I ran 400m sprints against the times of the world’s fastest older athletes!

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    #running #fitnessmotivation #marklewis

    In this recent video I raced against the world’s fastest 9-year-old Park Runner and he beat me so Keen to regain some credibility I jumped straight onto Google to try and find the world’s fastest 8-year-old at which point my wife suggested that searching for increasingly young children on the

    Internet might not be ideal and that I should use old people I said old people can’t even use the internet how will they be better at tracking down kids on it than me she said no you should race old people run so I Did so this is me yesterday at a standard 400 meter Athletics track and I had with me the current 400 meter record times from the British Masters athletic Federation website the plan simple to start with the time set in the oldest age category and try and beat it if

    Successful I’d move to the age group below and find out how young an old person needs to be before their fast faster than me 3 2 1 Go okay so this fs95 m run I have no idea um 221 to beat so I got to get to uh 200 m in a minute 10 and off I go against our first athlete Charles yugster and if you ever need proof that it’s not too late to start something this man was it unfortunately he passed away a few years ago but while with us set a bunch of World Records for

    His age he took up competitive rowing at the age of 63 bodybuilding at 87 and at 95 tried sprinting for the first time a year later in 2015 he set this 400 met record I thought it would be walking speed for me it wasn’t oh oh oh my

    Goodness 50 seconds I got to get a move on minute 10 and I’m not at 200 M yet so I’m behind 40 I bet not get beat on the first one 210 I don’t get little spring finish I got caught out I didn’t realize I speed up yeah I didn’t realize quite

    How quick that was okay technically he beat me but let’s assume that um I could have I could have uh I could have won that okay so 90 years old and the record is 1 minute 54 so I’m a bit more prepared this time 3 2 1 we

    Go got to be at 200 M nicely aside the first minute which is going to require a little jog and no surprise I need to run because in the 90 plus category we have a legit Olympian Eric Shirley holds the 400 meter record here at 1 minute

    5492 but further back on his running CV he was also at the Melbourne and Rome Olympics more than the decade before I was born okay 1 minute and I wasn’t at 200 m is so I need to actually now run again our 90-year-old is ahead of me 154 spot

    On that’s a proper little run and it’s going to get faster because as we move to the 85 and above category it’s Eric again that holds the record which he set back in 2015 15 when he was 86 1 minute 3868 3 2 1 go okay 138 is a proper little run this

    Might be the last one I’m doing with the GoPro in my hand and make no mistake this is proper running this is a 4 minute 5 Second per kilometer Pace or a 6 Minute 34 mile that’s not far off a 20-minute park run because I’m tall 6’6

    I never look like I’m moving quite as fast as I actually am but rest assured this is a quick run by anybody that was 86 years old actually this is just a quick run 136 describe wow that’s a proper little run right this is 80 years old 118 which

    Is too fast for me to hold the GoPro I need to shift so um putting the camera down so 1 minute 18 to get around the track is a nice run for anybody to do it at 80 years of age is quite frankly incredible this time of 11824 was set in

    2019 by Anthony Treacher to give you an idea of how quick this is It’s the equivalent of a 5 minute 14sec mile Pace my mile PB is 5 minutes 11 so this is faster than I can go if I intend to be running for much more than a few Minutes hang on right this might be the last one 75 years old 109 um that is Spike time 109 is not hanging hanging about for me get set go so 1 minute 936 set by Winston Lang in 2019 when he was 76 and no question it is running fast in fact it’s probably

    Faster than most people could run around a track we know because we did a video challenge with P trying to run 108 which is Kip choi’s marathon pace and a lot of them failed 10675 the last one I have any chance at is 70 years old Peter mold

    10449 which would be a PB for me and after what I’ve just done I don’t feel very PB on your marks get set go doing this run reminded me of my race against 9-year-old Louie because just like then I was struggling here to get my head round somebody could go this

    Fast despite being the age they were Peter mold who holds This Record might be 61 years older than Louie but his ability to shift despite his age is equally Impressive so Peter beat me I was over a second off his time that he set just this summer in fact I spoke with Pete this morning to congratulate him on being so quick and secretly hoping that he was slow at all other distances and we could arrange a race for me to prove

    That I thought a 100 meter sprint where my youthful power could shine through but he’s got a 13-second time there so maybe not watch this space though a race between us is going to happen I also looked up famous people who have just turned 70s so I could give you some idea

    Of non-athlete 70-year olds just for context however the first two that I came across were David Hasselhoff and Kim Binger which just left me depressed so I immediately stopped fearful I might discover that one of the Spice Girls was in their 60s just pushed me over the

    Edge okay I hope you found it interesting I have to admit I was a bit taken by surprise I thought I might get down to people in their 60s before I encountered athletes faster than me having said that as someone who just a couple of weeks ago turned 50 it is

    Inspiring to see what people 20 30 or 40 years older than me can achieve and also a good reminder that if you’re going to compare yourself to others and I appreciate the advice as often don’t do that but I also appreciate that human nature as you might anyway remember to

    Compare yourself to the right people it can be hard to do because most people as they get older just give up and so the ability to compare yourself becomes increasingly tricky if you’re jogging around your local park run and everyone else your age is sat at home with a a

    Hot chocolate and their feet inside one of those giant slippers you might be the only one there but it’s important to be aware of all the same when I do my local park I’m not particularly fussed who’s up ahead of me that looks like they wouldn’t even know who Kim Basinger is

    But if there’s an abundance of 50s somethings all leaving me behind I might try and squeeze in an extra training session that week in the same way does anybody that I raced here really care how fast I am of course they don’t well not now they don’t in 2053 they better

    Start paying attention seriously how is she 70

    50 Comments

    1. I like comparing myself to the Vet 40, 50, and 60+ categories in my chosen race discipline… I’m usually ranked a few % better against the field, but there are still plenty of crushers up there! It’s good inspiration!

