The Marathon Ages, and so do the Runners

The birth of the running movement in America coincided with my beginnings in sports physical therapy, and runners have comprised the great majority of athletes I have treated and trained over the last four decades. In that time, the number of people running the marathon distance has grown tremendously, and the age of marathoners has too. With the perspective of longitudinal studies, we now see interesting relationships between age and marathon performance. Marathon running performance among men and women was generally believed to be fastest (as indicated by previous world record performances) when individuals were 25 to 35 years old.

Now, with longitudinal research, we see a shift in the relationship of age and peak performance. Historically, the time to complete a marathon gradually increased with age, with substantial losses in performance after 70 years. A decline in physiological function (primarily cardiovascular capacity) of 0.5% per decade occurs in highly trained distance runners, while a 1.0% and 1.5% decline per decade occurs in moderately trained and untrained individuals, respectively. However, we now know that in middle-aged veteran runners, skeletal muscle continues to have high aerobic potential, although a decline in muscle cell size (sarcopenia) and contractile performance do occur. These changes in the skeletal muscle profile may contribute to changes in distance running performance with age. Current research supports the concept that continued running late into life slows a decline in physiological function with age and is beneficial for overall health.

In terms of performance, athletes from Kenya have shifted the paradigm. Kenyan runners have broken the marathon world record three of the past four years, and it was mature runners who did so. In addition to 30-year-old Dennis Kimetto's recent attack on the world record, last year's world record-setting Wilson Kipsang was 31; Patrick Makau, who set the record in 2011, was 29. And then there's longtime record-holder Haile Gebreselassie of Ethiopia, who smashed the world record in 2007 and re-smashed it again in 2008. He was 34 and 35, respectively, when he did.

The reason: the marathon, more than any other distance, leans heavily on aerobic development, and of all of the body's energy systems, the aerobic system takes longer to develop and peaks later (for most, in the mid to late 30s). The world's best marathoners are all advanced in age, and they're the ones who will continue to push the distance's benchmark. With Dennis Kimetto's marathon world record on Sunday, we have further evidence for what we've long suspected: it's never been a better time to be an old man runner.

If you are suffering a running-related injury, do not procrastinate. There is a running idiom that states that for every day you run in pain, it takes two days of rehabilitation and recovery to get better. Rest alone does not fix running injuries. Now it is easier than ever to get your injuries checked out by our experienced physical therapy staff, because you no longer are required by law to see a doctor first! Call today and keep your training on track!