Are old men getting too quick?

[mappingmum]

What markhy said in post » Mon Jan 16, 2012 6:55 pm

[SJC]

The course length ratios to get a given running time for an urban race and for a difficult race in technical and physical terrain have little resemblance to each other.

I don't find it surprising that the time gap between a elite runner and an average M21 varies greatly according to the terrain. The easier it is the less time the average runner takes to do the navigation, and the probability of mistakes is lower. But is this still true when comparing the top athletes in each age class ?

Whilst it is likely that a fast M21 with average navigation skills could hold their own against a top M55 in an urban race, in a technically difficult area in Scotland they would be well beaten. And it is the top competitors in each age class that the course length ratios are set for, not the average M21, even if as a result of the ranking system treating all races equally they both have the same ranking points.

[AAH]

But is this still true when comparing the top athletes in each age class ?

I guess that is the real question at issue - I'd expect there to still be substantial variation even amongst orienteers of the same navigational ability, because hill and terrain running skills are as important a component in performance as navigation, strength is a big component of terrain running and strength is more age sensitive than general aerobic fitness. But more stats would be needed...

[mharky]

Another thing to remember is that the winning time achieved for a course isn't a perfect reflection of how long that course was. Is it 67 minutes for an "elite" runner having a "good" run.

At SOL1 DC was on 61 minute form but binned it at a couple of controls and the black was won in just under 65.

[graeme]

Graeme, if the SOL league is so great why did you run half of the events out of class!

Because, like I said, I regard the SOLs as a marker of quality races rather than a series, and as mharky implies it's usually a safe bet that black will be "too short" which, for me, means "just right".