Are you up to standard? Compare your times with the US and UK marks

Posted by simon on 5/2/2008 on simon's blog

So, up to one mile I rock, from 800 on down I am in serious need of rehab.

That's what the All American Standards of Excellence tell me. These are age group standards based on current world records; as far as I can tell, the UK standards are exactly the same.

Browsing the men's track and field standards on the National Masters News website here reveals my current personal speed profile. Leaving aside the hurdles and field events which are clearly only for Real Men, as a 55-59-year-old I can merrily tick off 10,000, 5,000, 3000, mile, 1500 and 800m... the 800 is a bit of a push, but I think I'm just about in 2:25 shape. But 400 in 62? 200 in 27?? 100 in 12.6??? Are they kidding me?

Obviously there is some glitch in the figures. In comparison, the road race standards seem tame. The 5k and 10k times are SO "slow" that I can only assume that if one day I did have a mental/nervous breakdown and decide to run a marathon, then I would "easily" (ha ha) achieve the 3:45:26 All American Standard of Excellence.

These figures are a lot of fun. You can apply for patches and certificates if you achieve them, if you're that way inclined. More seriously,. I reckon they are a good remedial check on your profile. To get to the figures you;'re interested in, go to the link above and then track back by moving your cursor to the "All American" label in the left-hand menu -- then you'll get a choice of road, track and field, men or women.

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3 comments

dave albo says:

I've pondered these numbers quite a bit, find them interesting. My "sweet spot" has been 800/1500/mile. As I move uup through the distances 100/200/400/800/1500/mile/3k/5k/10k, I react as follows: impossible, impossible, slightly possible, maybe, possibly, probable, unlikely, no chance, hell freezing over.

After a really good year in 2003, I was sure that the standards were weak and seemed actually "easy" for 800 meters, as an example. Then just a minor setback, and from then on it's been very rare and right now its been nearly two years since I made the grade at 800. Dang, those standards are actually kind of hard after all! The point being, if you can hit the all American standard at any distance, enjoy it! Celebrate!

by dave albo on Fri, 2008-05-02 03:48

Em says:

Those are fun. I agree that the road race times do seem a bit soft. I might make the 5K and 10K standards but those times won't put me anywhere near the front of the pack in my age group for races. I have no idea how I'd do on the track times as I haven't been on a track in years, but I suspect it would be a different story.

I was impressed by the Race Walking standards. They move right along don't they.

Simon, congrats on the Greenland Trail race, sounds like fun.

by Em on Fri, 2008-05-02 04:59

Jerry Nairn says:

I had seen some of the track standards before, and I thought they were all way out of my reach. But I hadn't seen the road race standards. I've beaten 3 of them, and I'm fairly certain I could've gotten a few more if I had been trying. Maybe next year when I move up an age grade, I'll see how many I can hit. It's always nice to have goals.

by Jerry Nairn on Sat, 2008-05-03 00:38