Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 70s

Women competing in the marathon at 70–79 are extraordinary endurance athletes. WMA standards at this age show how demanding even modest absolute marathon times are relative to world records for this decade — maintaining the fitness to finish 26.2 miles competitively is an achievement.

Quick answer: For women age 70–79 running the Marathon, a 60% age-grade (“Local Class”) at age 70 is 5:15:43. A 70% Regional Class performance is 4:30:37, requiring easy pace 11:50/mi, threshold 9:09/mi. These benchmarks are from WMA (World Masters Athletics) 2025 standards.

Women Marathon Times — Ages 70–79

AgeRecreational
50%		Local Class
60%		Regional
70%		National
80%
706:18:52
14:27/mi		5:15:43
12:02/mi		4:30:37
10:19/mi		3:56:47
9:02/mi
756:53:08
15:45/mi		5:44:17
13:08/mi		4:55:06
11:15/mi		4:18:13
9:51/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.

AgeLevelTimeEasyThresholdInterval
70Local Class5:15:4314:0310:489:20
Regional Class4:30:3711:509:097:55
National Class3:56:4710:128:006:58
75Local Class5:44:1715:1411:4610:11
Regional Class4:55:0613:1010:068:43
National Class4:18:1311:088:407:31

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 for women in their 70s is organized around recovery and long runs. Long easy runs (to 14–16 miles) are the primary marathon-specific session. One threshold or quality session per 10–14 days. All other running at genuinely easy pace. Recovery is the single most important training variable — protecting enough easy days between hard efforts is what allows each session to generate positive adaptation.

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.

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 women in their 70s?

Using WMA age-grading standards, a 70-year-old woman running 5:15:43 scores 60% ("Local Class"). A 70% "Regional Class" performance at that age is 4:30:37. These benchmarks are derived from world-record data for each age group, not population averages.

What training paces should women in their 70s use for Marathon training?

The right training paces depend on your current fitness. At 70% age-grade (4:30:37 for a 70-year-old), your training zones are: Easy 11:50/mi, Threshold 9:09/mi, Interval 7:55/mi. At 60% age-grade (5:15:43): Easy 14:03/mi, Threshold 10:48/mi. Use the calculator below to find your exact paces.

How does Marathon performance change through the 70s?

WMA data shows a gradual performance decline with each decade — typically two to five percent per five years for most distances. The age factors in the table above account for this and allow fair comparison across ages. Consistent training often offsets age-related decline significantly. Many runners in their 70s who train with structure outperform their unstructured earlier years on an age-adjusted basis.

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 →Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 60s →5K Benchmarks for Men in Their 20s →5K Benchmarks for Men in Their 30s →5K Benchmarks for Men in Their 40s →5K Benchmarks for Men in Their 50s →5K Benchmarks for Men in Their 60s →5K Benchmarks for Men in Their 70s →5K Benchmarks for Men Age 80+ →5K Benchmarks for Women in Their 20s →5K Benchmarks for Women in Their 30s →5K Benchmarks for Women in Their 60s →5K Benchmarks for Women in Their 70s →5K Benchmarks for Women Age 80+ →10K Benchmarks for Men in Their 20s →10K Benchmarks for Men in Their 30s →10K Benchmarks for Men in Their 40s →10K Benchmarks for Men in Their 50s →10K Benchmarks for Men in Their 70s →10K Benchmarks for Men Age 80+ →10K Benchmarks for Women in Their 20s →10K Benchmarks for Women in Their 30s →10K Benchmarks for Women in Their 40s →10K Benchmarks for Women in Their 50s →10K Benchmarks for Women in Their 60s →10K Benchmarks for Women in Their 70s →10K Benchmarks for Women Age 80+ →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 20s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 30s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 40s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 50s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 60s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 70s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Men Age 80+ →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 20s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 30s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 40s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 50s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 60s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 70s →Half Marathon Benchmarks for Women Age 80+ →Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 20s →Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 30s →Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 40s →Marathon Benchmarks for Men in Their 70s →Marathon Benchmarks for Men Age 80+ →Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 20s →Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 30s →Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 40s →Marathon Benchmarks for Women in Their 60s →Marathon Benchmarks for Women Age 80+ →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.