youngsters...

Rickshaw · Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 4:38 pm

Distance running seems to be one of the few sports where "older" runners are actually better than the younger ones. Most of the world-class elite marathoners are in their late 20's or early 30's for example, and the 30-35 age group tends to be the most competitive at larger races. That's a pretty big difference from most other sports, where athletes in their early 20's tend to dominate, and 30 is pushing retirement age.

I could maybe understand this if running were a skill-based sport, and it took 10 years to master the skill. But running is probably the least skill-based of any sport you can think of. So why then do older runners dominate?