The perfect age for marathon running has always been considered the late 20s slash early 30s. To run your best marathon, there is such thing as being too old. But there is also such thing as being too young. At the right age, you have the best physiological advantage to ace that marathon.

However, this range has been questioned in light of the 2008 Olympics. The men marathon was won by 21-year-old Sammy Wanjiru and the women marathon won by 38-year-old Constantina-Tomescu-Dita. Edna Kiplagat has also how us old is gold by beating a young field in the Boston Marathon 2017. She was 38 years old and ran an incredible marathon.

Too Old?

Photo Credits: CBC

There is such thing as being too old – as aerobic capacity falls with age. The reality is that with every passing year, your maximum heart rate decreases a beat. You will not be able to reach the same maximum heart rate as you could 5 years ago. So, with each passing year, your body cannot operate to the same intensity as the last. This is why performance will start to deteriorate.

Ageing also leads to a decline in muscle mass. Training can slow down this process, but it is inevitable. As we age, our neurons start to shrink and die. To a certain extent, neurons will regenerate. But there will come a time whereby the regeneration cannot keep up with the death, meaning the death of neurons greatly outnumbers the regeneration. This is the point whereby we will experience muscle mass degeneration.

Too Young?

It has often been said you should not enter the marathon at too young an age. The reasoning behind this is that it would shorten a runners running career. It is also said it would kill a runners speed. Hence, it is best to wait until the later stages of your running career to move up the distance.

However, this may be wrongly construed. The main reasoning behind advising against a runner to move up the distance too young is to allow a runner to maximize his or her running in terms of speed. As we age, muscle atrophy will affect the fast twitch muscles first. This means your speed is affected first. Your speed will have a shorter lifespan as compared to your endurance.

This is why it is recommended for runners to enjoy the speed they have when they are young before moving up the distance. Speed has a relatively short lifespan as compared to endurance.

So, generally speaking, marathoners will be able to run their best marathons in their late 20s and early 30s. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t start late. You can still run a really good marathon no matter your age! Check out Harriette Thompson – 94-year-old woman that still runs the marathon distance! Or, the legendary Ed Whitlock who ran a sub 3 marathon at the age of 72. It’s never too late to start!

Virtual Runs are getting increasingly popular these days. The concept of a virtual run is that it can be run anywhere, anytime! You run a route of your choice, at a time that suits you. You can even break your runs up. Basically, you run your own race and time your own pace. You use any tracking app or GPS watch to track your race and subsequently, your finisher medal will be shipped to you.

The Good

Virtual runs can keep people motivated. People have said that the fact that they can break their runs into segments yet still get credit for completing the race is what makes Virtual runs appealing to them. There are people out there who really want to complete a full marathon but not able to do so. Virtual runs give them the opportunity to do so by splitting up their runs into bite-sized runs. These runs prepare them to finally one day be able to complete this distance. This gives people the motivation to keep running and strive to hit their goals.

The Great (For Race Directors)

Virtual runs allow for race directors to increase their numbers despite having a sold out race. It becomes an alternative way to raise money. For the sponsors, this is more exposure in terms of numbers and can even mean global exposure. Someone all the way in Osaka, Japan can run in a virtual run held in Los Angeles, USA. Runners can still run a sold out race. It seems like a win-win situation.

The Not-So-Nice

There is just something about the racing atmosphere that is different from virtual running. Standing at the starting line, with music to accompany your pounding heart, and adrenaline flowing through your veins somehow or rather gets you to push yourself harder and run faster. There is just some inexplicable reason we runners are addicted to racing – and this is something a virtual run just does not offer.

The Ugly

Competitive virtual runs are difficult to monitor. There was recently a virtual run that ran for 20 days. The furthest distance ran in the 20 days would win a Garmin Fenix 5. The mileage clocked in by the winners was unbelievable. They were clocking in more mileage than world class elite athletes. Unless they really ran all day, every day, it was really difficult to believe they actually clocked in such mileage.

Virtual runs are popular, but they will never replace real runs. There will always be that desire for people to come out and meet their running buddies and run a race!

Looking for a Virtual Race?

Our event registration platform has a section dedicated to virtual runs – that way, you can always be up-to-date for challenges that are available in your area! Check it out here and book your next slot to find out what’s the craze is all about!

JustMove Asia

The first series of geo-based virtual challenges for runners and active individuals who want to explore unique locations at their own convenience and earn high-quality collectables is here!

Click here to find out more.