A friend of mine has used the term "The Mark of Excellence" for male runners are 25 or older:
"2 hours plus your age"
A friend of mine has used the term "The Mark of Excellence" for male runners are 25 or older:
"2 hours plus your age"
Steamtown Marathon
10/10/04 Moeser, Chuck (M53) 2:37:51 7 7 / 7 Mopen 2:37:48 Sterling, VA, USA
Charles was rolling that day.
I agree that 2:50 at age 50 is a good run but Ed Whitlock's 2:54.49 at age 73 in 2004 is a bit better.
ha wrote:
jess koski rolled 2:50 at 50 at grandmas this year, i believe.
I'm assuming Jess is a Woman?? Did she really going round in 2:50. Thats bloody amazing!! Its just my Mum ran 2.55 at London and we we're wondering if anyone had gone quicker this year?
2:50 at 50 is outstanding and yes you're fellow runners will know it. No non-runners will realize it. Hell most wouldn't know if 2:04 was any good. I'll be 47 in 2 weeks and next year I hope to break 3 hrs (I ran a 3:02 this year). With 3 more years of training after that I hope to be down around 2:55ish if no injuries come along. And I wouldn't rule out a 2:50 for me at some point on a fast course. Or maybe I'm just dreaming.
and it's a battle not to slow down. unless you just started running - then the improvement curve might be that steep for you - that is a very very ambitious set of goals
but, hey, chase your dreams as long as you may - good luck!!
I guess you mean the Israeli (Ethiopian born) Hayle Satain, who is Israel's record holder at 2:14:21. Due to a different way of counting years in Ethiopia, his year of birth is said to be 1955, but he was probably born in 1962, which still makes him one of the best runners in that age.
And he only started running at the age of 29...
When I was running marathons in the late 70's, fellow Canadian Arthur Taylor was in his 50's and regularly running 2:26 and 2:27 marathons. Kept us young guys on our toes, and very envious.
For whatever it's worth, here's a theory on guys over 50 and marathons. In the US (the europeans seem to be much faster. Don't they usually win the age group at Chicago and NY?), there may be 100 or more guys capable of sub 2:50, based upon their shorter distance times. Of those, because of potential or real injuries, or a lack of desire, maybe 50 actually toe the line at a marathon. Of those, maybe 5-10 go under 2:50.
I'm sure someone out there has the actual numbers.
jt47m,
I know what your saying. On the other side of the coin the 3:02 I recently ran may be the end. Ive been running about 13 years but the first 9 I was a 20 to 30 mpw guy. Since then I've worked my way up to 70 mpw this year. These last 4 years I've trained much harder than before. And continue to improve with pr's at certain distances year after year. But I'm noticing the pr's are getting harder to come by as I age. Like you said about the improvement curve. But my plan is to continue to up my mileage by about 5 to 10 mpw a year and see what happens. I'll do what I have to until injuries or some other unforeseen thing occurs. I have limited talent but high motivation so I'll see what happens.
How is your running going? Have you hit the limit of your improvement curve? Any pr's in your future? Or are you one of those guys who did so good in your younger years that pr's are out of the question?
Thanks and good luck to you too.
i've been running all my life, so unless it's an odd distance, like 30k, which i ran for the first time last year, all of my PR's are behind me. but i still train hard and still want to run well. there is very competitive masters scene where i live.
what caught my eye with this thread is one of my goals is to run sub-3:00 at 50. i've run 2:57 & 2:59 the last couple of years and think i'm still capable of a 2:55 on a good day - so if i can hang on, i think i can do it. i already have a target, the '08 Richmond Marathon, 11/15/08 just a few days after i turn 50. 2:50 is probably out of reach, however
i bet if you can continute to up the mileage, and it appears you're doing it slowly and intelligently, you can continue to improve. do you do any strength training? any core work? that's one thing that really helped me get back to speed (i was kind of in a running waste land from age 41 to 44, but i'm much faster and stronger now than i was then) we naturally lose some muscle mass as we age, and i think working on it with targeted strength training really helps to slow the process down
Well Steamtown is over a 1000' elevation drop so Charles was literally rolling downhill.
Meanwhile the best ever time was 2:18:55 although this list is over 6 years old.
Men
Age Group Marathon 1/2 Marathon 10 Kilometer
18-19 2:08:11 1:00:24 27:11
20-34 2:06:50 59:39 26:58
35-39 2:06:50 59:39 26:58
40-44 2:08:58 1:01:10 31:13
45-49 2:13:42 1:03:26 28:54
50-54 2:18:55 1:05:55 30:02
55-59 2:24:34 1:08:41 31:18
60-64 2:31:21 1:11:50 32:45
65-69 2:39:02 1:15:30 34:26
70-74 2:48:11 1:19:52 36:26
75-79 2:59:24 1:25:13 38:54
80-84 3:13:37 1:32:01 42:01
85-89 3:22:40 1:41:08 46:14
90-94 4:02:01 1:54:45 53:31
95-99 4:53:48 2:20:11 1:04:10
100+ 7:39:53 3:41:05 1:42:15
------------------------------------------------------------
Women
Age Group Marathon 1/2 Marathon 10 Kilometer
18-19 2:20:41 1:06:39 30:07
20-34 2:18:51 1:05:48 29:55
35-39 2:18:51 1:05:48 30:00
40-44 2:22:29 1:08:04 31:13
45-49 2:28:29 1:11:02 32:34
50-54 2:35:08 1:14:15 34:02
55-59 2:42:38 1:17:52 35:42
60-64 2:51:13 1:22:01 37:37
65-69 3:01:16 1:26:54 39:52
70-74 3:13:21 1:32:46 42:34
75-79 3:28:20 1:40:03 45:56
80-84 3:35:25 1:49:26 50:17
85-89 4:13:53 2:02:17 56:15
90-94 4:54:03 2:22 1:05:26
95-99 6:12:03 3:00:24 1:23:30
100+ 10:17:46 5:22:33 2:31:06
at least according to info on E.Whitlock
"When Ed recorded a 2:52:47 in the 2000 Columbus Marathon, he became the oldest person, at 69 years, 237 days, to break three hours in the marathon."
"But on September 28, 2003, in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Whitlock finally did it, clocking 2:59:09.3, breaking his own 70-plus record and extending his record as the oldest man to go under three hours to 72 years, 206 days."
http://www.runningtimes.com/issues/04apr/whitlock.htm
nobody over 70 has gone sub-2:50
- got to call big-time BS on that
OK. Ken Young's site says it is way off as well.
Wonder where the other guy got his list.
Good pick up. I think you're right on the 70-75 ag. Whitlock has the world record and Orville had it right 2:54 and change. See above.
jt47m,
Yes I do strength training actually long before I started to run. Probably close to 30 years of it. Not legs anymore and I don't max out but still 3 times a week upper body with some core stuff. I think it helps and makes my feel stronger and look a little better.
Your mistaken.... Only 15 men in the 50-59 age group went under 3 hrs at the 2004 Boston Marathon. Looks like only one went below 2:50.... Check again....I think you misread the results.....
Not sure what Benji is up to these days but he started slowing dramatically in his late 30's... I doubt he'll be out to run a fast time... I think he just runs and coaches but is no longer the stud he once was... But then again,,, I do'nt really know....
Benji has been on this board so you may hear from him. If my memory serves me, I believe he has upped his mileage and is now running in some races. I think he ran a half not too long ago in under 1:20.
He also dealt with cancer.
that's how i knew he was running - from his posting here.