Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2013

Publication Source

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the validity of Boston Marathon qualifying (BMQ) standards for men and women. Methods: Percent differences between BMQ and current world records (WR) by sex and age group were computed. WR was chosen as the criterion comparison because it is not confounded by intensity, body composition, lifestyle, or environmental factors. A consistent difference across age groups would indicate an appropriate slope of the age-vs-BMQ curve. Inconsistent differences were corrected by adjusting BMQ standards to achieve a uniform percentage difference from WR. Results: BMQ standards for men were consistently ~50% slower than WR (mean 51.5% ± 1.4%, range 49.6–54.4%), thus demonstrating acceptable validity. However, BMQ standards for women indicated convergence with WR as age increased (mean 45.8% ± 13.7%, range 17.5–58.9%). The women’s BMQ standards were revised to yield a consistent 50% deviation from WR across age groups (50.9% ± 0.8%, range 49.2–52.2%). Applied to all 16,773 women in the 2012 Chicago Marathon, the suggested BMQ standards would lead to a 4.90% success rate, compared with 8.39% using the current standard. This compared with a 9.6% success rate for all 20,681 men of the same race. Conclusions:The current women’s BMQ standards appear too lenient for women 18–54 y and too strict for women 55–80 y but yield equitable gender representation in percentage of qualifiers. The current men’s and suggested women’s BMQ standards appear valid but would lead to approximately 40% fewer women achieving BMQ standards.

Inclusive pages

685-687

ISBN/ISSN

1555-0265

Document Version

Postprint

Comments

This is the author's accepted version of an article of the same title that appeared in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. The article available in the repository is the author's accepted manuscript; the version of record may contain minor differences that have come about in the copy editing and layout processes. All research in this article must be cited appropriately.

Volume

8

Issue

6

Peer Reviewed

yes

Keywords

aging, physical performance, older adults

Link to published version

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