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Masters Track is like a Car: It’s Mileage, not Age that Matters – Part 2

You are here: Home / Track & Field / Masters Track is like a Car: It’s Mileage, not Age that Matters – Part 2
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May 26, 2011 by Jimson Lee 5 Comments

Last Updated on January 13, 2020 by Jimson Lee

This is Part 2 of a 3 part series.  Part 1 talks about being injury prone.  Part 2 talks about expectations.  Part 3 are my top recommendations.

Considerations and Expectations

If you had world class speed as an open athlete, chances are you’ll do well in your age group.  If you were a mediocre athlete back then, chance are you’ll be mediocre in the Masters.

There are exceptions to the attrition rule where “average” athletes have shown little attrition and become world class at the Masters level. (i.e. USA’s James Chinn, Canada’s Mike Sherar and Holland’s Eric Roeske are just a few examples).

And of course, how can we forget the amazing Troy Douglas or Merlene Ottey who were still competitive at 40?

If you want to know what to expect (with exceptions), I wrote an article about realistic goals from Open to Masters where I mentioned some basic formulas or using WMA Age Grade table (more on that below)

Using the car analogy, the real key is how much mileage you have in your body.  Some people are born with a durable car, others are born with a delicate car (or sometimes lemon?).  Over do it, and you end up with Achilles tendonitis, bad knees, or chronic hamstrings problems.  What used to take 2 weeks to recover is now 8 weeks or several months.  Sadly, you can’t change your shock absorbers at 100,000 kilometers or miles.

Your “total mileage” and realistic training volumes will determine how long you can run before getting injured (again).  But if you take care of your car and change the oil often, you can have a 1999 Saturn SL1 with over 300,000 km and still runs smooth (heh heh).   You won’t pick up any chicks on Robson street on a Saturday night, either.

See also  InsideTracker: How to Track and Improve your Testosterone & Zinc levels, Naturally

So What Can You Expect?

It’s pretty obvious that World class sprinters in the open category will always have an edge when they turn Masters.  Names like Jeff Laynes (who just turned 40), Willie Gault or Bill Collins are familiar in the Masters circles.

I’ve always said for a 400 meter man, add 4 seconds to your open PR to get a M40 goal, then it’s 2 seconds every 5 years.  For the 200m,  add 2 seconds to your open PR to get a M40 goal, then one second every 5 years.

[Tweet “Masters Track is like a Car: It’s Mileage, not Age that Matters”]

Below is a chart using the left side as my basic attrition rates.  I am highlighting 22 & 48 for 200/400 meters which is very close to my 21.98 and 48.36 open PRs.

You can also use the WMA age grade tables (Excel sheet here) and get similar goals (see table below, right side of chart) for your age group and events.

These are just general guidelines, and it would be great if you can prove me wrong with your Masters comeback.

Masters Attrition and Goals

Category icon400 meters,  Coaching,  Injury Prevention,  Masters,  Track & Field,  Training

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Steve says

    May 27, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    I heard Merlene Ottey recently anchored the Slovakian 4x100m team at an international meet at age 50.
    Can anyone confirm this?

    Reply
  2. Steve says

    May 27, 2011 at 12:50 pm

    Found the answer!
    She was in the Slovenian squad for the 4×100 at the 2010 European Athletics Championships.
    Amazing.

    Reply
    • Jimson Lee says

      May 28, 2011 at 6:46 am

      @Steve, Merlene is a rare exception, along with a few others.

      Reply
  3. ventsi says

    May 30, 2011 at 4:59 am

    Hi,
    I am 47, training horizontal jumps and sprints.
    I have a ‘delicate car” (“lemon”), so I can’t train hard. If doing so, I immediately get an Achilles tendonitis, a back-pain, get over-tired, or inflamed throat, etc.
    Somebody said that even the speed of recovery is genetically determined.
    However, according to the above table (using age factors for conversions), my performances are not so bad. When you, my PB in 200m was 23.0 sec., and last year (age 46) I ran it for 25.7 sec. Merlene Ottey, though older, will pass by me like a road sign :-) (last year she ran 100m for 11.67 sec. – incredible world record for the age group W 50-54).
    I also long-jump 5,80m, and triple-jump 12.10 m.
    Sacramento in July? No! No chance for medal (even for the first six), and too much money (which I don’t have)!
    I enjoy your website, Jimson! Keep it going!

    Reply
    • Jimson Lee says

      May 30, 2011 at 5:40 am

      @ventsi – 25.7 is very respectable for M47. I’ll have Part 3 of the article tomorrow.

      Reply

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