There are so many variables, including what age the runner started, injury history, etc. but in general terms I'd say it's somewhere around 25-28 for most, assuming they started running in their teens and trained optimally.
What is the average peak age of performance in the 1500/3000? When do times stop improving?
Quite a few threads on this. My personal opinion is mid twenties, with the peak sometimes more or less holding to late 20s/early 30s and then a gradual decline setting in
El guerrouj for example ran his 3:26.00 at 23 (2 months from turning 24) and at almost 30 was still running 3:27, though he maybe a freak in that regard.
There are so many variables, including what age the runner started, injury history, etc. but in general terms I'd say it's somewhere around 25-28 for most, assuming they started running in their teens and trained optimally.
The numbers I have seen point to a bit earlier (23-5) but you can hang on for another half a decade. There is enough randomness in running/prep that you can hit PRs without really improving fitness. You might have been in 3:30 shape from 22-30 but only hit it at 28 because of luck. Those other years you ran 331 for various reasons.
I am guessing most people's physical peak is like 20/21. The question is can you get the 3-4 years of protraining in that you need to maximize your ability. For most US runners the answer is nope. They don't really training hard til 18+.
Typically you wont be getting any faster in those distances especially the 1500 beyond 26/27 (running clean). Pro middle distance careers are rather short in terms of peak performance especially if they started late.
I did my research based on the title, and looked at US 800 meters who have made world/olympic teams in the past decade, excluding the 'youngsters' who just qualified in the past couple years and could reasonably run a PR in the next year.
Out of the seven guys who are either done competing completely or on the verge of retirement who have made world/olympic US 800 teams from the late 2000's through 2016 the median age of their PRs is 24 years, with a range of 21-28 years of age. My list included Nick Symmonds, Duane Solomon, Andrew Wheating, Charles Jock, Erik Sowinski, Cas Loxwsom, Clayton Murphy. I probably missed a couple guys, but I would guess the age of their PR was in that rage, probably pretty close to age 24.
For the sprints I'd guess it's a year younger than that, and for 5k/10k I'd guess a year or two older than that, maybe 26 is the median age of PR for 5k/10k.
Adding Khadevis Robinson to the list, who was 30 when he ran 1:43 in 2006, made another olympic team in 2012 before retiring. He's the biggest outlier setting his 800 PR at age 30. The median still holds steady at 24 though since there was more than one at that age, so adding Khadevis didn't change it.
Adding Khadevis Robinson to the list, who was 30 when he ran 1:43 in 2006, made another olympic team in 2012 before retiring. He's the biggest outlier setting his 800 PR at age 30. The median still holds steady at 24 though since there was more than one at that age, so adding Khadevis didn't change it.
I did a similar analysis a few years ago for many of the top runners (male). Came to a similar conclusion, although about 25yo for 800-5000m. Some do reach their peak later due to varying circumstances, but generally athletes are just holding their peak for a number of years after 25 rather than really improving. Obviously there will be very apparent exceptions to this, but that seems to be the general trend.
Women seem to be able to peak later, but then it is only relatively recently that the women have had a pro level with any depth, and they too are not much beyond the 25yo level before hanging on to their peak.
In the pure middle distances…800 and 1500, I would expect the true peak to be somewhere around 25 or 26 given the intensity/wear and tear that comes with training for those events at the pro level. You just absolutely beat your body up with the speed work required to run pro. Nick Symmonds ran his 1:42 at the age of 29, so that’s a bit later. he’s also stockier/bulkier than the average 800m guy.
Certainly not typical for true middle distance runners to have long careers like long distance runners who can make the transition from 5k to 10k and beyond. Suspect it has to do with the differences in muscle composition. I’m 32 now and haven’t really felt a noticeable drop in raw speed but I’m definitely plateaued. I ran 3:58 for 1500 and 1:59 for 800 last spring which are right on par with my college bests, but I suspect if I’d been training to run 3:52 and 1:52 in my mid 20s then I probably wouldn’t still be all in one piece.
You left out Lovelock. So athletes were using EPO before it was invented? They were running 3.26, 12.35, 26.20, and 2hrs? (I also recall that it was about a decade ago that Willis pr'd). I guess you are young enough to imagine the world half a century or more ago was just the same as it is today.
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