if it was short, I’d guess it was no more than .05 miles short, and probably less than that. I probably ran closer to the shortest line in this race because it wasn’t crowded than I would have been able to do in the Cherry Blossom, for example, which was a mob scene.
My splits exactly matched up with the marked splits, though.
I hope it wasn’t short because I PR’ed by 2 minutes over my best open 10k time, and would have been 2:30 except for my inability to pee my pants while running.
FWIW, I measured 25.16 on the bike.
I agree, I think last year was slow because of the heat. I remember suffering quite a bit. This year - perfect! Much faster times.