Posted on May 3, 2017
PFC Power Generation Equipment Repairer
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Posted in these groups: Running logo RunningP542 APFTImgres Physical Training
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CW3 Network Architect
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I'm absolutely gobsmacked at those who are saying "Hey, if .13 of a mile is the difference between you passing and failing, you've got bigger problems". The standard is the standard, and if the standard is two miles, the standard is two miles....not two miles and one foot.

If you're going to tell me "You must run two miles in X amount of time" and fail me for exceeding the time, when the distance was exceeded, you are not honest.
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SSG Jeremy Schlieve
SSG Jeremy Schlieve
6 y
CPL Arthur White - A 3 mile PT test is not the standard, 2-miles is the standard. That would be inclusive of Airborne and non-Airborne units. When I was in an Airborne unit we ran 4 miles due to requirements for the unit, but that was separate from an APFT.
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CW3 Jeffrey Cunningham
CW3 Jeffrey Cunningham
6 y
SFC Joshua Steen - You do realize not all Warrant Officers are HS to flight school....many of us were NCOs as well as Sr NCOs before taking up the specialty
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SFC Joshua Steen
SFC Joshua Steen
6 y
Which is why you’d think the Chief would know that PFCs don’t measure (nor should they be told to measure) PT Tracks, and that failing an APFT run based on an extra .13 (that’s extremely specific no? How’d he figure that out?) is indicative of a much larger problem.

Generally they also know that thinly veiled physical threats aren’t how Military business is conducted.

Who should get the promotion, the “barely meets the standard” “meets the standard” or “exceeds the standard” soldier?

Here’s the reality, if that private put as much effort into improving his run score as he did trying to lawyer his way out of a failure, (no one here has the whole story, whether this was an initial failure, whether his scores are always marginal, whether he’s a good troop or an oxygen thief) he’d pass his run with room to spare and have credibility to question track length.

What I saw here was a Warrant (and others) commenting far outside his lane with zero info, condemn an entire NCO chain on the word of a private with no background and the justify why marginal performance is perfectly acceptable and “the standard”.

It’s always helpful to good order and discipline for warrants and senior NCOs to take the word of a private with a clearly marginal performance complaint on a public forum to demonize his support chain and hold him up as some example of integrity and leadership.

I’d like to see his PT cards and counseling packet.
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SFC Michial Bergen
SFC Michial Bergen
6 y
SFC Joshua Steen - I like it. Well said. I didn't think of it the way you put it and now gives me a better perspective. I like the way you put it and I concur there SFC!!!
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CW5 Sam R. Baker
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Edited 7 y ago
If you passed that is all that matters, if it came down to a .13 of a mile difference between pass and fail, I think you will have a larger issue with the Army quarterly 4 mile run at the 9 minute pace. I do not like running, but it is a part of the Army life and has been since Jesus was a Private. I was serving with him when I could run a 12:58 two mile. Those days are long gone, but in lieu of dispute, just pass the test and hope that the .13 is dropped next time. Did you use a commercial device to figure it out? When you assess special operations, they take your watch and just say RUN FORREST, RUN and don't stop till the van pulls up and you jump in. At the youthful age of 54, I still don't enjoy running, but since 1987, have never failed a run. It is more mental than physical, so give it some NIKE and Just Do it! My .02
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SGT Charles Oliver
SGT Charles Oliver
>1 y
Hell we ran 9 miles cross country in combat boots and fatigues in 49 minutes. Infantry all the way
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CW5 Sam R. Baker
CW5 Sam R. Baker
>1 y
SGT Charles Oliver - obviously today's Army doesn't require folks to have to walk or run nearly as far as you guys had to back then. Standards have changed, I did Air Assault School in combat boots for the run, but now it is soft shoe athletic running shoes. The requirements for mandatory runs are quarterly in SOME units, not all.
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SSG William Bowen
SSG William Bowen
>1 y
MAJ (Join to see) - Not to mention a 9 minute pace is a failing APFT pace. That would be a 18 minute two miler, which exceeds the minimum standard by over 2 minutes. If the dude was pacing him self and practicing at about a 15:10-15:15 two miler, not meritorious by any means, but then rolls in at 15:55-16:00, because the course 1/10 mile plus longer than 2 miles, it is not right he gets a failing score. The 2 mile run does not make or break the solider. I was never a good runner but I could do an ass of sit-ups (always scored in the 90s) though and could usually score in the 80s on pushups. I could navigate, looked squared away, could road march, always did my job, etc. I am sure we have seen plenty of people that could blast their 2 miles in under 11 minutes but were sorry or inept in other way in many other ways. What is the guy's MOS? Maybe he just isn't a PT stud. I would rather have finance clerk scoring a 180 and getting my pay and promotions right, than a guy with a 300 screwing it up. if he is Infantry, then PT score might be a little more important. Either way, the two mile course should be 2 miles.
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SPC Christopher Perrien
SPC Christopher Perrien
>1 y
SGT Charles Oliver - Us tankers had a saying. "If we gotta run , the army has lost a war" :). But we could drink all night and run 5 miles a couple hours later in the morning.
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SFC Acquisition, Logistics & Technology (AL&T) Contracting NCO
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I'm reading this thread scratching my head. Not at the questions, but at the responses. First off, its pretty interesting that on a RECORD APFT people are saying that .13 miles isnt a big deal. For most runners thats 45-90 seconds depending on running condition. While older Soldiers may not have an issue because the scale they are on gives them an abundance of time to pass the 2-mile, it places a significant burden on the 17-21 year old age group. Also, there should be no question about the integrity of the test. While there is no requirement to conduct a survey every time the test is conducted, the course should be marked based upon a survey of actual distance. Another thing that is often missed is that no part of the course shall exceed a 3% grade. It should be a level surface to the extent possible. Not ensuring these standards is a leadership FAILURE and example of laziness!!! Its ridiculous to blame soldiers for failing a standardized test when the testing apparatus does not meet the standard. .13 may not sound significant, but in terms of time it certainly is. To expand on this, it's not simply a measure of pass/fail. The error brings down the entire units average score. Now you have put the CDR/1SG in the position of explaining a significant drop in the company average at the next Command and Staff.
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MSG Senior Maintenance Supervisor
MSG (Join to see)
>1 y
I have 5 troops in the 17-21 group. I just checked their run times and 30 seconds added would have failed 2 of the passing and caused another to drop from a 300.
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PO2 Dan Shulla
PO2 Dan Shulla
>1 y
3% grade limit? I think back to Camp H.M. Smith and "Cardiac Hill"> Granted, part of the course was down hill but the uphill side was a monster (prob close to a 20% grade) and at least 2 Marines ran that 3 miles in 15 min. This was back in 1975. We all prefer to run on level ground I think. Though I was a Navy Corpsman, my FMF (Fleet Marine Force)quals required me to pass Marine Corps PFT, instead of the much easier Navy standards. At 35 (MANY YEARS AGO) Navy standards required me to run 1 1/2 miles in 15 1/2 MIN. I ran it in the same time required of a 20 year old. 13:45. which would be too slow for the Marine Corps 3 mile run, for my age group. guess I got lazy, though always hated running. was boring
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SPC Scott Owen
SPC Scott Owen
>1 y
I am not sure what you did in the army but myself being a 13B my whole battery could run 12.30 min 2 mile easy. That is several minutes ahead of the max time allowed. I personally ran under 10 for a few years.
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SSG William Bowen
SSG William Bowen
>1 y
Everyone is not a stud runner. I knew lots of guys that could break 11 minutes but could only do 45 pushups and 55 situps.
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