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Age-Graded Clash of North and South
By James C. Bates
September/October 2009
L to R. Mueller, S. Chantry, J. Chantry, Wright (in background), Menzies (out of uniform in gray shorts), Shannon, Coach-Cutch, Bates, and Gleisberg.
In an intense rivalry that dates back to 2005, the Tidewater Striders' Age-Graded team, located on the South Side of the Monitor Merrimac Bridge, held off a game, but short-handed combined team of the Peninsula Track Club (PTC) and Colonial Road Runners (CRR), located on the bridge's North Side, during the 2009 Elizabeth River Run (ERR) 10K held in the normally tranquil setting of Old Town in Portsmouth, VA. The top ten Age-gradedrunners of the Striders averaged 81% compared to 79% for the PTC/CRR squad, while the full 20-person Strider squad averaged 75% compared to 73% for the 16-person PTC/CRR team.
Both coaches, Bob Brunner of the Striders and Wyatt (Coach Cutch) Cutchins of the PTC/CRR, did their absolute best to field the most talented age-graded members of their respective running clubs. Out of a total of more than 840 runners, 15 of the 26 age group titles (including the two elite categories) were captured by one of the 36 age-graded team members. Not surprisingly, there were no runners other than age-graded ones who scored above 80%.
Finishing times and age-grades were hampered by some last minute construction on the route and by the unseasonably warm temperatures. After the race, one tired runner remembered the course as being perfect for the conditions since the hottest spot on the route was near the Portsmouth Naval Hospital. "No better place to pass out due to heat stroke," he explained. Age-graded scoring, developed by the World Association of Veteran Athletes, levels the playing field for both genders and all ages. A person's finishing time is compared to the world record time achieved by a runner of the same gender and age. The resulting score is expressed in terms of a percentage. For example, the world record 10K time for a 60-year-old woman is 39:37 (equal to 2377 total seconds). If another 60 year-old-woman were to run a 10K in 50 minutes (equal to 3000 total seconds), her age-graded score would be 79% (2,377 divided by 3,000 = .792).
Mercedes Castillo D’Amico (left) and Laura Shannon display their winning hardware and their youthful enthusiasm.
Finishing position is based on age-graded score. With Pete Gibson at nearly 87% and Stephen Chantry at nearly 86%, these two runners clearly out-strided their peers. The next best effort was 82%. Yet, with Age-graded scoring, their peers were not just 50-54 year old males, their "peers" included both genders and all age-groups. Scores above 90% are considered World Class (no one has yet achieved this during the six inter-club competitions held so far), a score of
80% to 89% is considered National Class, and a score of 70% to 79% is considered Regional Class. The top two age-graded women runners were Betty Brothers (80.3%) and Laura Shannon (80.0%). Similar to a baseball batting average of 300 or above, scoring above 80% (or 800 if expressed in baseball parlance) is quite worthy of recognition. Only ten runners at ERR managed to do so. With the growing acceptance of age-graded scoring, there soon will be a time when a runner's ability is simply expressed using his or her typical, age-graded score. So instead of having to recite a litany of best times at various distances, a runner might simply be described as a 720 guy or an 830 gal.
PTC/CRR member, Hank Gleisberg (7th Age-Graded) shows that after the race, good feelings abound between rivals, as he congratulates Rob Schabron of the Striders.
Though Pete Gibson had the best individual performance of the day, he was clearly enamored with the interclub competition. Perhaps it was the blossoming Strider club camaraderie, or maybe it was the bright, "we're-here-to-make-a-statement" orange singlets of the PTC/CRR runners, or it could even have been the influence of his single-handed drinking of the bottle of champagne he won. But after the race, Gibson only spoke of the solidarity and fun of team membership. I thought I heard him say (though my recollections may have been clouded by a bit of the bubbly as well) that he would rather finish third on a first place team, than first as an individual competitor. Chantry and Bates, who have already corralled Gibson into joining their traveling Colonial Road Runners masters squad, plan on training as hard as they can to ensure Gibson's pronouncement becomes reality.
Age-graded scoring also allows valid comparisons of the talent level among the various age groups. At ERR, four of the top seven Age-gradedrunners (Gibson, Chantry, Bates, and Gleisberg) were in the same division (Male 50-54). Considering both genders, in a typical race there is a total of 28 different age groups (14 and younger, 12 five-year age groups from 15 to 74, and 75 and older). The statistical odds of four runners of the same division randomly finishing in the top seven are quite low. (I would compute the formulaic details if only I had the mathematical expertise to do so.) Consequently, male participants age 50 to 54 had a valid reason after the race to complain that oh-so-familiar refrain, "Hey, I was in a tough age group," because they really were.
Age-graded running is especially meaningful for runners who have taken up the sport later in life, those who are setting personal records in their 40s and sometimes 50s. Unfortunately, without the benefits of time travel, they will never truly know the times they could have achieved if they had started running in their teens or 20s. Yet, in a way, they can gauge this via their age-graded score. Panamanian-born Mercedes Castillo-D'Amico had the best finishing times of her life last year. Based on her actual finishing time of 45:24 and her age-graded score of 77%, Mercedes' performance is the statistical equivalent of a 25-year-old running the course in 39 minutes. Similarly, 62-year old Betty Brothers (who, like many women masters' runners, looks a decade or two younger than her biological age) just edged Laura Shannon (the overall women's winner) 80.3% to 80.0% for the age-graded women's title. Betty did not start running seriously until later in life. Her actual time of 50 minutes 47 seconds is equivalent to a 25-year-old woman running a time of 38 minutes.
