Sub 3-Hour Marathon Runners for Five Consecutive Decades Demonstrate a Reduced Age-Related Decline in Performance

Abstract

Estimation of the age-related decline in athletic performance by analyzing age-group world record performances presents an inherent limitation because the records generally belong to different individuals. Longitudinal studies describing the changes in performance with advancing age for the same individuals with a consistent training regimen are more appropriate to determine age-related changes in performance. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine the age-related decline in running performance of sub 3-h marathoners for five consecutive calendar decades. The best marathon performances for each decade from the 1970s to the 2010s were analyzed for 40 sub 3-h runners (39 males and 1 female). The cohort mean personal best performance was 2 h 23 min ± 9 min at an age of 28.6 ± 4.7 years. The mean difference in age between the first and the last sub 3-h marathon races was 32.9 ± 1.6 years. The time difference in marathon performance between the personal best and the worst performance during the 5th decade was 26 ± 9 min, corresponding to a mean increase of 1 min 4 s per year, i.e., a decrease in running speed of 0.67 ± 0.29% per year. These results suggest that with consistent training and racing regimens, it is possible to limit the age-related decline in marathon performance to less than 7% per decade at least until 60 years of age. Further studies are required to verify if such a low rate of age-related decline in endurance performance could be maintained after 60 years of age.

A physiological comparison of the new—over 70 years of age—marathon record holder and his predecessor: A case report

“…His decline in marathon performance between 51 and 71 years old (from 2:41 to 2:54) corresponds to an 8% reduction in running speed in 20 years (4% per decade). This age-related performance decline is lower than the 5%-7% per decade generally observed for well-trained marathoners (Lepers et al, 2020;Lepers et al, 2021). Note that the athlete used short (e.g., 10 min) powernaps between two sessions on the same day, but did not apply periodization, did not follow a special diet, and did not perform any heavy resistance training.…”

Hill Runner's Physiology, Performance and Nutrition: A Descriptive Study

“…It has been reported that most endurance athletes experience a decrease in their athletic performance with increase in age, including a reduction in cardiovascular function due to a loss of muscle mass (Fleg and Lakatta, 1988), a lower maximal heart rate, cardiac output, arteriovenous oxygen differences and maximal aerobic capacity (Fleg and Lakatta, 1988;Wilson and Tanaka, 2000;Pantoja et al, 2016;Willy and Paquette, 2019;Valenzuela et al, 2020). However, a longitudinal observation of endurance runners spanning over five decades demonstrated that training and racing may limit the reduction in performance to 7% per decade (Lepers et al, 2021). Taken together, the present findings suggest that hill running may be beneficial for maintaining aspects of cardiorespiratory fitness that would otherwise be negatively affected by ageing.…”