I have not met nor can I think of a single athlete I've met who would take a waterfall aka getting boxed in and spiked at the start every single time, compared to having your own space in your own lane lol
1/2 of the posters here already told you that they prefer it. I prefer it. I ran 1:49/3:41. Always hated being restricted on both sides when sharing a lane with someone.
They said they'd prefer waterfall over sharing a single lane with someone, which I understood and agreed with. No one here is saying they'd take waterfall over their own lane however, that's just dumb
They said they'd prefer waterfall over sharing a single lane with someone, which I understood and agreed with. No one here is saying they'd take waterfall over their own lane however, that's just dumb
But then the 800 would take as long as the 100 and no one needs that in track meet. A reasonable amount on a waterfall or alley is fine.
That's why I also mentioned that in invitationals, league meets, etc, sure a waterfall is fine for the sake of time. However, in a championship meet where there's only 8 qualifiers, get rid of it
and it has been mentioned that in CIF there is never a "championship meet" where there are only 8 qualifiers. Even at State they send 12 to the finals.
and it has been mentioned that in CIF there is never a "championship meet" where there are only 8 qualifiers. Even at State they send 12 to the finals.
They didn't start doing that until the early 2010s. Before that, it was ran in lanes
The CIF state meet stadium has 9 lanes, so 9 finalists.
Look at this video from the 2010 state 800m final for boys
Yea i agree, ideal is alleys for 800 but waterfall or double waterfall works given the race usually only has 1-3 people who are really fast. They ran my daughter in a 32 person waterfall for the 800 a few summers back, now that was lazy.
Lazy or a response to track meets are too long. If you break those into flights of 16 (2 per lane) then you have to run 2 races and that takes more time.
5 whole minutes more time, to give these highschooler a cleaner race. I don't think it's too much to ask, 800m starts can get aggressive and you don't want to be caught up in that. I think 2 per lane is a fair ask, it allows the kids to run their race without worrying about the 30 guys breathing down their neck and spiking them every other turn.
Yea i agree, ideal is alleys for 800 but waterfall or double waterfall works given the race usually only has 1-3 people who are really fast. They ran my daughter in a 32 person waterfall for the 800 a few summers back, now that was lazy.
Lazy or a response to track meets are too long. If you break those into flights of 16 (2 per lane) then you have to run 2 races and that takes more time.
Yes, it was def done for time, it was hot and the sprints took 4 hours. But you know what, mixing every gender and age and starting an 800 like a 5k to save 5 min is pretty lazy. Sprints are holy at these usatf/aau meets. Try limiting the 400m entrants to less than 400 people.
1/2 of the posters here already told you that they prefer it. I prefer it. I ran 1:49/3:41. Always hated being restricted on both sides when sharing a lane with someone.
Im with Gord, waterfall is lazy. Lets just start the 400 as a waterfall too? We had a guy lose a 'chip due to the crazy immediate cutting in with a waterfall start. It's not impossible, there are just clearly better options. Most call backs in our meets are 800 waterfall starts.
Penn Relays does waterfall starts for the high school 4x400 prelims. In the finals, the nine finalist teams start in their own lane. Penn Relays has to do this for prelims because there are literally hundreds of heats. As a spectator, I like it.
Unless you only have a few runners, I hate the waterfall for the 800m. If you have 12+ runners the race is so short that the 2-3 seconds it takes for the pack to sort out makes a disproportionate effect on the outcome. In a 1600+ you have plenty of time to make that up.
This has always been a pet peeve of mine. Why is the 800 ran in a waterfall?? They used to do it in lanes, but until around 2012 or 2013, they randomly switched to waterfall as if it were a 1600/3200
I think it's quite dumb. The 800 is too quick of a race to have so many competitors in. If you throw 12 or more people in one race, the ones on the inside are at a proven disadvantage and are bound to get boxed in, spiked, or worse once they merge at the 300 mark.
Starting off in your lane, however, gives each runner their own space and time to get settled in before merging safely
Bring back lane starts for Cali. Please. Save the shins of these poor kids
Why do you think: “Why is the 800 ran in a waterfall?” proper grammar? “I think it’s quite dumb.” (I agree).
good lord. Why do you guys not know how to use the words run/ran?! You’re posting on a running website and you can’t even talk about your own sport correctly.
This has always been a pet peeve of mine. Why is the 800 ran in a waterfall?? They used to do it in lanes, but until around 2012 or 2013, they randomly switched to waterfall as if it were a 1600/3200
I think it's quite dumb. The 800 is too quick of a race to have so many competitors in. If you throw 12 or more people in one race, the ones on the inside are at a proven disadvantage and are bound to get boxed in, spiked, or worse once they merge at the 300 mark.
Starting off in your lane, however, gives each runner their own space and time to get settled in before merging safely
Bring back lane starts for Cali. Please. Save the shins of these poor kids
Why do you think: “Why is the 800 ran in a waterfall?” proper grammar? “I think it’s quite dumb.” (I agree).
good lord. Why do you guys not know how to use the words run/ran?! You’re posting on a running website and you can’t even talk about your own sport correctly.
we learned this sh@t in elementary school.
You must be fun at parties 😂 getting so worked up over one typo, god damn
They’re running 13s per 100m . Pros run faster than high schoolers on their 1500 split so chill out
Again, you cannot make this comparison. Pacing and speed is way different. A high schooler will run 1:52 fighting for their lives in an 800m. A 1500M pro will split a 1:52 with ease
Not to mention, the 1500 start is literally a friggin straightaway and not a curve, so there's less pressure to merge into lane 1 as compared to a waterfall curve.
What happens in these high school races? Guys rarely fall. I see more in pro races when runners are in control. And rhe further they are away from max pace, the more falls there are.
Why do you think: “Why is the 800 ran in a waterfall?” proper grammar? “I think it’s quite dumb.” (I agree).
good lord. Why do you guys not know how to use the words run/ran?! You’re posting on a running website and you can’t even talk about your own sport correctly.
we learned this sh@t in elementary school.
You must be fun at parties 😂 getting so worked up over one typo, god damn
Oh Gordie. most people speak correctly at parties. You started a thread about something most consider quite boring. You didn’t reread your text before posting? I’m skeptical it was a typo, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. (Dozens of morans on here do the same, so it’s an issue greater than you.)
But…Are you suggesting that grammar and spelling (communication) is less important than a waterfall start in high school 800m’s in CA?