Can somebody help me out with this? Looking over the over-50 world records for the mile, the marathon, and half-marathon, I see numerous records that have stood for years–more than a decade in some cases. As senior athletes get stronger and train smarter, records should fall accordingly. Or so goes the conventional wisdom.
Why hasn’t it happened here? Any track experts out there who can explain this?
Thanks
John R
If you’re a runner, scroll down to find out how you measure up to the best in your age group at three popular distances (outdoor).
(Source: Master’s Athletics, World Master’s Athletics)
WORLD’S FASTEST MEN (FIVE-YEAR AGE INTERVALS)
MILE
AGE NAME COUNTRY TIME YEAR SET
50 Nolan Shaheed USA 4.27.9 2000
55 Jack Ryan AUS 4:40.4 1977
60 Joop Ruter NED 4:54.07 1993
65 Derek Turnbull NZL 4:56.04 1992
70 Simon Herlaar NED 5:23.58 1999
75 Ed Whitlock CAN 5:41.80 2006
80 Torsten Stale SWE 7:08 1997
85 Josef Galis GER 8:04.7 1985
90 Bill Lauderbeck USA 10:59 2008
95 Herb Kirk USA 14.48.2 1990
HALF MARATHON
AGE NAME COUNTRY TIME YEAR SET
50 David M. Rees GBR 1:06.42 2003
55 Jim O’Neill USA 1:09.17 1993
60 Manuel R. Touza ESP 1:14.18 1996
65 Wil van der Lee NED 1:17.13 1997
70 John Gilmour AUS 1:21.41 1989
70 Ed Whitlock CAN 1:22.23 2001
75 Warren Utes USA 1:30.19 1997
80 John Keston USA 1:39.28 2005
85 Georg Gabriel GER 2:00.05 2006
90 Fauja Singh IND 2:38.55 2002
MARATHON
AGE NAME COUNTRY TIME YEAR SET
50 T, Mamabolo RSA 2:19.29 1991
55 P. van Alphen NED 2:25.56 1986
60 L. Acquarone ITA 2:38.15 1991
65 Derek Turnbull NZL 2:41.57 1992
70 Ed Whitlock CAN 2:54.48 2004
75 Ed Whitlock CAN 3:04.54 2007
80 Robert Horman AUS 3:39.18 1998
85 Robert Horman AUS 4:34.55 2004
90 Fauja Singh IND 5:40.01 2003
At one point, actor-entertainer John Keston became oldest to break three hours. He was 69. For a brief period, he was fastest over 70, then disaster struck: bike crash, fractured hip, broken foot. He gave up marathons and acting, but still sang the Star-Spangled Banner at track meets, to stay close to the action. Meanwhile, he developed new training methods–walking combined with running. At a Portland marathon, he’d finished the anthem, couldn’t resist temptation, joined the race on the spur of the moment, set a new age record, oldest to break 3:30. Keston was back! “I’d like to see this system (less running, combined with walking) tried on younger runners,” he said. “I believe most people overtrain.”
