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Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Aging, Fitness, and Marathon Times in a 91 Year-old Man Who Competed in 627 Marathons

Odessa Addison, Gregory Steinbrenner, Andrew P. Goldberg, Leslie I. Katzel

Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research · pp. 1074–1079 · Published 8 Jun 2015

10.9734/BJMMR/2015/17946

Abstract

Aging is associated with a decline in maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) that may be attenuated by chronic endurance exercise. This case study chronicles the changes in marathon times in a 91 year old man who completed 627 marathons and 117 ultramarathons over 42 years. He began running marathons at age 48. His yearly best times remained fairly constant at ~240 minutes from age 50 - 64 years and then gradually rose to about 260 minutes in his early seventies followed by a curvilinear deterioration as he approached his ninth decade. His times plateaued at ~ 600 minutes in his late eighties. Between ages 68 and 89 his VO2max declined from 43 to 20 ml/kg/min. His marathon times were highly correlated with his VO2max (r2=0.87). The decline in marathons times and VO2max may reflect the contributions of biological aging, changes in exercise training volume and intensity, injuries, and comorbid disease.

Maximal aerobic capacity longitudinal exercise athlete

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