AgeGradeFlaw? wrote:
Question for Tim Grose if he still reads this. Am I right in saying you came up with age grading stats for parkrun? Or just that you know a lot about it?
I can't claim to have "invented" age grading that parkrun and many others use. Maybe you are thinking of the fastest/slowest parkrun course rankings I have done? You are right that in simple terms that age grading is a percentage of what is considered the approximate world record/best for a particular age/gender. What has happened in recent years is that standards in masters running have improved a lot. parkrun however still use age graded tables devised in 2006. Newer ones do not "favour" older women as much as the ones parkrun use.
As for the best masters runners - well at least over 50 then I think "Global Runner" (Duncan Marsden) would be well up there. Sub 16 5K still and going for a 2:30 marathon. Ryan Thompson's dad sub 40 10K as an M60 off Snickers & Burgers not Bicarb was classic YouTube! Think also got to remember that he was a 30 min 10K runner back in the day and what's the saying class is permanent. At my best I was county standard - 3:55.5 1500 was my best ever performance I figure but I feel can at least hold up my head here with a 2:33:53 marathon and 32:17 10K.
It's "interesting" that this thread has now become a critique of "famous" sub-elite marathon runners. They are all faster than I did but would have better fancied my chances over 800/1500 :)