Is older faster? It may be, if the race in long enough, according to researchers from the Northern California Health Care System and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, who analyzed the ages of the thousands of people who have competed in the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run from 1974 through 2007. The Los Angeles Times reports that the researchers found that the average age of competitors has increased since 1986. In that year, the average male runner was 41, but between 2000 and 2007 the average runner was 45 to 47. From the very first race, the average age of the top five finishes has risen from the early 30s to the late 30s. The paper reports that while the top five men have shown only minor changes in finish times between 1979 and 2007, the women have improved 37 minutes every 10 years from 1980 through 2007. Read more in the L.A. Times.
Read an abstract from the study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
