Seems some people believe that "...you only have so many good years in you..",so if you start running at 37 you stand a better chance of running fast at 60 than another who trained and raced since high school.
This is bunk - makes no logical or scientific sense. How can an untrained 37yo be better prepared than a trained one?
Also, those obsessive 'first running boomers' are just as obsessive now. Some may be jaded, but there's lots still psychologically gunning for glory in masters ranks.
True, decades of running hard increase your chance of injuries happening sometime, but plenty of people (myself included) have run for decades with no significant injury at all. There's lots of studies now showing that continued training actually makes the joints and muscles stronger than they would otherwise be.
Just saying, the "Martin Started Late" factor is not a reason for his success.