For those of you new to speed ratings, welcome! For returning followers, welcome back! Meet Day is here, I wanted to give coaches, athletes, parents, and fans an introduction and refresher to what Speed Ratings are.
The Breakdown of Speed Ratings
A Comparative Tool: Speed Ratings are a calculated number that allows for the comparison of runners’ performances across different cross country courses throughout the season. Because different courses have different levels of difficulty (hills, terrain, weather), a simple comparison of finishing times is not accurate.
The Calculation: The rating is based on a runner’s time at a race, but it’s adjusted for the overall “speed” of that specific race. This adjustment accounts for course conditions, weather, and the relative difficulty of the course.
The Value: The key concept is that 1 speed rating point is generally equal to 3 seconds of time difference. For example, two runners with ratings of 160 and 163 are estimated to be about 9 seconds apart, regardless of the course they ran on to achieve those ratings.
The Goal: The purpose is not to predict a runner’s exact time, but to provide an estimate of how different runners would match up in a race if all things were equal.
My Thoughts on Speed Ratings & What to Expect
As I mentioned in the breakdown, speed ratings are meant to be a tool to help everyone compare teams and athletes in different areas of the state. By no means do I think that speed ratings are going to be correct on all predictions. There are many times when I post projections for meets and completely disagree with what I post. The ratings are meant to create conversation and drive interest in the sport of Illinois Cross Country.
Consistent with the past, I will have results and ratings, comprehensive leaderboards, performance lists, and weekly team ratings. One new thing I am going to try this year is to show the change in the team average from week to week, so we are able to see how teams are progressing through the season.
Please bear with me on the timing of posting ratings from meets. I will work as quickly as I can to get things posted. Unfortunately, I cannot rate every meet, but I will rate as many meets as I can with a focus on invitationals. To aid in this, please ensure that your results are posted on Athletic.net.
Coaches: If you are competing in meets outside of Illinois, please let me know so I can make sure that I get your meet rated!
As always, if you have questions, feel free to shoot me an email, tweet, or use my contact form. I hope you enjoy the site and wish everyone happy running throughout the season.
See you on a course very soon!
