10K Benchmarks for Men in Their 60s

10K racing in your 60s is where age-grading proves its full value. The same absolute fitness that placed a man in the middle of the field at 35 may represent Regional Class performance at 65. The benchmarks here show what each performance level looks like at 60 and 65, and what training produces it.

Quick answer: For men age 60–69 running the 10K, a 60% age-grade (“Local Class”) at age 60 is 54:05. A 70% Regional Class performance is 46:21, requiring easy pace 9:16/mi, threshold 7:23/mi. These benchmarks are from WMA (World Masters Athletics) 2025 standards.

Men 10K Times — Ages 60–69

Age	Recreational 50%	Local Class 60%	Regional 70%	National 80%
60	1:04:54 10:27/mi	54:05 8:42/mi	46:21 7:28/mi	40:34 6:32/mi
65	1:08:02 10:57/mi	56:42 9:07/mi	48:36 7:49/mi	42:31 6:51/mi

What each level means

National Class (80–89%) — Competitive at national masters championships. Requires serious, structured training over years.
Regional Class (70–79%) — Strong age-group placements at regional races. Consistent training with quality sessions.
Local Class (60–69%) — Competitive in local races. Solid fitness from regular running and some structured training.
Recreational (below 60%) — Running for fitness and enjoyment. Most runners start here.

Training paces by performance level

The training paces below are derived from each WMA benchmark time. If you are running at 70% age-grade, these are the training zones that produce and maintain that performance level.

Age	Level	Time	Easy	Threshold	Interval
60	Local Class	54:05	10:39	8:19	7:14
	Regional Class	46:21	9:16	7:23	6:27
	National Class	40:34	8:20	6:43	5:53
65	Local Class	56:42	11:10	8:41	7:32
	Regional Class	48:36	9:39	7:37	6:40
	National Class	42:31	8:39	6:56	6:04

All paces per mile. Training paces derived from the WMA benchmark time for each age and performance level.

Training at this age and distance

For men in their 60s, 10K performance responds primarily to consistent easy volume and one quality session per week. Threshold runs — comfortably hard tempo efforts — are the most race-specific session for the 10K and remain effective in this decade. Interval training requires more recovery than in the 40s; one interval session every 10–14 days is often more productive than weekly. The single most impactful change for most 60s-era runners: genuinely slowing easy runs to allow full recovery.

Calculate your exact age-graded score

Enter your race time below to see your precise WMA age-graded percentage and where you fall relative to these benchmarks.

Age-Grading: Calculates your performance as a percentage of the World Record standard for your specific age and gender. This creates a unified 'Level Playing Field' across all demographics. An 80% score at age 60 represents the exact same relative competitiveness as an 80% score at age 25, even though the absolute race times differ.

Age

Gender

Distance

Time

Population benchmarks are starting points

WMA age-grading tells you how your time compares to world-record standards for your age group. StrideIQ goes further — it tracks your individual efficiency trends, recovery patterns, and adaptation curves from your actual training data. At any age, knowing your population percentile is the beginning. Understanding your personal response to training is what drives real improvement.

Full age-grading calculator →Start free trial

Common questions

What is a good 10K time for a man in his 60s?

Using WMA age-grading standards, a 60-year-old man running 54:05 scores 60% ("Local Class"). A 70% "Regional Class" performance at that age requires 46:21. At age 60, these represent genuinely competitive masters 10K running — the top quarter of masters fields at most regional races.

What training paces should a man in his 60s use for 10K training?

At 70% age-grade (46:21 at age 60), your 10K training paces are: Easy 9:16/mi, Threshold 7:23/mi, Interval 6:27/mi. At 60% (54:05): Easy 10:39/mi, Threshold 8:19/mi. Use the calculator below to get your exact zones from your current race time.

Is it realistic to improve 10K times in your 60s?

Yes — men who add consistent training in their 60s often show significant improvement in absolute times and consistent improvement age-adjusted. The aerobic base responds to training stimulus throughout the lifespan. The adaptation timeline is longer than in earlier decades, and the training stimulus needs to be adequate but not excessive. Men who were inactive in their 50s often have substantial room to improve simply through consistent easy running before any structured quality work.

Other demographic benchmarks

5K Benchmarks for Women in Their 40s →5K Benchmarks for Women in Their 50s →Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 50s →Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 50s →Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 60s →Full Age-Grading Calculator →

Data source: Alan Jones 2025 WMA Road Age-Grading Tables, approved by USATF Masters Long Distance Running Council (January 2025). Training paces derived from the Daniels/Gilbert oxygen cost equations using each WMA benchmark time as input.