Age grading levels the playing field across ages and sexes by expressing your performance as a percentage of the age-and-sex world record standard. A 70% age grade is a strong club-runner performance; 80% is national class; 90%+ is world class. It lets a 60-year-old fairly compare their result against a 25-year-old's, and it's why many race results lists show an age-graded column.
Key points
- Percentage of the age/sex world standard
- 80% = national class, 90%+ = world class
- Compares performances fairly across ages
- Common in masters and parkrun results