Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 50s
Women 50–59 are one of the fastest-growing marathon demographics, and the WMA standards reflect serious competitive depth at this age group. Marathon fitness in the 50s is real, achievable, and — for women who train consistently — often reflects the best age-adjusted performances of their running careers.
Quick answer: For women age 50–59 running the Marathon, a 60% age-grade (“Local Class”) at age 50 is 4:00:41. A 70% Regional Class performance is 3:26:18, requiring easy pace 9:00/mi, threshold 7:12/mi. These benchmarks are from WMA (World Masters Athletics) 2025 standards.
Women Marathon Times — Ages 50–59
| Age | Recreational 50% | Local Class 60% | Regional 70% | National 80% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 4:48:49 11:01/mi | 4:00:41 9:11/mi | 3:26:18 7:52/mi | 3:00:31 6:53/mi |
| 55 | 5:05:11 11:38/mi | 4:14:19 9:42/mi | 3:37:59 8:19/mi | 3:10:45 7:17/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Local Class | 4:00:41 | 10:21 | 8:06 | 7:04 |
| Regional Class | 3:26:18 | 9:00 | 7:12 | 6:18 | |
| National Class | 3:00:31 | 8:05 | 6:32 | 5:45 | |
| 55 | Local Class | 4:14:19 | 10:56 | 8:31 | 7:23 |
| Regional Class | 3:37:59 | 9:27 | 7:29 | 6:33 | |
| National Class | 3:10:45 | 8:28 | 6:48 | 5:57 |
All paces per mile. Training paces derived from the WMA benchmark time for each age and performance level.
Training at this age and distance
Women marathon runners in their 50s often benefit from the patience and race-day discipline that comes with experience. Easy running should genuinely feel easy — a common error is running daily mileage at marathon pace or faster, which prevents real recovery and limits quality session output. Long runs at easy pace, with marathon-pace miles added late in the build, are the primary training tool. Threshold work once per week supports the lactate clearance that keeps marathon pace feeling controlled.
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.
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.
Common questions
What is a good marathon time for a woman in her 50s?
Using WMA age-grading standards, a 50-year-old woman running 4:00:41 scores 60% ("Local Class"). A 70% "Regional Class" performance at that age requires 3:26:18. These are based on world-record data — they represent what consistently trained masters women can achieve, not the median finish time at a mass-participation event.
What marathon training paces should a woman in her 50s use?
At 70% age-grade (3:26:18 at age 50), training paces are: Easy 9:00/mi, Threshold 7:12/mi, Interval 6:18/mi. At 60% (4:00:41): Easy 10:21/mi, Threshold 8:06/mi. Marathon-specific preparation — long runs with late-race effort — is required beyond these base zones.
How should women in their 50s adjust marathon training compared to their 40s?
Recovery time is the primary adjustment. The aerobic system responds to training stimulus similarly, but tissue recovery between hard sessions takes longer. Prioritizing sleep, spacing quality sessions further apart (every five to seven days rather than five), and extending easy-run duration rather than adding hard days are the most common successful adaptations. Many women in their 50s run their most consistent, best-recovered marathon training — they have the life experience to protect their sleep and not over-race.
Other demographic benchmarks
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.