Records in Masters track are falling left and right. The cynical LetsRun meme is "If he's slower than me, he's not running enough. If he's faster, he's doping." But there are many reasons for so many outstanding performances.
Better shoes and better rehab are helping older runners extend their careers. Patton and I both wear Hokas to deal with chronic foot injuries. I couldn't train without Hokas. Patton even wore them when I raced him this past summer. My PT used therapies that didn't exist 20 years ago to cure a debilitating injury that would have otherwise ended my competitive career.
New runners are coming to masters track with fresh legs. My M60 training partner David Schmanski has only been running 6 years. He was national champion in the 800m a couple years ago.
Knowledge of master's training has improved. Athletes like Patton are sharing their training plans and other runners are benefiting from their success. Two years ago, I asked a former world champion for his secrets to 400m training. After following his plan, I beat him this past summer in the 400. He was happy for me... what a great guy!
In my opinion, the key to success as a senior runner is to avoid injury, train smart, and slow aging. I strongly believe that very high intensity training is one of the keys to slowing the aging process. I'm on course to lift more than 3 million pounds and do more than 20,000 squats this year. On the podium, I look like a tank compared to Patton.