Age and Athletic Performance (#7)

Your age definitely impacts your performance, and there's a solid reason why we compete in age categories. However, it's not always true that younger athletes outperform their older peers. Let's dive into some research to clarify at what age you should ideally reach your peak performance. Then, we'll summarize statistics from this year's competitions to see how the results compare with scientific findings.

So... let's take an in-depth look at something that affects everyone, regardless of age 😉

In summary, research indicates that the optimal age for peak performance varies across different endurance sports and distances. Shorter and more explosive events benefit from a younger physiology, while longer endurance races often reward the experience, training background, and stamina developed over many years. Although physiological performance capacity gradually declines with age, regular training, maintaining strength, and good recovery can significantly slow down the decline. Therefore, the most important thing is not how old you are – but continuing to train smart and adjusting your training to suit your body and goals.

Most people know that stamina and energy decrease with age. Our metabolism gradually slows down throughout our lifespan until the day it entirely stops when our time on this earth is done.

Your basal metabolism decreases with age. Once you've passed 40, you can't eat as much as you did at 20. The difference isn't huge, about -0.5 kcal/hour starting from age 40. This means that to maintain your weight, you need to eat roughly 12 kcal less each day for every year after turning 40, assuming all other factors remain the same year after year.

So, a 60-year-old should eat 120 kcal less each day than a 50-year-old, and 240 kcal less than a 40-year-old—at least to maintain weight, assuming all other factors are identical (which they rarely are). 240 kcal is about the energy content of a cheese sandwich.

For you as an athlete, it might not be the energy and potential weight gain that's the main issue, but rather that this decreased metabolism means your "engine" loses 1% efficiency each year. You have to push harder for the same watts on the bike or for the same pace on the running track. Fortunately, this negative effect can be slowed down with training. Maintaining muscle mass and oxygen uptake capacity is incredibly important in every respect.

“Maintenance of fat-free weight and Vo2max by regular physical activity may attenuate the age-related RMR in healthy men”

Looking back over the last 30 years, the performances of older athletes have steadily climbed. Times for 45–50-year-old triathletes during Ironman have doubled and even quadrupled for both males and women. Improved equipment and nutrition obviously contribute, while we seem to be getting better at adapting training, avoiding injuries, and thus continuing to perform despite increasing age.

A recent study has just been released exploring the correlation between chronological and physiological age. The age listed in your passport doesn't necessarily reflect your physiological age. It's no news that the body stays younger and healthier with the help of training. In short, the study confirmed that chronological and physiological age do not increase linearly; not even when factors like smoking, exercise, and economy are controlled for. So, physiological age is not a simple straight line. But something seems to happen around the age of 55, when physiological age starts to accelerate, and we age faster.

A couple of the main factors for declining performance with age are a decreased ability to develop muscle strength as well as a reduction in the oxygen transport in the blood. When older athletes perform worse than younger ones over the same distance, it is likely due in large part to the training load prior to the competition. Some researchers argue that it is not the physiological differences on the starting line that determine who wins, but rather the physiological differences accumulated throughout the entire training season. Older athletes need more recovery and thus cannot train with the same quality as often. Adding up this effect over an entire training season eventually leads to significant differences in training volume between a younger and an older athlete. And perhaps the mental toughness thickens with age too? 😉

Many studies have been conducted, and for simplicity, we've primarily focused on research within triathlons. This allows us to gather information on cycling, running, and swimming all within a single study.

In 2013, the study "Trends in Triathlon Performance: Effects of Sex and Age" analyzed these sports disciplines. It revealed that the impact of age on performance is lowest during cycling compared to running and swimming. Cycling is gentler on the joints than running, which partly explains why cycling performance is maintained longer. Simply put, we can continue cycling training into older ages. The study serves as an excellent guide for coaches and offers insights into questions like "when should my athlete transition from half- to full-distance, etc.?" Performance seems to decline slowly from age 40 until about age 50. After that, it decreases significantly faster, confirming earlier findings that around age 55, performance drops more drastically.

The following year, 2014, saw the release of the study "The best triathletes are older in longer race distances – a comparison between Olympic, Half-Ironman, and Ironman distance triathlon.". The title conveys that the best triathletes are older at longer distances. You can find more precise age information in the study. Around 25 years for the Olympic, 30 for the half-distance, and 35 years for the full distance are the ages when we perform our best. This study is also valuable for coaches and triathletes considering changing distances.

Last but not least, in 2015, the study: "Variables that influence Ironman triathlon performance – what changed in the last 35 years?" examined factors correlating with Ironman performance. To excel in Ironman, one should be between 30–35 years old, engage in high-volume training, maintain a low body fat percentage, and have small biceps (according to science). In ultratriathlon it's 35–40 years of age that matters, along with being male, having a low body fat percentage, and excelling in cycling and running (not swimming).

