In two groups of elderly women, the relationships between arterial compliance, estimated by pulse wave velocity (PWV), and systolic blood pressure (SP), heart rate (HR), oxygen consumption and the time taken to run 400 m have been studied. Both at rest and with increasing levels of exercise, faster PWVs are associated with higher SPs. There is a tendency for resting HR to be higher with faster PWVs. The changes in HR and oxygen consumption from resting values are strikingly increased with faster PWVs. The time taken over 400 m rises as arterial compliance falls. Therefore, it seems that, with ageing, reduced arterial compliance is a major factor affecting cardiovascular responses to exercise.