After a delayed start, the Speed Rating National Merge has returned. Teams all across the nation have been hard at work, producing some all-time efforts already. With a full slate of National competitions on the horizon, both team and individual, we wanted to take a mid-season look at where teams would place if they toed the line today, based on their single best performance of the year.
We've merged the best performances of the early season to see where all the big names are. These are purely reflective of what has already happened, so if a team hasn't raced to their full potential yet, it wasn't reflected in the merge. We have a top 22 for the teams (the size of the field at Team Cross Nationals), and a top 25 for individuals, (over half the field at Champs).
Girls Top Individuals - Click Here
Girls Top Teams - Click Here
Boys Top Individuals - Click Here
Boys Top Teams - Click Here
What Is The Speed Rating National Merge?
MileSplit NY has partnered with TullyRunners to provide a running merge of the nation's top performances. In short, a speed rating is a number attributed to an XC performance, roughly one point per three seconds, adjusted for overall race quality and depth. Using these numbers, we can compare performances on an apples to apples basis -- in terms of XC times and teams. It provides an answer to the hypothetical question, "What would happen if the best teams in the nation all raced at once?" However, these do not predict the outcome of NXN.
A speed rating is a number attributed to an XC performance, roughly one point per three seconds, adjusted for overall race quality and depth.
The merge predicts the outcome assuming every athlete had the best race of the season. NXN has many variables that will impact that outcome. More can be read about the calculation of speed ratings by clicking here.