<p>A 28 minute 5K places in my age group in many races. It is certainly “running” and not too far off what I’m running now at my age (and placing in my age group). I’ve run a 19:25 5K back in the day, but I’m just as proud of my current effort/times.</p>
<p>The median at the 5K that I ran last summer was about 30 minutes. The race had 5000+ people and a ton of them were walkers that showed up for their company as it was a corporate event.</p>
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<p>Running USA just released a portion of the results from their 2009 State of the Sport series, which is always an interesting read . . . if you’re a runner, that is.</p>
<p>Among their findings: an 18% increase in the total running population in 2008 (35,904,000 runners) compared to 2007, and a 15% increase in the estimated number of trail runners in 2008 (4,857,000).</p>
<p>More numbers? The mean age of road race finishers in 2008 was 36.3. If you ran at least 100 days in 2008, you were one of 14.9 million. And, despite the recession, running shoe units (39.9 million) and dollars spent on them ($2.3 billion) exceeded those of the previous year. </p>
<p>[An</a> Increase in the Number of U.S. Runners - Writing on the Run](<a href=“http://ccooper.typepad.com/writing_on_the_run/2009/08/an-increase-in-the-number-of-us-runners.html]An”>http://ccooper.typepad.com/writing_on_the_run/2009/08/an-increase-in-the-number-of-us-runners.html)</p>
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<li>I think that 99.9% number is pretty much wrong.</li>
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<p>Are you saying that you think that most military personnel 40 and up just meet minimum standards?</p>
<p>BTW, you can also add in reserves. They may not be in as good shape and may be older but I’d guess that they are better off than the general population.</p>
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<p>I agree. The beauty of today’s 5Ks is that they break down the age groups into 4 to 5 year increments (like age 50-54 women). This allows you to stop comparing yourself to everyone around you and focus on how you are doing compared to your peers. It gives you a much more realistic goal that keeps you from being discouraged. You can set your own goals by trying to beat your own personal bests from year-to-year on the same course, or try to improve your place within your age group.</p>
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<p>LOL, I absolutely love that story. :)</p>
<p>Interesting statistics, BC! [2011</a> Marathon, Half-Marathon and State of the Sport Reports | Running USA](<a href=“http://www.runningusa.org/node/76115#76116]2011”>http://www.runningusa.org/node/76115#76116)</p>
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<p>Unfortunately a 28 minute 5K only gets me top 10 in my age group, as I live in a fairly fit town. I was quite happy with the 32 minute that I did at the end of the Danskin sprint tri in September. </p>
<p>You just need to get started. I think the first 5K I ever entered, I did a 35 and was happy and just kept dropping my goal time. It also helps to know the course and pace yourself accordingly. </p>
<p>If you ever thought of entering a sprint triathlon (800 yard swim, 12 mile bike, and 5k run), I would recommend the Danskin series. It’s all about finishing, not your time. You start in waves with your age group and people are finishing throughout the day and there are always designated last over the finish line people for each event. Also, since the swim potion is what most people fear, they actually have ‘swim angels’ in the water - women with foam noodles that will swim with you the entire course if you need it.</p>
<p>PS - I don’t believe those running stats…51% of ‘runners’ have completed marathons. Those are just the diehards filling out the survey and does not reflect us weekend warriors.</p>
<p>90%? Only 31,200,000 Americans can run a 28 minute 5K?</p>
<p>I’m amazed at how close I am to the male profile.</p>
<p>This may be a little mixed with the internet dating thread but a friend was looking for a girlfriend and I suggested that he join a running club. He told me that he hates running though he is in incredible physical shape. The running demographic looks incredibly attractive if you’re looking for a spouse or you’re marketing a fitness or exercise-related product.</p>
<p>And I’d say that the percentage of Americans that can run a 28 minute 5K is higher than 0.1%.</p>
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<p>That sounds better.</p>
<p>But I think that far more could run with some training. There are a lot of athletes and weekend warriors out there that are in good shape for their sport but could be runners with a little training.</p>
<p>If I could run a 30-minute 5K at age 47, there are a LOT of people that could! I was as much of a couch potato as you can be. I have NO innate running ability, trust me! I was the slowest of 200 kids in 8th grade when we had to run a mile.</p>
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<p>My guess is that the majority of those runners are comparatively young.</p>
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<p>Ha ha, great job!</p>
<p>There are online calculators which will age-grade your results and tell you how you stack up. You are rated as local, regional or national class. A 70% performance factor is good. My 2009 times (pre-injury) put me as a strong regional runner. I ran a 25 minute 5K at age 58, but my performance factors were better for my half-marathon and marathon times. But- we generally don’t gain much speed as we age…:)</p>
<p>Link please?</p>
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<p>You do if you start out slow…</p>
<p>Check with your local running store. Most have a learn to run program starting soon, with a graduation 5k race at the end. It is so much fun with a group.</p>
<p>BCE- There are a number of them out there, but here’s one</p>
<p>[Age</a> Grading Calculator](<a href=“http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/agegradingcalculator/0,7977,s6-238-277-415-0,00.html]Age”>http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/agegradingcalculator/0,7977,s6-238-277-415-0,00.html)</p>
<p>I need to get down to a bit above 8 minute miles just to get to local! I can run an 8-minute mile but only 1. I would have to do a fair amount of training in 2012 to run 5 miles in 41 minutes.</p>
<p>I would love to run a 28 minute 5K. Heck, I would like to run a 35 minute 5K (my best is 37 min). But I’m slow, so I won’t. I still love to run. Forward is a pace and finishing in the pack is better than never starting. </p>
<p>This is a good time of year to start with C to 5K or another running program. I noticed that my city rec center even has a ‘class’ for it. Lots of running groups start their training in January so there are plenty of beginners. Check with a local running store for groups…and get some good shoes. Having the right ones make all the difference.</p>
<p>In response to OP – I started C25K about 18 months ago. This was after I just decided to start running, after 20+ years of not running. That first effort flopped; I had to recover from a very sore knee. After that I tried C25K, which seemed to make sense to me and my aging body. The beginning was pretty easy, but obviously as the distance/time increase, it gets harder. At one point there was a huge increase over the previous week, and I had to stretch things out. I was doing all this on a treadmill, which made it fairly easy to keep track of time/distance. I’d like to say I’ve kept it up and moved on to greater distances, but … For a variety of reasons (probably none of them good) I periodically have exercise hiatuses that interrupt my “training.” I just go back and start in again.</p>
<p>I think there is a big difference with C25K if you are REALLY “couch” as opposed to “pretty fit but haven’t really been a runner”. The later weeks DO get tough, and if they are difficult it does NOT mean you won’t finish the 5K!</p>