Age grading adjusts raw race times to account for normal age-related performance changes, allowing more meaningful comparisons between runners of different ages. This page uses a simplified factor table designed to mirror the logic of World Masters Athletics age-grading practice for coaching, clubs, and self-benchmarking.
What age grading is
An age-graded factor scales your raw finish time to a normalized equivalent. In simplified form:
Age-adjusted time = raw time × factor
As age increases, factors trend lower. That lower multiplier compensates for typical age-related slowing, so outcomes can be compared on a fairer basis.
Visual percentile bands
Chart: factor decline with age
Male 5k and Marathon factors from age 20 to 80
Lower factors at older ages are expected and preserve comparability across age groups.
Why age grading matters in real training and racing
Age grading is valuable because it separates two different questions: (1) your absolute finish time and (2) your performance quality relative to age expectations. Coaches and clubs use this to compare athletes more fairly across masters and open-age fields.
It is also useful for longitudinal tracking. A runner can get older and still improve age-graded quality score, which gives a better view of training progress than raw times alone.
How to apply these factors
- Choose your distance (5k, 10k, half, or marathon).
- Find your exact age row and gender in the table.
- Multiply your raw race time by the corresponding factor.
- Compare age-adjusted outputs between athletes or between your own results across years.
Example: a 60-year-old male with a 25:00 5k and factor 0.864 has an adjusted equivalent of roughly 21:36 (25:00 × 0.864). This can then be compared more fairly against younger open-age marks.
Worked examples with race times
- Example 1 (5k): 60-year-old male, 25:00 raw time, factor 0.864 → adjusted 21:36.
- Example 2 (half marathon): 45-year-old female, 1:52:00 raw time, factor 0.927 → adjusted ~1:43:49.
- Example 3 (marathon): 70-year-old male, 4:45:00 raw time, factor 0.850 → adjusted ~4:02:15.
These examples show how age grading can support coaching conversations, club rankings, and fairer comparisons across different age groups.
Full age-graded factor table
| Age | Gender | 5k factor | 10k factor | Half marathon factor | Marathon factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Female | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
| 25 | Female | 0.984 | 0.985 | 0.986 | 0.986 |
| 30 | Female | 0.968 | 0.969 | 0.971 | 0.972 |
| 35 | Female | 0.952 | 0.954 | 0.957 | 0.958 |
| 40 | Female | 0.936 | 0.938 | 0.942 | 0.944 |
| 45 | Female | 0.920 | 0.922 | 0.927 | 0.930 |
| 50 | Female | 0.904 | 0.907 | 0.913 | 0.916 |
| 55 | Female | 0.888 | 0.891 | 0.898 | 0.902 |
| 60 | Female | 0.872 | 0.876 | 0.884 | 0.888 |
| 65 | Female | 0.856 | 0.861 | 0.869 | 0.874 |
| 70 | Female | 0.840 | 0.845 | 0.855 | 0.860 |
| 75 | Female | 0.824 | 0.830 | 0.841 | 0.846 |
| 80 | Female | 0.808 | 0.814 | 0.826 | 0.832 |
| 20 | Male | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
| 25 | Male | 0.983 | 0.984 | 0.985 | 0.985 |
| 30 | Male | 0.966 | 0.967 | 0.969 | 0.970 |
| 35 | Male | 0.949 | 0.951 | 0.954 | 0.955 |
| 40 | Male | 0.932 | 0.934 | 0.938 | 0.940 |
| 45 | Male | 0.915 | 0.917 | 0.922 | 0.925 |
| 50 | Male | 0.898 | 0.901 | 0.907 | 0.910 |
| 55 | Male | 0.881 | 0.884 | 0.891 | 0.895 |
| 60 | Male | 0.864 | 0.868 | 0.876 | 0.880 |
| 65 | Male | 0.847 | 0.852 | 0.861 | 0.865 |
| 70 | Male | 0.830 | 0.835 | 0.845 | 0.850 |
| 75 | Male | 0.813 | 0.819 | 0.830 | 0.835 |
| 80 | Male | 0.796 | 0.802 | 0.814 | 0.820 |
Methodology notes and limitations
- Age-grading standards are periodically updated as record performances evolve.
- This table is an educational reference calibrated to WMA-style age-grading logic and should not be treated as an official championship scoring table.
- Use same-distance comparisons for best validity (5k with 5k, marathon with marathon).
- Adjusted scores still cannot fully control for course profile, weather, and tactical racing.
- Treat results as high-quality benchmarking, not as absolute physiological truth.