WORLD’S FASTEST WOMEN (FIVE-YEAR AGE INTERVALS)
MILE
AGE NAME COUNTRY TIME DATE DET
50 Maureen de St. Croix CAN 5:02.80 2003
55 Jeanette Flynn AUS 5:27.57 2006
60 Gerda van Kooten NED 5:48.94 1999
65 M.-Louise Michelsohn USA 6:16.28 2007
70 Helly Visser CAN 7:15 2004
75 Hazel Cameron CAN 8:17.40 1999
80 Gerry Davidson USA 9:00.52 2001
85 Gerry Davidson USA 11:03.11 2006
HALF MARATHON
AGE NAME COUNTRY TIME DATE SET
50 Tatyana Pozdnyakova UKR 1:16.07 2006
55 Shirley Matson USA 1:23.09 1996
60 Theresia Baird AUS 1:26.16 2001
60 Barbara Miller USA 1:29.49 1999
65 Rona Frederiks GER 1:37.46 2005
70 June Machala USA 1:42.18 2001
Betty Jean McHugh CAN 1;44.24 1998
75 Betty Jean McHugh CAN 1:53.58 2003
80 Unni Wilmann NOR 2:14.31 2000
MARATHON
AGE NAME COUNTRY TIME DATE SET
50 Tatyana Pozdnyakova UKR 2:35.46 2006
55 Rae Baymiller USA 2:52.14 1998
60 Barbara Miller USA 3:11.57a 2000
Barbara Miller USA 3:14.50 1999
65 Lieselotte Schulz GER 3:28.10 1985
70 Ginette Beard USA 3:46.03 2006
75 Betty Jean McHugh CAN 4:08.54 2003
80 Helen Klein USA 4:49.50 2004
85 Ida Mintz USA 6:53.50 1990
90 Mavis Lindgren USA 8:53.08 1997
Oldest Finisher: Jenny Wood-Allen, UK, 11:34(age?) 2002
Guinness, page 220
Note to readers:
I’m working on updates to the stats below:
Ed Whitlock, 5,000 meter phenom in his 70s. Which is more impressive, Ed’s 18 hour-33 minute result at age 70, or 19 hours-7 minutes, at age 75? Other twilighters with multiple world records: Petter Green, Norway, dominant at 3,000 meters in his 90s; Uoshimitsu Mayauchi dominant at 1500 meters in his 80s; Ron Robertson in his 60s; Herlaar in his 70s. What’s their secret? How do they do it?
From the geezer jocks should be carded department:
As he stumbled over the finish line at the end of yesterday’s London marathon, “Buster” Martin was on course to make history. But his claim to be the oldest man to complete the 26-mile route is now in doubt after it emerged he may not be quite as advanced in age as he has claimed.
Buster, who works for Pimlico Plumbers, had told organisers he was 101. It now appears he may be a slightly more sprightly 94.
Fraud: Buster’s claim to be the UK’s oldest marathon runner is in dispute after officials claimed he is 94, not 101,Buster, whose real name is Pierre Jean Martin, reportedly told NHS staff that he was born on September 1, 1913, not 1906, as had been previously claimed.
He has previously made the headlines in September 2006 when it was revealed he was the UK’s oldest employee.
A source at Guinness told The Times that Buster “appeared to be a fake, and more so, one being exploited by his company, which is using him to promote their services”.
An official spokeswoman has confirmed he will not be entered into the Guinness Book of Records because it is impossible to verify his age.
She said: “We have to be quite stringent. If we do not have sufficient evidence we cannot verify it.”
“It is a real shame because it is such a lovely story.”
Charlie Mullins, managing director of Pimlico Plumbers, said: “He is adamant that is his age. That is what he told us and we did all the standard checks and they all came back to us that that his how old he is.
“He has got British citizenship from the Home Office that says how old he is.”
He added: “This is not about a world record but an elderly man doing a great thing for charity.”
Buster eventually finished the course in just over ten hours.
Guinness World Records lists the oldest man to complete a marathon as the Greek runner Dimitrion Yordanidis, aged 98, in Athens in 1976. He finished in seven hours 33 minutes.
The oldest woman to complete a marathon listed by Guinness World Records was Jenny Wood-Allen who completed the London Marathon at the age of 90 in 2002. She finished in 11 hours and 34 minutes.
Source: DailyMail UK
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-559574/Buster-busted-The-oldest-London-Marathon-runner-isnt-101–hes-ONLY-94.html
Madonna Buder, 78. Born 1930, joined a convent in her twenties, found her legs in her late forties, jogged behind the cloister in hand-me-down track shoes. Her wicked speed got people’s attention: she entered and won endurance races at local, state, national levels; competed in 200 triathlons and won most of them, dominating every age group she passed through; took up Ironman, where she holds age-group speed records for Canada and Hawaii. In her 70s, she outraced all the 55-59-year olds.
Sister Marion Irvine. An overweight grade-school principal and two-pack-a-day smoker, Sister Irvine took up running at age 47. Her plan to burn “pent-up-energy” soon became a 70-mile-a-week habit. At 54, she ran a 2:51 marathon, fast enough to land her in the U.S. Olympic trials. She runs for the San Francisco track club, and has been induced in two halls of fame: Road Runners, Track&Field. Source: woohoo.org/runsf/stars.htm
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