Forums >Racing>70% Age Graded marathon in 2012
As long as competetive does not mean winning age groups - Just being in the top 5 or so - Maybe
I see it more as 70 = local -When I ran my highest = 77.7% I was 4th in age group at my local small 10k
But if the right local runners show up I will never finish in top 3.
As an over-the-hill hobby jogger, (61), I support this thread! I have managed low 70% range a number of times, my best being a half marathon 3 years ago, but don't think I can manage 3:40 for a marathon. 70-80% is regionally competitive, 80-90% should be nationally competitive, over 90 international.
As an over-the-hill hobby jogger, (61), I support this thread!
I have managed low 70% range a number of times, my best being a half marathon 3 years ago, but don't think I can manage 3:40 for a marathon.
70-80% is regionally competitive, 80-90% should be nationally competitive, over 90 international.
Long dead ... But my stench lingers !
I did run a 70.9% today for a small 50k road race (48 finishers) - Getting 1st masters - So still think 70% is local
not bad for mile 25
This website seems to explain the details of age-grading well. I'm like Dopplebock in that most of my races are in the mid to high 70's percent AG. I ran a 10miler today that grades out to 79.4%. I certainly don't believe the times it predicts I "would've / could've" run when I was younger. I use it only as a goal to shoot for as my times get slower due to age. The organization who maintains the AG standards and factors tables defines the % ranges as:
100% = approximate world-record performance Over 90% = world-class performance Over 80% = nationally competitive Over 70% = regionally competitive Over 60% = locally competitive
Take those ranges with a many of grains of salt as my 79.4% from this morning's race got me a 7th in 50-54 and a 12th in 50-59 in my 'local' race!
For a long time I had a goal to hit an 80% race at any distance. First time I came close was at 48 when I ran a 10K in 37:47 (79.95%). This one was tough because I ran that race on Memorial Day (5/31) and my birthday is 6/1. If I had run the race the next day it was an 80.6! Anyway since then I've run a 5K and a marathon (both last year) at over 80%. Moral of the story is that it gets easier as you get older. Just don't get (much) slower!
Moral of the story is that it gets easier as you get older.
I wonder if this is true in general? Certainly age seems to have less of an effect on some people. There are certainly quite a few people who believe that the age group records get softer the greater the age - partly because historically very few old people ran, so the pool of people competing to set those records was rather small, but now we have many more people who've grown up running and becoming pensioners, so perhaps we can expect the average standard amongst the old to get better.
Local races can very widely in the quality of the field- in my area there are several chip-timed 5k runs which are primarily aimed at fundraising, and which attract participants as opposed to competitors. In one of these, (if I had entered), I would probably have come second overall out of 230 runners- quite ridiculous!
But there is also a 5k run by the local running club in which I usually finish around 50th., there are often 10 guys under 17 minutes, and last year Ed Whitlock ran something like 21:46, so a very different quality field!
Anyway, it gives something to shoot for regardless of how the results are interpreted.
PBs since age 60: 5k- 24:36, 10k - 47:17. Half Marathon- 1:42:41.
10 miles (unofficial) 1:16:44.
43 YO male
Marathon
3:07:36 = 70%
2:59:50 = 73%
2:55:00 = 75%
2:50:30 = 77%
2:44:05 = 80%
For me Between those 10% it goes from easy to needing almost a perfect race. 77-78% is what I would reasonable expect to run if I was in pretty good shape. 80% is what I would train and focus on and have to be in top shape to have a chance. 2:48 - 2:44 only 4 wee little minutes but that is where I start coming up against genetics and needing to be a lower weight than my body likes to be.
Or maybe I just need to have a break through mentally and physically and it is not genetic - But heck that is why we train and dream.
But running a 28 minute 5 miler is not as menally intimidating = 82.4%
For me I do not have 5k speed - My 5 mile - 10k speed traditionally is pretty close to 5k. So The sweet spot (Before I got into ultras) was 5M-10K
But I find I finish much more competetively in marathons than a 5M -10K race. Mainly because so many fast 5M-10K people never run marathons.
Interesting article on Runner's World about AG Calculators and the differences between Men / Women
http://peakperformance.runnersworld.com/2012/04/age-graded-calculators-qualifying-times-and-the-differences-between-men-and-women/
Interesting article on Runner's World about AG Calculators and the differences between Men / Women http://peakperformance.runnersworld.com/2012/04/age-graded-calculators-qualifying-times-and-the-differences-between-men-and-women/
For a 49-yo male, 70% seems anywhere from doable to really hard:
Mile -- 6:01
5k -- 20:54
5mi -- 34:34
10k -- 43:30
15k -- 1:06:16
10mi -- 1:11:24
HM -- 1:34:50
Marathon -- 3:17:27
"I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."
-- Dick LeBeau
Why is it sideways?
Yes, it doesn't seem right to me that AG is based on a sample of one - the world record only.
This criticism was addressed in the article. The difference is more than just the outstanding nature of that record.
Which ones seem hard - To me the hard is the mile and 5k.
For a 49-yo male, 70% seems anywhere from doable to really hard: Mile -- 6:01 5k -- 20:54 5mi -- 34:34 10k -- 43:30 15k -- 1:06:16 10mi -- 1:11:24 HM -- 1:34:50 Marathon -- 3:17:27
To a guy who runs 7000+ miles/year, maybe none of them.
To me, the HM is kinda tough and the full is a stretch. Considering I've already beaten the 5k and 10mi times, a couple of the others just look "out there" compared to what I've done.