Vet age categories

4 watchers

larkim 11 Sep 12:16pm, 11 Sep 2024 25,551 posts	0 larkim Our local league has just added a new category, men's Vet 35-39, which brings it in line with the women's categories. Harmonisation seems perfectly correct. But I'm surprised they've added a V35, rather than take away the women's V35 category. My sense is that runners are only really "vets" once they've crossed the arbitrary 40 threshold. Thoughts? And a poll.
HappyG(rrr) 11 Sep 2:44pm, 11 Sep 2024 50,891 posts	0 HappyG(rrr) I meant "no conclusive opinion" in my clear the X vote above! 18-21 or 18-25 is probably one "category" 25 and above, various things deteriorate. Enough to warrant a specific category? Probably for 100m / 200m. Less so for marathon. Various views in between? If you were to have a fixed between 18 and death, only 2 categories, I'd probably say 18-40 and 40 plus? But really tough then for the 60s or for the 39s actually! G
riggys99 11 Sep 2:49pm, 11 Sep 2024 3,786 posts	0 riggys99 Why do we need the V bit anyway. Why not just split the ages into 5 year bands and just have for example M40-44.
paulcook 11 Sep 2:59pm, 11 Sep 2024 6,409 posts	0 paulcook I think all fell races are 40+. Ours certainly are and with 5 year bands thereafter, but I think some are 10 year bands so I'm cautious at saying for certain. And as G says, there are also junior prizes for U21.
SPR 11 Sep 3:02pm, 11 Sep 2024 46,052 posts	0 SPR HappyG(rrr) wrote:18-21 or 18-25 is probably one "category" 25 and above, various things deteriorate. Enough to warrant a specific category? Probably for 100m / 200m. Less so for marathon.G Clearly sprinters are still world class, even at their best at 25 plus. If you said it was reason for 35, that would be different but vet status definitely doesn't need to get younger. We also already have junior categories.
larkim 11 Sep 3:03pm, 11 Sep 2024 25,553 posts	0 larkim Wolverhampton half at the weekend had V20, V30, V40 etc. Agree that the "V" is a bit unnecessary, but gloss over that! Once past "junior" age categories, I'm happy that anyone basically 18-39 should be in the same category.
RooA 11 Sep 3:04pm, 11 Sep 2024 2,864 posts	0 RooA Orienteers are officially codgers from 35 years old. My achiles tendon say 40 years old is The Point in Time though.
SPR 11 Sep 3:08pm, 11 Sep 2024 46,053 posts	0 SPR I don't think it technically matters if it's 5 year groups. Maybe more for 10 year groups. I suppose 35 means there's some sort of transition into vets. I suppose a 35 to 45 group could be closer in competitiveness at the ends than the 40 to 50 group.
SPR 11 Sep 3:11pm, 11 Sep 2024 46,054 posts	0 SPR I personally see 35 as psuedo vets and 40 as when you're really a vet but clearly there is some decline around 35-40 even if there's some that stay elite in that period. Amateurs are never a good guage of this, especially those starting late as suddenly anecdotal evidence is suggesting 50 is the peak of athletic performance when it clearly isn't.
larkim 11 Sep 3:12pm, 11 Sep 2024 25,554 posts	0 larkim None of it matters really, so maybe my thoughts are mostly influenced by the elite picture; it's only when a marathon runner breaks a v40 record that it is commented on, and whilst a 37yo in a T&F or fast road race would certainly receive some comment that they were at the older end of the participation spectrum, it's only really beyond 40 that elite sportspeople seem to get singled out. parkrun does 5 year age categories, but changes from "S" for senior to "V" for veteran at the 35-39 bracket. Hadn't noted that previously as I was never in the V35s!