    2. I am going to stick with my philosophy, that the best way to measure performance is with a ruler. Use it to measure the width of your smile. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it. 😉

    3. Great video as always, my problem is that i am still significantly overweight and running a parkrun in 35 minutes at 53. I took up running at 51 and i do NOT look like a runner, all the guys i am racing at parkrun look like they have been running for 30 years because in the main, they have! So if i can even get to average in my age group that would be significant achievement.

    4. I'm 25 and you made me not only think about, but also plan for the long game so one day I'll be the whatever year old still being in shape to set these kinds of records!

    5. Just thought I'd mention that thanks to you Mark I ran my first marathon on Sunday. Hadn't done any running since about 2007, did a few Parkruns last year and found I was quite enjoying it so decided to pick this as a long term goal. Was actually hoping to do 50k but my knee started barking at me around 40k and the course had the option to stop at a marathon instead of adding a final 8k loop. It was tough given how cold it was, some parts were iced over and the mud in places was ridiculous but I made it in a little over 5 hours. Shows what someone can do with some drive and motivation. Might do another distance run in future but it won't be in December during a cold snap!

    6. Hey Mark,

      Just a quick comment to say thank you for being a great inspiration for me, as wel as thousands all over the globe.

      Being above average on bodyweight all my life, and after 6 years (!) of litteraly NO running, i was scared of it after tearing both achilles tendons, i decided i wanted to concure my fear. I started again 8 weeks ago as a 34yo with a one minute run/walk program.

      Today i ran my first 5k at 28:56.
      A small accomplishment for many, a large one for me.

      Looking forward to the future.

      Greetings from Belgium!

    7. "Because I'm tall I never look like I'm moving quite as fast as I actually am.." This is so relatable 😅, at least we can reach the top shelves of a grocery store.

    8. I hope it’s ok to suggest a look at a young Aussie YouTuber Lachlan Earnshaw who just did a video ‘Can 10 Average Runners Break the Marathon World Record’ which I found HILARIOUS but there’s a few amazing runners who happen along to the track and get in on the action. Well worth a look, as are all your vids too Mark Lewis!

    9. You are very fast for your age. But if you work on your running form, especially your cadence, you will run significantly faster 👍🏼 180 bpm as opposed to what seems like around 165 here will work wonders. Best regards, an avid and decently fast runner.

    10. Bracknell athletic track I notice! – been around that a few times when I was young. Now with 72 years behind me, still running despite arthritic knees but unlikely to get anywhere near the performances shown.

    11. Umm is it healthy to smell the blood in addition to tasting it after a workout? … Also this is a first for me normally i barely start tasting it when i accidentally over do it … But now im also smelling it

    12. You could add physical toughness to the list of things about senior citizens not to underestimate. No long ago close to where I live two teenage punks decided to have some fun harassing a "helpless" old guy. You guessed it… he wasn't helpless and it wasn't pretty!

    13. Mark, great video as always. Notice that you medals are perfectly straight on the wall behind you… how are you attaching them, I see some sort of knot there… would be great to know. I have a medal rack but I just loop the medals over, which makes them twist round… please let me know.

    14. You start losing muscle mass and flexibility of your blood vessels around 30. Until mid 40's, you could compensate with additional training and better eating habits and experience. But there is nothing you can do, to prevent aging, no matter how delusional one is.

    15. It looks like you’d have set a PB, if you’d given yourself more of a rest! I’m right behind the message of this video, and lots of the comments. Training and exercise as you get older are fun, and so good for you, even if it takes a wee bit longer to recover. Try to find a supportive club and fellow athletes – of any age. I’m 66 and set three 400m PBs this season – now down to 65 seconds. Thats the first time I’ve run, in seconds, less than my age in years!

    16. I went to watch a masters xc ski race recently.
      With fresh legs of my own I "kicked it up a notch" and skied alongside the course, (course was merely split by some pylons) when these ladies at the end of their marathon distance race just blew by me like i was standing still. Technique and fitness=Old man/old lady strength! Brava!

    17. Brilliant video. I have runners in my group that have come first in their age group, and they put themselves down because "they are the only ones running in their age group". But that is a tale in itself. My runners are fit enough to run in their 60's and beyond but so many people are not, and they have to see that as a positive. They are fit enough to do it. That's a win, by itself. Never put your success down because you are the only one doing it.

    18. I think if more elderly people would compete, we might see even faster times.

      Perhaps the longer distances like 50k or 100k might suite older people as well, because they might miss some of the strength, but they certainly have the endurance and mental willpower you need for those ultramarathon races.

    19. Nice jokes at the beginning! A few years ago I looked up these records for 10k and found that I couldn’t beat a 70 year old. It seemed to me that the times get much much slower after age 80.
      Something seems to happen to our bodies after age 80.

    20. I've looked at those masters times in the past and wondered how that could e possible. But to be fair, they are the fastest runners in the world for their age group.

    21. I ran 50 second flat placing 2nd in the state of Nebraska high school State Track Meet, today at 63 I run 2 minutes 50 seconds very depressing. The 400 meter is a perfect test of speed and endurance.

    22. Hi mark conrad here holder for the old 35 age record, great video and massive effort on try to get those times. I’m not sure what rest you had after each run but that would be a factor and maybe why the times was getting harder to get. Anyway you did great ,

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