We all know that the state championship, as least the VHSL one, is always going to be 3.1 miles on a semi-hilly course at Great Meadows... like it has been for quite some time. Though that has remained consistent, the races leading up to it are anything but that. Leading up to it there have been 48 conference meets and quite a few of those were not full 5K's. That begs the question, should there be a uniform distance for all post-season races?
Anyone from the northern region knows that the real course in question here is the Burke Lake Course which is a scientifically measured 2.98 Mile course. Where they came up with that number is anyone's best guess but it is the distance...
With this knowledge of that course and couple others that run 3 mile races comes the question- should there be a uniform distance for post-season competition?
Side 1 In Opposition
Side 1 of this question is the side opposed to it. It's simple, all races should be a uniform distance. If you want to run a 3 Mile race then do it earlier in the season and not during the post-season that has real implications. Everything from conferences to nationals should be the same distance since then again we all race 5Ks. It is like saying you can run a 1500 at conferences, a Mile at regionals and then a 1600 at States. It just doesn't make sense to be running this many different distances. If you don't have a course that can be a full 5K then you don't have a useable course. Having the same distances creates a sense of fairness and equality amongst conferences so that everyone is running the same amount and has the same chances at the next level.
Side 2 In Favor
Side 2 of this question is the logical side of things. Though it would be great to run the same distance at all post-season meets there are two key things that overshadow this fact and successfully nullify it. The first is the fact that not all the courses are the same. If you are concerned about one region or conference having my rest then you then you probably shouldn't schedule to run your meet at Panorama Farms then...
The second fact overshadowing it is the fact that all post-season competitions are based on placing and not auto-qualifying times. If you win-you're in. Both of these facts show you how it is logical to not worry about distances (within reason of course) and to just let things be as they are.
Now that you know both sides of the argument, tell us what you think!