Team member Nancy Ayler had one of the day's best performances despite having the lowest age-graded score. Nancy has only been running consistently for less than a year. Scoring above 50% is an incredible accomplishment for a neophyte like her, especially considering that the average non-runner would probably not surpass 25%.
The older members certainly appreciated being part of a team again. Their post-run celebration demonstrated that although team-membership opportunities decrease with age, the thrill of being on a team and enjoying club spirit lasts forever. Appreciation also went from young to old. The enthusiasm of the 65 and older members of the two teams--Duane Lougee, Robert Wright, Lew Jones, Chris Catoe, and Pauline Ely--who all scored above 60%, was especially inspiring to those in their teens, 20s, 30s, and 40s. After all, younger people dream of running well for the rest of their lives and realize that there is a very strong correlation between quality of life and high, age-graded scores. If they had to choose, most would rather have a better age-graded score while in their 80s than their 20s. The former implies an entire lifetime of healthy living. And for those runners on the right side of the bell curve of life's longevity, where finishing times are inexorably worsening, there is still plenty of hope that remains. Although their race times will decline with age, their age-graded scores may just climb ever higher.
Elizabeth River Run 10K 2009 Age Graded Results
|
Pl |
Last |
First |
Sex& Age |
Team |
Time |
Age Grade |
|
1 |
Gibson |
Pete |
M53 |
Striders |
36:11 |
86.9% |
|
2 |
Chantry |
Steve |
M54 |
PTC/CRR |
37:02 |
85.6% |
|
3 |
Lomogda |
John |
M39 |
Striders |
34:05 |
82.7% |
|
4 |
Bates |
Jim |
M53 |
PTC/CRR |
38:09 |
82.4% |
|
5 |
Carroll |
Ryan |
M26 |
Striders |
32:40 |
82.2% |
|
6 |
Doan |
Caleb |
M19 |
Striders |
33:31 |
81.8% |
|
7 |
Gleisberg |
Hank |
M52 |
PTC/CRR |
38:35 |
80.9% |
|
8 |
Brothers |
Betty |
F62 |
Striders |
50:47 |
80.3% |
|
9 |
Shannon |
Laura |
F46 |
PTC/CRR |
41:21 |
80.0% |
|
10 |
Edwards |
Billy |
M31 |
Striders |
33:45 |
80.0% |
|
11 |
Lougee |
Duane |
M72 |
Striders |
47:15 |
79.6% |
|
12 |
Hart |
Bill |
M60 |
Striders |
41:57 |
79.6% |
|
13 |
Speirs |
Steve |
M42 |
Striders |
36:38 |
78.7% |
|
14 |
Mueller |
Peter |
M55 |
PTC/CRR |
40:50 |
78.3% |
|
15 |
Menzies |
Steve |
M45 |
PTC/CRR |
37:45 |
78.2% |
|
16 |
D'Amico |
Mercedes |
F51 |
PTC/CRR |
45:24 |
77.3% |
|
17 |
Adams |
John |
M46 |
Striders |
39:00 |
76.2% |
|
18 |
Celesia |
Angelo |
M60 |
Striders |
43:55 |
76.0% |
|
19 |
Wright |
Robert |
M68 |
PTC/CRR |
47:24 |
75.7% |
|
20 |
Jones |
Lew |
M65 |
PTC/CRR |
46:11 |
75.6% |
|
21 |
Lovett |
Pam |
F46 |
PTC/CRR |
44:46 |
73.9% |
|
22 |
Cutchins |
Wyatt |
M53 |
PTC/CRR |
42:39 |
73.7% |
|
23 |
Chorey |
Billy |
M28 |
Striders |
36:41 |
73.2% |
|
24 |
Delaney |
Nancy |
F43 |
Striders |
44:22 |
72.4% |
|
25 |
Hirn |
Ann |
F63 |
PTC/CRR |
57:31 |
72.0% |
|
26 |
Schabron |
Rob |
M34 |
Striders |
38:03 |
71.7% |
|
27 |
Neeson |
Tommy |
M40 |
Striders |
41:20 |
68.8% |
|
28 |
Coleman |
Jim |
M63 |
Striders |
49:52 |
68.8% |
|
29 |
Catoe |
Chris |
M74 |
Striders |
56:29 |
68.7% |
|
30 |
Popov |
Alexey |
M26 |
Striders |
40:04 |
67.0% |
|
31 |
Gustafson |
Joan |
F58 |
Striders |
59:10 |
65.1% |
|
32 |
Blount |
Jimmy |
M58 |
PTC/CRR |
50:38 |
64.8% |
|
33 |
Leiding |
Jon |
M46 |
Striders |
46:01 |
64.6% |
|
34 |
Ely |
Pauline |
F70 |
PTC/CRR |
75:02 |
61.6% |
|
35 |
Blount |
Nancy |
F63 |
PTC/CRR |
71:52 |
57.6% |
|
36 |
Ayler |
Nancy |
F45 |
PTC/CRR |
65:25 |
50.0% |