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Welcome to Michigan XC Speed Ratings!  I hope you find this site thoughtful, useful, and entertaining.  I aim to look at cross country from a different perspective, perhaps bringing some objectivity, but most importantly, furthering our love for this sport.

We’ve all wondered how courses compare, how a time one weekend matches up from one the next weekend.  I’ve attempted to do this here.  Others have done similar in other states, and even nationally to an extent.  Bill Meylan created TullyRunners in the late 90’s as a way to compare his team to others in their New York section and state.  A few of us have copied his seminal idea, most notably in Illinois and Washington.

Here are a few articles from Meylan’s site that I feel explain the idea best:

http://www.tullyrunners.com/Data/Articles/art_mey1.htm
http://www.tullyrunners.com/Data/Articles/art_mey_sr.htm

I recommend browsing that site, it’s a preview of what I hope this becomes for Michigan.

Here’s my explanation, a little more Michigan-centric:

How are Speed Ratings Calculated?

For all this work, all that matters is what you take out of it.  Whether it be fun, competitive, or goal-setting, we’ve all come to love running in some way.  Cross country isn’t run on paper and that’s one beautiful aspect of our competitions.  My dream is that these ratings call to attention those overachievers, those small schools, and the unfathomable improvements we strive for.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me.

– Matt