Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 60s

Men who race marathons in their 60s are a determined, high-performing cohort — and the WMA standards reflect that competitive depth. Marathon endurance ages more gradually than speed, and men in their 60s who train consistently can maintain impressive absolute times while achieving strong age-adjusted scores.

Quick answer: For men age 60–69 running the Marathon, a 60% age-grade (“Local Class”) at age 60 is 4:06:48. A 70% Regional Class performance is 3:31:32, requiring easy pace 9:11/mi, threshold 7:20/mi. These benchmarks are from WMA (World Masters Athletics) 2025 standards.

Men Marathon Times — Ages 60–69

Age	Recreational 50%	Local Class 60%	Regional 70%	National 80%
60	4:56:09 11:18/mi	4:06:48 9:25/mi	3:31:32 8:04/mi	3:05:06 7:04/mi
65	5:11:53 11:54/mi	4:19:54 9:55/mi	3:42:46 8:30/mi	3:14:55 7:26/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	4:06:48	10:37	8:18	7:13
	Regional Class	3:31:32	9:11	7:20	6:25
	National Class	3:05:06	8:15	6:39	5:50
65	Local Class	4:19:54	11:12	8:43	7:33
	Regional Class	3:42:46	9:38	7:37	6:39
	National Class	3:14:55	8:37	6:54	6:03

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

Training at this age and distance

Marathon training in the 60s works best when structured around recovery. Long runs remain the most important session — they drive the endurance adaptation that marathon performance depends on. Easy pace must be genuinely easy, often two minutes per mile slower than race pace. Threshold work once per week supports the lactate clearance needed for the sustained marathon effort. Most 60s-era marathoners do best with three to four runs per week — fewer, but of higher quality and with full recovery — rather than high-frequency lower-quality mileage.

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 marathon time for a man in his 60s?

Using WMA age-grading standards, a 60-year-old man running 4:06:48 scores 60% ("Local Class"). A 70% "Regional Class" performance at that age is 3:31:32. At age 60, a 70% WMA grade represents running in the competitive tier of masters marathon fields — typically top third in the age group at major marathons.

What marathon training paces should a 60-year-old man use?

At 70% age-grade (3:31:32 at age 60), marathon training paces are: Easy 9:11/mi, Threshold 7:20/mi, Interval 6:25/mi. At 60% (4:06:48): Easy 10:37/mi, Threshold 8:18/mi. Marathon-pace runs should target the pace implied by your goal finish time.

What are the key training adjustments for marathon racing in the 60s?

Three adjustments have the highest impact. First: protect recovery — hard sessions need five to seven days of genuine easy running between them. Second: trust long runs at easy pace — the aerobic adaptation is there at this age, but adding race-pace effort to every long run blunts recovery. Third: reduce racing frequency — racing more than once every six to eight weeks limits the ability to train through a full preparation cycle. Men in their 60s who protect recovery between hard efforts often train more consistently than they did a decade earlier.

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 →10K 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.