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. 2015;8(12):1074-1079.
doi: 10.9734/BJMMR/2015/17946.

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

Odessa Addison  1 , Gregory Steinbrenner  1 , Andrew P Goldberg  2 , Leslie I Katzel  1
Affiliations

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

Odessa Addison et al. Br J Med Med Res. 2015.

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.

Keywords: Maximal aerobic capacity; athlete; exercise; longitudinal.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
There is a curvaliner increase in this patient’s marathon times as he approached his ninth decade of life
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Number of marathons and ultramarathons competed in per year. He was able to compete on average in >20 marathons a year between ages 69 and 87 years with a drop off at age 88. Marathons in dark bar, ultramarthons in line bar
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
VO2max versus age: (A) in L/min; (B) in ml/kg/min. He maintained his VO2max during the 4 years between the first two tests with a subsequent decline as he transitioned from running to walking. Similar results are noted when VO2max was expressed in either L/min (panel A) or adjusted for total body weight (panel B)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Relationship of VO2max to best yearly marathon time for that age. His marathon times over the 23 years were strongly related to VO2max (r2=0.87, p < 0.01)
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