Long Distance Running Efficiency and Economy does not Decline with Age

Long Distance Running Efficiency and Economy does not Decline with Age: It would seem obvious that the efficiency shown by older runners would decline with age and that this would partially explain the decline in performance with age. Studies have shown that the performance of senior male and female athletes declines about 3.4% per year , initially slowly from age 50 to 75 years and more dramatically after and age or 75 years.

Men showed no difference in decline of sprint and endurance events, whereas the sprint decline was greater than in endurance events for women, especially after the age of 75 years. However recent research has shown that this decline in performance was not due to a deterioration in the efficiency with which older runners ran.