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

Aging is associated with a decline in maximal aerobic capacity (VO(2max)) 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 VO(2max) declined from 43 to 20 ml/kg/min. His marathon times were highly correlated with his VO(2max) (r(2)=0.87). The decline in marathons times and VO(2max) may reflect the contributions of biological aging, changes in exercise training volume and intensity, injuries, and comorbid disease.