Can a non-runner run a 2:30 marathon after 50?

you've done very well - however I doubt very much that your mile time, whether it's 3:50 or 6:50 will give much indication of your marathon potential.

If you can run 3.12. after only 3 yrs then i think sub-3 is definitely doable but 2.30-40 is maybe a step too far. What have you done for 10K and 1/2m?

There is no indicator. You just have to try and see.

You will need to be faster over the mile, but if you've only been running for 3 years you can definately get faster.

A lot of the better masters runners are runners who started later in life, so that may work to your advantage.

I did a 10k time trial on a track in 40:19 (Oct07)

ha, come on guys. this is either a troll (i hate that word), or a dumbass.

I ran 4:14 for the mile - could only muster a 2:35. Also ran 30:52 10K - could only muster a 2:35, so I don't believe you have a shot at 2:30.

You would probably need to be able to run a half marathon in 1:12-1:14, or a 10K under 34 minutes to have a shot at a sub-2:40. I'm sure you've done the math and realized that you need to be able to hold about 6:00 per mile pace for 26.2, which means you would need to be capable of running a low 5:00 or so all out. In any event, the fun is in the trying. Good luck!

I've heard of marathoners in the high 2:20s who can barely break 16:00 for a 5k. So I would say a 17:00 5k guy can probably break 2:40. Maybe even a 17:30 guy, given that you're older and have a great ST-fiber preponderance. You should spend a few months of every year training for the 5k-half marathon range, to try and run low 17's or the equivalent (35:30 for 10k/1:17ish for the HM).

Bud Edelen once bet a friend that he could break 2:30 in the marathon at age 60. But sadly, of course, Bud never made it to 60.

typical letsrun poster wrote:

So I would say a 17:00 5k guy can probably break 2:40.

I don't agree. It certainly is not true for me. Also, there are plenty of conversion calculators on the internet. This one (link below) says that a 17:00 5K is more like a 2:46 marathon. It also says a 2:40 marathon is like a 16:22 5K. There's a big difference between a 16:22 and a 17:00 5K.

To answer the OP, anything is possible, but going from a 3:12 to a sub 2:30 would be jaw dropping at any age, much less over 50. Running at 2:30 at over 40 much less over 50 is exceedingly rare in its own right. Take a look at Chicago in 2006 (the year before the high heat). Sub 2:30 at Chicago in 2006 would have gotten you 117th place out of about 34,000 finishers (top .3%). More importantly, look at the breakdown:

The number of runners over 30 who ran sub 2:30: About 31

The number of runners over 40 who ran sub 2:30: 0

The number of runners over 50 who ran sub 2:30: 0

The number of runners over 50 who ran sub 2:40: 1

The number of runners over 50 who ran sub 2:50: 3 (one guy was 50)

The number of runners over 50 who ran sub 3:00: About 14

There was one 48 year old guy who ran about a 2:31. But it appears that a 50 year old running sub 2:30 marathons is more rare than runners of any age finishing in under 2:09.

zero to fifty in 2:30 wrote:

I'm 48, have only been running for 3 years, with a 3:12 PR for the marathon. I doubt I can run a mile faster than 5:50 right now. What's the best indicator of whether I can ever run a 2:30-2:40 marathon?

Your mile time is an important indicator, as are all paces shorter than the marathon.

For me to break 2.30 I would have to run under 4.30 for the mile a few months before.

For you it may be different, but that is an indication of the speed/endurance reationship required.

When I was 50, I had a 4:37 1500, 17:30 5K, 1:18:53 HM, and 2:48:10 Marathon. I note that the 1500 time predicts a 1:18:59 HM and a 2:47:55 marathon.

1:10-1:15 half-marathon, but that's still no guarantee.

Why are you people even responding to this (most likely) trollish question?

The correct one word answer to the OP's question is NO. You will not be able to run 2:30 at the age of 50 if all you can do is a 5:50 mile. Period. End of story, no "you can do it if you apply yourself" crap.

By the way, a 1:10-15 1/2 - - are you joking??? Do you know how many 50 yr old guy out there who can run that? Not too many, basically none. To do that or run 2:30 at 50, you have to have been a heck of a runner when younger.

I agree, it's very

excuse me, very unlikely, but not impossible.

The top time in the world last years for the M50-54 age group was 2:32:14, by Gavin Stevens of NZ. There were 11 others who cracked 2:40, so I'd say it's highly unlikely that the OP will be successful.

I run with a 51yo guy who could likely run low 2:40s right now. However, as soon as he got in shape, about six months after he started running, he was one of the top 50 year-olds in the area, and today he is one of the top 50 year-olds in the nation. In other words, talent shows itself quickly. If you're at 3:12 you have close to no chance of even getting under 2:50, you'll be lucky if you break three. Unless of course you are thirty pounds over weight...

40:19 10km?

Congrats.!

Comparing your time above to other distances means you might be capable of a sub 1:30 half or a 3:08 marathon.

Please check back in with us when you gone sub 2:50.

Start shooting for these times...

32:30 10km

53:30 10 miles

1:11:30 half

1:44:30 30km

when you reach them you will know you have a chance to do 2:30 in the marathon.

A 50-year old running 2:29 age-grades to a 2:15.