October 18, 2004 – Runners aged 50 to 79 cut their running times more significantly than their cadets, study reports1 conducted for 17 years as part of the New York Marathon.
According to the results, runners under 50 saw their performance plateau while their elders, in addition to improving their prowess, increased their participation in the New York Marathon to a greater extent.
Researchers at Yale University examined the performance of the top runners in each marathon held in New York City from 1983 to 1999, for a total of 415,000 participants of all ages. The 60-69-year-old men’s group shines in particular with a running time that has melted, on average, of 1.23 minutes per year. Women of the same age group reduced their running time by 3.79 minutes annually: a result attributed to the late arrival of women in the marathon, which would explain their extremely rapid improvement.
On the other hand, during the same period, runners belonging to the various age groups between 10 and 50 years did not experience any significant improvement in their performance.
It has been shown for several years now that physical activity can slow down the reduction in muscle mass and the decline in cardiovascular and aerobic capacity.
The authors of this study believe that examining the prowess of high-caliber athletes, aged 50 to 79, does attest to this reality.
Researchers believe that the improved performance, as observed over the past two decades, reflects changes in physical activity for this age group in general.
They say they are convinced that the recommendations made to seniors about physical activity should be regularly revised in order to follow this progress.
Marie france Coutu – PasseportSanté.net
1. Jokl P, Sethi PM, Cooper AJ, Master’s performance in the New York City Marathon 1983-1999, British Journal of Sports Medicine, August 2004, Vol. 38, No. 4, 408-12.
