Is There a Sex Difference in the Age of Elite Marathon Runners?

Hunter, Sandra K.; Stevens, Alyssa A.; Magennis, kelly; Skelton, Katalin W.; Fauth, McKenzie L

doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e3181fb4e00

Cited by 117 publications

(182 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The age of Olympic gold medal winners in the men's 100m dash was at ~23 years between 1896 and 1980. Similar results were found for other distances as for short and middle distance running [4], half-marathon running [19], marathon running [20] and ultra-marathon running [21]. In other endurance sports disciplines such as Ironman triathlon, the age of peak swimming speed increased in the swim split across years [22].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 79%

The Fastest Female Butterflyswimmers Were Younger Than the Fastest Male Butterfly Swimmers

Zingg¹,

Wolfrum²,

Rüst³

et al. 2014

Med Sport

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Beat (2014). The fastest female butterflyswimmers were younger than the fastest male butterfly swimmers. Medicina Sportiva, 18(1):1-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5604/17342260.1094778 THE FASTEST FEMALE BUTTERFLY SWIMMERS WERE YOUNGER THAN THE FASTEST MALE BUTTERFLY SWIMMERS AbstractIntroduction: The age of peak freestyle swimming speed was reported to be at ~17 years for women and ~19 years for men. However, the age of peak swimming speed for other strokes such as butterfly is not known.Objectives: We investigated whether the age of peak swimming speed and peak swimming speed changed across years in elite butterfly and freestyle swimmers at national level (Switzerland) between 1994 and 2011.Methods: Changes in swimming speed and age of the annual ten fastest swimmers across years were investigated using linear regression analyses and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results: For both butterfly and freestyle, the age of peak swimming speed was ~19 years for women. For men, the age of peak swimming speed was at ~22 years over all distances with the exception in 200m freestyle with ~21 years. The age of peak swimming speed increased for women in 50m from ~19 years to ~21 years, in 100m and 200m butterfly from ~18 years to ~20 years while it remained unchanged in 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle at ~19, ~18 and ~20 years, respectively. For men, the age of peak swimming speed was constant for butterfly at ~24, ~23 and ~21 years, respectively, and for freestyle at ~23 years in 100m and ~22 years in 200m across years with the exception of a decrease in 50m freestyle from ~23 years (1994) to ~22 years (2011). Both women and men increased peak swimming speed over all distances. Sex difference in peak swimming speed increased in butterfly from 10% in 1994 to 12% in 2011 in 50m to 200m and in freestyle in 100m from 12% in 1994 to 14% in 2011 while it remained unchanged in 50m and 200m freestyle at 12% and 10%, respectively.Conclusion: To summarize, in butterfly swimming, women seemed to achieve peak swimming speed at ~19 years and men at ~21-22 years. For practical applications, a career as butterfly swimmer may endure longer in men compared to women.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 79%

The Fastest Female Butterflyswimmers Were Younger Than the Fastest Male Butterfly Swimmers

Zingg¹,

Wolfrum²,

Rüst³

et al. 2014

Med Sport

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“…[38,83,86,88] It has been found that the age of peak performance in Ironman triathlon is around 33-34 years for both males and females [32,57] , which seems to be older than the age of peak overall performance of marathoners. [99] However, this finding observed for the Ironman Switzerland triathlon needs be confirmed for other Ironman events. For non-elite triathletes, the fastest race times are usually achieved between 25 and 44 years for both Ironman and Ultra-triathlons.…”

Section: Age-related Declines In Triathlon Performancementioning

confidence: 85%

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

2013

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The influences of sex and age upon endurance performance have previously been documented for both running and swimming. A number of recent studies have investigated how sex and age influence triathlon performance, a sport that combines three disciplines (swimming, cycling and running), with competitions commonly lasting between two (Short distance : 1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle and 10 km run) and eight hours (Ironman distance: 3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle and 42 km run) for elite triathletes. Age and sex influences upon performance have also been investigated for ultra-triathlons with distances corresponding to several Ironman distances and lasting several days, and for off-road triathlons combining swimming, mountain biking and trail running. Triathlon represents an intriguing alternative model for analyzing the effects of age and sex upon endurance and ultra-endurance (> 6 hours) performance because sex differences and age-related declines in performance can be analyzed in the same persons across the three separate disciplines. The relative participation of both females and masters athletes (age > 40 years old) in triathlon has increased consistently over the past 25 years. Sex differences in triathlon performance are also known to differ between the modes of locomotion adopted (swimming, cycling or running) for both elite and non-elite triathletes.Generally, time differences between sexes in swimming have been shown to be smaller on average than during cycling and running. Both physiological and morphological factors contribute to explaining these findings. Performance density (i.e. the time difference between the winner and 10 th placed competitor) has progressively improved (time differences have decreased) for international races over the past two decades for both males and females, with performance density now very similar for both sexes. For age-group triathletes, sex differences in total triathlon performance time increases with age. The possible difference in age-related changes in the physiological determinants of endurance and ultra-endurance performances between males and females needs further investigation however. Non-

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“…Figure 1 suggests the existence of a "maturation" process for marathon performance, although this effect might be related to training (young athletes typically compete over shorter distances) rather than a biological explanation. Second, Hunter et al (2011) indicated that men and women physiologically peaked at a similar age in marathon running performance. The maximal performance of the top five runners in the World Marathon Majors Series and in the International Athletic Association Federation World Championship was obtained at~30 years of age for both sexes, while older runners (from 30 to 54 years) obtain the best race times in 100-km competitions (Knechtle et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between age and running time in elite marathoners is U-shaped

Lara

Salinero

2014

AGE

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Several investigations have demonstrated that running performance gradually decreases with age by using runners >25 years grouped in 5-year age brackets. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between race time in marathon and age in elite marathoners by including all ages and 1-year intervals. Running times of the top ten men and women at 1-year intervals (from 18 to 75 years) in the New York City marathon were analyzed for the 2010 and 2011 races. Gender differences in performance times were analyzed between 18 and 70 years of age. The relationship between running time and runner's age was Ushaped: the lowest race time was obtained at 27 years (149±14 min) in men and at 29 years (169±17 min) in women. Before this age (e.g., 27 years for men and 29 years for women), running time increased by 4.4±4.0 % per year in men and 4.4±4.3 % per year in women. From this age on, running time increased by 2.4±8.1 % per year in men and 2.5±9.9 % per year in women. The sex difference in running time remained stable at~18.7 ±3.1 % from 18 to 57 years of age. After this, sex difference progressively increased with advancing age. In summary, endurance runners obtained their best performance in the marathon at 27 years in men and 29 in women. Thus, elite marathon runners should program their long-term training to obtain maximal performance during their late 20s.

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Is There a Sex Difference in the Age of Elite Marathon Runners?

Abstract: These data indicate that men and women physiologically peak at a similar age in marathon running performance. The sex difference in performance of elite marathon runners varied across years but has not systemically decreased or varied since the 1980s.

Cited by 117 publications

References 22 publications

The Fastest Female Butterflyswimmers Were Younger Than the Fastest Male Butterfly Swimmers

The Fastest Female Butterflyswimmers Were Younger Than the Fastest Male Butterfly Swimmers

Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age

The relationship between age and running time in elite marathoners is U-shaped

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