Age-Grading Calculator
Quick answer: Age-grading expresses your race time as a percentage of the world-record standard for your age and sex, using official WMA (World Masters Athletics) tables. A 75% age-grade means you ran 75% as fast as the world record holder in your age group — across any distance.
How WMA age grading works
The World Masters Athletics (WMA) age-grading system provides a standardized method for comparing running performances across different ages. For each standard distance, WMA maintains world-best benchmark times for every age from 35 to 100+, derived from official world records set in competition.
Your age-graded percentage is calculated as: (world-best time for your age ÷ your time) × 100. A score of 100% would mean you ran as fast as the world record for your age group. This makes it possible to compare a 70-year-old's marathon time to a 35-year-old's — something raw times can't do fairly.
For masters runners (35+), age-grading is particularly valuable for tracking improvement over time. As you age, your raw times naturally slow — but your age-graded percentage can remain stable or even improve if your relative performance within your age group stays strong. This is a truer measure of fitness development.
The calculator also shows your equivalent open-age time — what your performance would be equivalent to as a peak-age athlete. This is useful for setting training goals and understanding your absolute performance level independent of age.
Good times by age and distance
See WMA age-graded benchmarks for specific distances — what counts as recreational, competitive, and elite at every age.
Common questions
What is a good age-graded percentage for runners?
90%+ is world-class (national/world record territory for your age). 80–89% is elite masters performance. 70–79% is highly competitive. 60–69% is solid recreational running. Below 60% represents developing fitness. Most recreational runners score 40–65%.
What are the WMA age-grading tables based on?
WMA (World Masters Athletics) tables are built from world-record performances by age group across all standard distances. They are periodically updated as masters athletes set new age-group world records. The tables provide age-specific world-best benchmarks for men and women separately.
Can I use age-grading to compare my 5K to my marathon performance?
Yes — that's one of age-grading's most useful applications. If your 5K age-grades at 72% but your marathon grades at 65%, you have more aerobic endurance to develop relative to your speed. The gap tells you where to focus training.