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Doing a little analysis of the all-time high school lists would indicate that 2004 is the best year ever in HS boys distance running by far, and the current decade will almost undoubtedly go down as the best in HS distance running history.
Using Jack Shepard’s High School Track 2005 annual records book, I took a look at the all-time outdoor lists (boys only, sorry girls) for the 800, 1500, mile, 3000, two mile, 5k and 10k. Only one entry per athlete per event was counted. (In other words, Jim Ryun has five entries on the mile list, four from 1965 and one from 1964. This all counts for one on my list, for his fastest time in 1965. He does get counted a second time, however, for his entries on the 1500 list.)
Based on this, the boys of 2004 made the lists a total 23 times, almost double the 12 entries for the boys of 2003 and 1979. Currently the top decade is the 70’s, with 57 entries, but the oughts are catching up with 51 entries. Oh, and the 90s sucked, with only 14 entries total and zilch between 90 and 94.
The years (in order by number of entries) and the decades (in order by decade) follow:
04 23
03 12
79 12
76 11
73 10
01 9
80 9
87 8
83 7
64 6
66 6
77 6
86 6
97 6
00 5
69 5
78 5
85 5
72 4
74 4
81 4
65 3
75 3
88 3
98 3
02 2
67 2
71 2
82 2
95 2
99 2
61 1
63 1
96 1
60s 24
70s 57
80s 45
90s 14
00s 51
Using Jack Shepard’s High School Track 2005 annual records book, I took a look at the all-time outdoor lists (boys only, sorry girls) for the 800, 1500, mile, 3000, two mile, 5k and 10k. Only one entry per athlete per event was counted. (In other words, Jim Ryun has five entries on the mile list, four from 1965 and one from 1964. This all counts for one on my list, for his fastest time in 1965. He does get counted a second time, however, for his entries on the 1500 list.)
Based on this, the boys of 2004 made the lists a total 23 times, almost double the 12 entries for the boys of 2003 and 1979. Currently the top decade is the 70’s, with 57 entries, but the oughts are catching up with 51 entries. Oh, and the 90s sucked, with only 14 entries total and zilch between 90 and 94.
The years (in order by number of entries) and the decades (in order by decade) follow:
04 23
03 12
79 12
76 11
73 10
01 9
80 9
87 8
83 7
64 6
66 6
77 6
86 6
97 6
00 5
69 5
78 5
85 5
72 4
74 4
81 4
65 3
75 3
88 3
98 3
02 2
67 2
71 2
82 2
95 2
99 2
61 1
63 1
96 1
60s 24
70s 57
80s 45
90s 14
00s 51
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