A system that adjusts athletic performance times based on age and gender to allow fair comparison across different demographics. It calculates what percentage of the world record performance an athlete achieved relative to their age group.
'Age' comes from Old French 'aage,' while 'grading' derives from Latin 'gradus' meaning step or degree. The concept was developed in the 1980s by the World Association of Veteran Athletes to create equitable competition standards for masters athletes.
Age-grading reveals that some 'slow' times are actually phenomenal performances! A 75-year-old running a 25-minute 5K might be age-graded at 85% - equivalent to a 17:30 5K by a young adult. It shows that athletic excellence continues well into our golden years!
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