7 ms·
That was my initial reaction, too. Or is long distance running much less of a "young person sport" than others?
by avinium 7y ago
That was my initial reaction, too. Or is long distance running much less of a "young person sport" than others?
- llamataboot 7y agoUltra-marathons and ultra-endurance events are very much less of a young person sport, and we are still trying to figure out exactly why performance can keep increasing into the 40s and even early 50s. Marathoning is a considerably younger peak though, usually thought to be 20-35, so depends on whether you think that is "young" or not :)
- canucker2016 7y agoLook at the following table that has been compiled about how much contribution from the body's aerobic and anaerobic systems are used for various race distances: From https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20805305/owners-manual-hard-vs-easy/ https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20805305/owners-manua... Distance Gastin Aerobic/Anaerobic Ratio Marathon 97.5/2.5 10K 90/10 5K 84/16 1500m/mile 84/16 800m 66/34 400m 43/57 Marathon running is mostly aerobic vs running 1500m or even shorter distances like 800m or 400m. So any loss of speed as marathoners get older won't be catastrophic versus competing in shorter races.