Why are competitive marathon runners generally middle-aged?
913578
From what I have read there no scientific explanation, but I have read that the middle aged runners or baby boomers make up the majority of the running population because in our younger days fitness was more important than it appears to be in daily lives now and those of us that are baby boomers have made it part of out daily routine. We did not have computers and all the electronic stuff youth have today, nor was fast food so abundant so we were taught a healthy life style from the beginning and a person has a tendency to continue to do what they were taught when they were young into adulthood. I wish activity would become important to most youth again,especially in America because with all this technology the American Population is rapidly gaining weight .
750136
Funny, good question. I guess they don't eat or drink for a while before the race. If it were me, I'd loose for sure.
720374
Middle age is usually when you have "peaked" and you have made it.  I havent got that far yet.  Looking forward to hitting middle age at around 55...because I plan to live until 110.
1068895
every sport has its risks. i wish my parents had encouraged me in ANY sport when I was a child. i never did anything til I was 35 years old and discovered I had a great talent for distance running. What could I have done in my younger years??? I'll never know....Still my parents are scared I'll be hurt....i pay no attention now, but when I was a child I read books  a lot, that's it.
220368
Basicly a lot of running. You need endurance in your legs.
1040978
Yes they are. People can say all they want about physical starin and whatever, well sorry but they chose to do that. It is physically and mentally strenuous to do a lot of real jobs but people don't get paid thousands of pounds a week. All "celebrities" are overpaid. These footballers do nothing but play a game. Something a small child can do.What do they really do for their money? No more than anyone else wanting a good fitness regime. So they only "work" twice a week, do they. Even if they have to retire in their 30s, they will retire with more money than anyone wit ha proper job who retires at age 65.  There are people who have to go through physical, emotional, academical training to get where they are and still get paid less in a year than footballers get in a week. As for the publicity, if they don't want it they can either not play the game in the first place or they can just avoid it. Rugby players managed that when England won that. Also, saying about the publicity and everything, that's like saying you want to be a childminder but you don't want to work with children. You know the job before you go into it so there is no excuse. Nothing can possibly justify the amount these people get paid. They may entertain a few but I would be more entertained at my son's school sports day.
206819
While racing can improve a horses physical condition, it also puts joints and limbs under stress they wouldn't normally endure--just like runners, horses can have joint problems from repeated impact.\n\nBut this this aside, it's how they're treated before and after the race that's equally (if not more) important.  Race horses are not (usually) pet horses.  And while trainers want to keep racers in the best condition, they don't get the love and comraderie that pet horses enjoy.\n\nIn addition, race horses' careers are limited.  Many race horse owners send their horses to the glue factory when horses retire.  This is because racers are not suitable for pleasure riding (usually) and therefore can't be given away to a family looking for a horse.  The other alternative--the horse version of long-term elderly care--is too expensive for most horse owners.
421979
I AM!!!i guess people like us just have 2 do "other sports" when we wanna do running...it sucks they should have running on the sport list!!!
354169
I don't think there should be a specific age limit but you should only run if you're mentally and physically strong enough for it. No one is gonna vote for a really old, completely incompetent person with no common sense anyway.
449878
Everybody's a little different.  For example, a person's ability to run a marathon might be limited by muscular endurance (not having enough stored energy), or it might be limited by cardiovascular endurance (not being able to deliver enough oxygenated blood to the leg muscles).  In theory, you want these things to be matched pretty well--if you're pushing yourself to exhaustion.  For example, if your lungs crap out before your legs do, then you've basically wasted all that reserve energy you've got in your legs.\n\nWhat determines muscular performance?  Nutrition, muscle mass, regularity of exercise.  A lot can be attributed to the physical shapes of your bones and how the muscles are attached--that's stuff that you can thank or curse your parents for.\n\nWhat about cardiovascular performance?  Again, there is some genetic component to it, but this one is probably much more dependent on training--getting the heart rate up for sustained periods frequently.\n\nI'm willing to guess that most athletes are limited more by their muscular endurance, while most average people are limited by their cardiovascular endurance.
950377
The average marathon is about 3.5-4 hours. Marathon runners have to pace themselves so they don't die, and still some do die. The record time set for marathon wasn't done by a man who sprinted.\n\nHe would be hard pressed to sprint top-speed for 40 minutes even if he was a super athlete.
550221
Hello,Halil from Turkey.\nYour age is important.I am a student at an Anatolian high school and our biology teacher said that "Walking" was very important for adults.But if they do every day and about two hours.These QUICK steps make our hearth to live longer.\nMy mother,she is 45,always does this sport.Of course food and sleeping is important.\n--bye--
530191
Kids aren't as active any more like they used to be.  Computers, tv, games, and many parents working seem to contribute quite a bit.  Even schools that have PE in them, the kids don't do too much any more.  They used to play basketball, baseball, run track....\nAs the fitness director at the club where I work, I watched a video by the National Center for Disease Control.  They are saying that for the first time in history, the generation under mine (I'm 53) will be unhealthier than their parents, because of all the inactivity, and bad eating habits.  They say kids are going to be getting diabetes sooner, heart disease sooner, osteoporosis sooner, high blood pressure sooner, you name it, and this generation coming up will get sick sooner.(This is the teenagers now, and the generation under them. Their brothers and sisters)\nOne of the things that has really impacted this generation is the trend of dieting.  Many of the kids have stopped drinking milk, which makes the inside of the bone material grow, and they will develop stooped over posture because of it, fractured hips, broken bones.Eliminating meat is causing a big lack of protein as well... I won't go on, but you get the idea huh!\n We in the fitness industry know kids are unhealthy, and we're doing all that we can to help!  We just ran "the biggest loser" contest, and I have a 12 yr. old doing the program now.  Anyway sorry to go on and on, I hope some of this information helps....
610518
It is a wonderful thing. It gives everyone a chance to do the best they can and to compare to other people in their own age groups. If a 60 year old beats the record of a 6 year old then maybe he/she would feel good, but it is more important to compare the time with their previous efforts so they will know if they are improving.
676642
its very good... Becareful tho.. Marathons put alot of wear and tear on a body/ joint that may still be developing
277026
It really depends on what you're comparing to, for figuring out if it's a good time.  Your age and sex make a difference too.\n\nChecking out usatf.org, the American world record for the 8K is 22:04 by Alberto Salazar (the 21:03 was wind-assisted) for the men, and 24:36 by Deena Kastor for the women.\n\nChecking out local races to my home state of NJ, it seems the top men turn in times around 26-30 minutes, and the top women in 34:30-37 minutes (this is just in the beginning of 2006).\n\nYou can also plug your times into an age-graded calculator to figure out your age-adjusted performance.  Click on the second link below, and enter you time, age, select 8 kilometers as the race distance, and hit the calculate button.  It's a good way to compare your performances as you get older.  Percentages of over 60% are considered Local Class, over 70% Regional Class, over 80% National Class, and over 90% World Class.\n\nAs for me, I've always trained for long distance so far, but occasionally enter shorter races.  My best 8K was at the end of last year, a modest 33:44.  For me, any race in which I do a PR is a 'good time'.
1175193
There's too many x-factors with a question like this to offer effective advice.  No idea how fast you are now, how healthy your present lifestyle is, what monetary resources you have to sink into this goal, etc etc.\n\nThat's especially true because 2:50 over 800 meters is a pretty fast time for a non-elite runner.