Is it possible to break 2:30 after Age 40?

Jack Foster set a masters/personal record of 2:11 I believe at the age of 41.

The M55 marathon world record is way below that.

Lydiard Cerutty wrote:

Jack Foster set a masters/personal record of 2:11 I believe at the age of 41.

He also ran 2.20 at 50.

Bill Rodgers 2:20 at 43

You could aim for my slightly easier US masters record, 2:13

Don't forget your elliptigo

I have had the pleasure of getting beat by both Eric Staal ? (Spelling) and Doug Curtis who have the most masters sub 2:20's.

john_seattle wrote:

What's the "peak" marathon age? I'm currently 32 - trying to see if I'm already over the hill.

Current PR is 2:56 - trying to see if I can break 2:30 before Age 40. But really worried that age might be a factor at some point.

Willing to put in 100 miles per week if that's what it takes.

Someone asked something similar about age 50 a couple of weeks ago. The answer then was that 2:30 would be an elite level for a 50 year old guy.

Age 40 is a lot closer to what a person's physical peak is than 50 is. The common wisdom used to be that the peak was around age 27 and people can stay at that near that level for a while, but I read a recent article (about baseball players) that suggests it might be a little earlier.

You are only 32. You are not over the hill.

I'm not sure how much effort went into your PR but I'd say ability will be more of a limiting factor than age.

It's bloody difficult to find 27 minutes...especially when you're starting from a respectable time.

john_seattle wrote:

What's the "peak" marathon age? I'm currently 32 - trying to see if I'm already over the hill.

Most marathoners reach their peaks around their early to mid-30s, you are basically in your marathoning prime. Mo is 35 and just getting into the marathon, Geb was 35 when he ran his WR, Kipchoge is probably 35+ in reality and the top marathoner in the world, Bekele is one of the best at 36. Rupp is one of the "younger" top guys at 32.

How long have you been running? If you're a newbie, you may still have a lot of room for improvement. If you've been running seriously for 10+ years, it's unlikely that you still have a minute a mile to improve. 2:56 to 2:30 is a HUGE jump.

And if you ran 2:56 after years of hard training, age isn't going to be your limiting factor; talent is.

I'm sure the OP appreciates everyone listing out former pros who run fast masters times. I think for the mere mortals 2:30 is pretty ambitious but doable. The top marathoners seem to run to their potential in their early 30s but you see some exceptions like Meb doing big things closer to 40. The time is now to log 100 mile weeks and try to make 5:45 comfortable. And get the half marathon down.

I have a buddy who has run 1:14/2:32 in his 40s. Not quite there but he was no pro, didn't run in college, just did the work, etc.

john_seattle wrote:

What's the "peak" marathon age? I'm currently 32 - trying to see if I'm already over the hill.

Current PR is 2:56 - trying to see if I can break 2:30 before Age 40. But really worried that age might be a factor at some point.

Willing to put in 100 miles per week if that's what it takes.

You will be fine with half that mileage. Look for a great coach to coach 2:30. Will not take 8 years,probably 2-3

You are at your peak so if you have done serious training, you can maintain for 5-10 years but you won’t make significant improvement.

john_seattle wrote:

What's the "peak" marathon age? I'm currently 32 - trying to see if I'm already over the hill.

Current PR is 2:56 - trying to see if I can break 2:30 before Age 40. But really worried that age might be a factor at some point.

Willing to put in 100 miles per week if that's what it takes.

How long ago did you set your current PR? What is your running background like? All things to consider before embarking on a quest to run one minute faster per mile for the marathon. I would also choose a marathon course that is conducive to fast times which pretty much rules out anything in Seattle.

john_seattle wrote:

What's the "peak" marathon age? I'm currently 32 - trying to see if I'm already over the hill.

Current PR is 2:56 - trying to see if I can break 2:30 before Age 40. But really worried that age might be a factor at some point.

Willing to put in 100 miles per week if that's what it takes.

Title does not make sense, you've got 8 years so why worry about being 40!

Kipchoge is 34.

You need to break 2:50 before worrying about 2:30 there is a massive difference between the two especially in terms of required talent

Do you have any track times giving indication that you can do 2:30?

don't make excuses wrote:

john_seattle wrote:

What's the "peak" marathon age? I'm currently 32 - trying to see if I'm already over the hill.

Most marathoners reach their peaks around their early to mid-30s, you are basically in your marathoning prime. Mo is 35 and just getting into the marathon, Geb was 35 when he ran his WR, Kipchoge is probably 35+ in reality and the top marathoner in the world, Bekele is one of the best at 36. Rupp is one of the "younger" top guys at 32.

Just to be clear -- you believe that Eliud Kipchoge is now 35 years old or older, meaning he was 16 years old in 2003 when he defeated El Guerrouj and Bekele in the WC 5000 final?

for reference

six british guys in 40-45 age group have run sub-2.30 this year

https://www.runbritainrankings.com/rankings/rankinglist.aspx?event=Mar&agegroup=V40&sex=M&year=2018