<p>How many runners are there at harvard? I mean the Boston Marathon is right there! Im asking for 2 reasons, one good, one selfish.</p>
<li><p>If there are a lot of runners at harvard running will be a lot of fun. Running is already cool (boston likes to call it self america’s walking city, but i still think nyc is better for walkers) in boston, but it would be more fun with a group.</p></li>
<li><p>for my selfish reason, i want to know if my running passion makes me unique. is it something that makes me different, something that will get me admitted? I ran a marathon (chicago) at 16 (one week over the age limit) and there were very few other runners my age (20 of the 32000 finishers were 16)</p></li>
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<p>Though I can't respond to #1, and can give you some input to #2... unless you are an accomplished, seriously dedicated runner I'm not so sure it would increase your chances. The track/xc team at my school is rediculously large, as is many school's. However, if you win awards and are really passionate about it, you have a shot.</p>
<p>thats not me, oh well :( i mean im in track, and im a high jumper, i dont do any long distance running there (but no one does most in track is like a mile or 2) im good at high jumping (like i get some jv gold medals and such, i think i got a jv silver at regionals or state or something) still nothing special (of course i was jv in 10th grade, i think i'll be varisty this year, but high jumping is really competative at my school)</p>
<p>im a runner, and i think running a marathon at that age is really something significant. not many kids have done that. any runner can tell you that being really good at a marathon and really good at a two-mile are very different. im a very dedicated runner and the farthest ive ever run is 13 miles. if you talk about your marathoning in your essay and emphasize your uniqueness i think it could help you...
although it is harvard, so you still have only a 12% chance or whatever it is. :)</p>
<p>I dunno, when i first started writing my applications i thought I would focus on how much i like running: cross country, winter track, spring track, but then I noticed that lots of people on this site and elsewhere run too. You know, most runners are smart people and its not that unusual (good stress relief). But you say you ran a marathon and thats pretty good for only 16. If you wrote a really good essay about it and reflected it to other parts of your life, it could probably help you. I just ended up writing my short common application essay about running. They all seem to end with the same theme: determination, don't have to be the best to win or succeed, stress relief, etc. etc.</p>
<p>For my school and league I do pretty well, usually coming in top three in league cross-country meets or track meets, I don't know if its competitive nationally; about a 19:00 5k for girls?????</p>
<p>well, i wanted to focus on the marathon itself and what it was like (the floor was sticky with clif shots or gu packs, i stepped in gum, people urinated in public as often as they liked etc.) and how i didnt learn anything conciously, how i just had fun. the sorta imply that subconciously i learned a lot. yeah, that is my essay right there i think. i dunno, as a junior i dont have any xp with college essays.</p>
<p>That's what, about 3 miles? So you're running over a 6 minute mile. I'm no runner, but I don't think that's division 1 worthy. I'm not sure though, you should ask the coaches of those schools.</p>
<p>nallytwn--
thats right about where i am, and i'd say you could make varsity on some pretty good division I teams, but not the top division 1 teams like Stanford. i think youd be very competitive in d3.</p>
<p>Running 19:00 as a girl... you could walk-on any college xc team in the nation as far as I know...but it's unlikely that the elite divison 1 schools will recruit you... but the ivies don't give out athletic scholarships anyways... so the only thing it helps with is actually getting into the school (which is important obviously). I doubt that even Stanford would turn you away for a walk-on (although you'd have to get in on your own accord first of course). Running 19:00, you obviously have talent... sub 19:00 is the national "cut-off" for elite h.s. girls--- so you are right in the mix of things.</p>
<p>Actually to give you a more accurate answer... could you give me your track PRs? This will be a much better indicator since cross-country times differ so signifcantly from course to course. Are you running around a 5:10-5:15 1600m?</p>
<p>I'm assuming you are a 1600m/3200m runner or possibly 800m/1600m?</p>
<p>Logging miles on an indoor track? I don't think so. While the sprinters stay inside, we Harvard distance runners brave the cold. It's not too bad though.</p>
<p>19:00 for the 5K is great but not instant Ivy recruitment. This girl in my school PRed at at most 18:30 and is only in the top 20 or so in the state (granted, NY is a competitive state). On the national level, it's a fairly common time.</p>
<p>Well yeah, I think only someone from Houston can say that it's impossible to run outdoors in the north at any team of year, but that's who I was targetting. ;)</p>