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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [randymar] [ In reply to ]
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randymar wrote:
MarkyV wrote:
55-59 and runs 2:52


Someone just informed me that "Marathonguide calls that an age-graded 2:14:32. At Boston. Yeah."

I love the "age-grading". In my office we had a race series for a couple of years. At first it was all 30-45 year olds. Then we got some young people and some older. The older ones argued (I think fairly) that they didn't have a chance against the young guys. I looked into age grading and came up with a simple, effective and pretty fair age grading system, so men and women of all ages could compete against each other on a level-ish playing field.

Of course, there will always be arguments about the grading, but at least it gets you close and enables people to understand just how awesome some older athletes are.

Good on ya Joan!

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"
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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [MarkyV] [ In reply to ]
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SHE IS FROM MAINE!!!!

Her son ran, too - forgot his time but it was really good

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [tridork] [ In reply to ]
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tridork wrote:
randymar wrote:
MarkyV wrote:
55-59 and runs 2:52


Someone just informed me that "Marathonguide calls that an age-graded 2:14:32. At Boston. Yeah."


I love the "age-grading". In my office we had a race series for a couple of years. At first it was all 30-45 year olds. Then we got some young people and some older. The older ones argued (I think fairly) that they didn't have a chance against the young guys. I looked into age grading and came up with a simple, effective and pretty fair age grading system, so men and women of all ages could compete against each other on a level-ish playing field.

Of course, there will always be arguments about the grading, but at least it gets you close and enables people to understand just how awesome some older athletes are.

Good on ya Joan!

Except if you are a life long runner, the age grading calculations give you faster times today (let's say at close to 50 years old) than you ever ran at 22, which is entirely bogus. Guys who start running late in life look up those calculators and virtually vault themselves up to say 2:4x marathoner, when in reality if they ran at say 25 and trained exactly as they did today for that marathon, they probably would not break 3 hours. Joan's example is perfect....age grading puts her result at 2:14. She was never a 2:14 marathoner. No woman has been (Radcliffe was 2:15). Joan was 2:22 at Boston in 1983, 31 years ago. So how about the age grading folks actually use that data and come up with a new scale.....we have a 31 year old sample on the same course too!!!
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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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devashish_paul wrote:
tridork wrote:
randymar wrote:
MarkyV wrote:
55-59 and runs 2:52


Someone just informed me that "Marathonguide calls that an age-graded 2:14:32. At Boston. Yeah."


I love the "age-grading". In my office we had a race series for a couple of years. At first it was all 30-45 year olds. Then we got some young people and some older. The older ones argued (I think fairly) that they didn't have a chance against the young guys. I looked into age grading and came up with a simple, effective and pretty fair age grading system, so men and women of all ages could compete against each other on a level-ish playing field.

Of course, there will always be arguments about the grading, but at least it gets you close and enables people to understand just how awesome some older athletes are.

Good on ya Joan!


Except if you are a life long runner, the age grading calculations give you faster times today (let's say at close to 50 years old) than you ever ran at 22, which is entirely bogus. Guys who start running late in life look up those calculators and virtually vault themselves up to say 2:4x marathoner, when in reality if they ran at say 25 and trained exactly as they did today for that marathon, they probably would not break 3 hours. Joan's example is perfect....age grading puts her result at 2:14. She was never a 2:14 marathoner. No woman has been (Radcliffe was 2:15). Joan was 2:22 at Boston in 1983, 31 years ago. So how about the age grading folks actually use that data and come up with a new scale.....we have a 31 year old sample on the same course too!!!

But being a life long runner IS important. Even at my level, I can come back to running after a layoff (3 years in my current case) and I can ramp up my distance and speed a lot faster than my brother who is not a life long runner. for someone like Joan, running constantly all her life, I think there can be improvement in age graded relative speed. Maybe not as much as the tables say, but still a lot.

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"
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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [tigerchik] [ In reply to ]
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tigerchik wrote:
Her son ran, too - forgot his time but it was really good


Her son ran 2:50, just inside the top 1000 overall. Joan was ahead of him the first 5k but then he passed her. Her daughter also ran, 3:15. Very cool to see that she passed on her love on the sport to her children, and that they're all able to compete at a very competitive level.

By the way, Joan is 56, not 58. No need to move her towards the 60-65 age group any faster.
Last edited by: d2xccoach: Apr 23, 14 14:17
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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [MarkyV] [ In reply to ]
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I met the second place finisher in the F 55-59 back during the 2010 Boston marathon. Her goal was to beat Joan. I don't recall if she did it, but she finished at 2:57 on Monday at age 59. Incredible.

John Snyder @URNotAsCoolAsMe
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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [d2xccoach] [ In reply to ]
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d2xccoach wrote:
tigerchik wrote:
Her son ran, too - forgot his time but it was really good


Her son ran 2:50, just inside the top 1000 overall. Joan was ahead of him the first 5k but then he passed her. Her daughter also ran, 3:15. Very cool to see that she passed on her love on the sport to her children, and that they're all able to compete at a very competitive level.

By the way, Joan is 56, not 58. No need to move her towards the 60-65 age group any faster.

OK, I know us men have issues with being chic'd but when it's your mom it takes the entire humble pie scenario to another stratosphere altogether, because heck, you got her genetics which should already be an advantage, and yet....if you blink she's going to close the gap and run you down somewhere past the 42nd kilometer of the day!
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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [jt10000] [ In reply to ]
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I was in Los Angeles in 1984 and got to saw her win the Olympic marathon (first-ever for women, IIRC).
--------
Me too


Train safe & smart
Bob

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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [MarkyV] [ In reply to ]
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Didn't see this reported in the press coverage. But certainly deserved coverage.
Another thanks for pointing this out. Inspirational.
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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [Longboarder] [ In reply to ]
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Longboarder wrote:
I was in Los Angeles in 1984 and got to saw her win the Olympic marathon (first-ever for women, IIRC).
--------
Me too

watching little JBS wearing that white ball cap churning out 5 min/mi in the hot LA sun was to this day one of the greatest moments........Meb winning monday was up there as well!!!!

"I would definitely smell her seat after a century ride"
Rappstar wrote:
That might be the post of the year right there.
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Re: Joan Benoit Samuelson at Boston (58y 2:52) [tridork] [ In reply to ]
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I'm a huge Joanie fan. I love hearing the story how she set the record in Boston. Went out at 4:47 for the first mile, 51:xx at 10 miles which was 1:10 faster than Flanagan ran this year, and though she faded a bit, still ran 2:22

As for older runner inspiration, I always loved the story of Priscilla Welch of the UK. Never did a stitch of exercise till she was 35. Smoked a pack a day.

Her husband was in the military and they were stationed in the Falklands. She was bored, so joined her husband jogging on the track. At age 42, ran 2:26 in London and also won the New York City Marathon
She finished sixth in the LA Olympic Marathon

She was also second in the London Marathon.

Cervelo R3 and Cannondale Synapse, Argon18 Electron Track Bike
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