If you maintain your training volume as you age, you can also preserve your oxygen uptake capacity. In a study, 42 athletes, aged 63–65, were followed for 9 years and their VO2max was measured annually. Those who maintained a high training level lost 0.28% in VO2max each year, those who trained moderately lost 2.6% in VO2max per year, and finally, those who trained sporadically lost 4.6% in oxygen uptake every year.

The takeaway is simple: training keeps you young. Keep up with your intervals and thresholds long after you’ve passed the age of 40.

Here we have statistics drawn from the results lists of the Ironman World Championship in KONA 2015 and Ironman 70.3 World Championship (half Ironman) in Zell am See 2015. Not surprisingly, the results reflect the same pattern as science: the longer the distance, the older the best performers. It takes time to train your body for longer distances compared to shorter ones.

1 - Jan Frodeno, 34 years
2 - Andreas Raelert, 39 years
3 - Timothy Donell, 35 years
4 - Andy Potts, 38 years
5 - Tyler Butterfield, 32 years

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1 - Jan Frodeno, 34 years
2 - Sebastian Kienle, 31 years
3 - Javier Gomez, 32 years
4 - Bart Aernouts, 31 years
5 - Michael Raelert, 35 years

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1 - Daniela Ryf, 28 years
2 - Rachel Joyce, 37 years
3 - Liz Blatchford, 35 years
4 - Michelle Vesterby, 32 years
5 - Heather Jackson, 31 years

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1 - Daniela Ryf, 28 years
2 - Heather Wurtele, 36 years
3 - Anja Beranek, 30 years
4 - Magali Tisseyre, 34 years
5 - Alicia Kaye, 32 years

The statistics can seem endless, and the text quite extensive. The trend is consistent across all endurance sports: Older individuals top the result lists from long races, whereas the best in shorter races tend to be younger.

In running, this is evident when comparing ultramarathons (UTMB) over 160 km to half marathons at 21 km.

1 - Xavier Thevenard, 27 years
2 - Alberto Hernando, 38 years
3 - David Laney, 27 years

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1 - Richard Mengich, 26 years
2 - Hizkial Tewelde, 29 years
3 - Josphat Kiptis, 22 years

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1 - Nathalie Mauclair, 45 years
2 - Uxue Azpeitia, 41 years
3 - Denise Zimerman, 39 years

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1 - Worknesh Degefa, 23 years
2 - Isabella Ochichi, 36 years
3 - Beatrice Mutai, 28 years

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Let's take a closer look at an area that might not be as thoroughly explored as you'd assume. In August, a study was published examining how age impacts movement economy and biomechanics. It involved 110 experienced runners (54% male, 46% women) aged 18–60 years.

In summary, the study observed that while cadence remains consistent with age, stride length gradually decreases along with the force generated with each step. The researchers found a relationship between shorter stride length and reduced speed. So, what causes stride length to decrease?

A significant factor slowing performance with age seems to be ankle mobility. The results supported findings from previous studies, highlighting that the capability to generate forward-driving force through the ankle is a key limitation. Simultaneously, the ability to generate power from the hip also tends to decline with age. No differences have been identified in force development around the knee joint between older and younger individuals.

Hence, it appears that the decrease in running speed with age is mainly due to a reduction in the forward-driving force of the hip, likely because the hip musculature is significant and reduces with age. Meanwhile, ankle mobility and the ability to transfer power through the ankle also diminish. Ankle mobility is typically 15–30% worse in a 60-year-old runner compared to younger runners aged 20–30.

1. First and foremost – maintain ankle mobility. Don't neglect the flexibility of your calves and hamstrings, and stay consistent with your threshold intervals. Ankle mobility is often one of the main limiting factors as to why older athletes can't match the speed of younger ones.
2. Glute training—and then more glute training—is Awesome. Our Gluteus Maximus, the large muscle in the buttocks, is what drives us forward. Keep it strong, and you'll sustain performance for longer. Hip thrusts, deadlifts, and squats are excellent exercises for building strong glutes.
3. Keep in mind that your recovery time might be a bit longer than that of a younger athlete. Prioritize nutrition after workouts and consider giving your body an extra rest day if needed. Listen to your body!

• 25–30 years – Olympic distance triathlon, half marathon, and marathon
• 30 years – Ironman half-distance
• 35 years – Ironman
• 40 years – Long-distance running (100 km and up) and ultratriathlon

Last but not least: there are always significant individual variations, and training experience plays a major role. If you started very early, like in triathlon, your half-distance performance might peak around age 25, making it a great time to transition into full distances.