Age-grading calculator
This age-grading calculator scores a race time against the world-best standard for your age and sex, giving a single percentage that lets you compare performances across ages fairly. Pick your race distance, enter your finish time, age and sex, and see your age-graded percentage alongside the equivalent open-world standard, useful for masters runners comparing performances across age groups or tracking how their own standard shifts from one birthday to the next.
Age-grading percentage
55.6%
Rough performance bands
- 60% — local
- 70% — regional
- 80% — national
- 90% — world class
How it works
Age grading compares your time to an age-and-sex-adjusted world standard rather than the flat open-world record, since physiological performance naturally declines with age even for elite athletes. The percentage shows how close you are to the best possible time for someone your age and sex over that distance.
The calculator starts from the open-world standard for your chosen distance and sex, then divides it by one approximate age-factor curve, interpolated by age and shared across all four distances, to get your age-graded standard time. Official World Masters Athletics tables use a separate curve per distance and give slightly different values. Your percentage is that standard divided by your actual time, times 100.
A 90 percent score and above is typically considered world class for your age group, 80 percent national class, 70 percent regional class, and 60 percent local club level, though these bands are informal conventions rather than fixed rules.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good age-grading percentage?
Scores above 60 percent are generally considered solid local club-level performances, 70 percent and up regional class, 80 percent national class, and 90 percent or higher approaches world class. These are rough conventions used in masters running rather than official thresholds, and vary somewhat by distance and community.
How is age grading calculated?
Your race time is compared to an age-and-sex-adjusted standard, derived from the open-world best for that distance divided by an age factor that increases as age moves further from peak performance years. The result is expressed as a percentage of that adjusted standard.
Can I compare a 5K and a marathon time using age grading?
Yes, that's the main point of age grading: since both times are expressed as a percentage of their own distance-specific age-adjusted standard, a 75 percent 5K and a 75 percent marathon represent roughly comparable relative performances, even though the raw paces differ enormously.
Related tools
- Pace calculatorSolve for running pace, time or distance from the other two, free, with instant km/h and mph conversions and a full race-distance time table.
- Pace converterConvert running speed between km/h, mph, min/km and min/mi instantly, free, with a reference table spanning 6 to 22 km/h for quick lookup.
- Race time predictorPredict your 5K, 10K, half and marathon time from a recent race using the Riegel formula, free, the same model the Overload app uses.
- VDOT calculatorCalculate your Daniels VDOT, VMA and VO2max from a race result, free, with training pace zones the same way the Overload app computes them.
Overload tracks your bests per distance
Log a race and Overload automatically keeps your best time for that distance, so you always know the finish time to compare this age-grading score against. Free on iOS and Android.