Age-Graded Performance Calculator
Enter your age, gender, distance, and time to see your performance as a percentage of the age- and gender-adjusted world standard.
Age-graded performance
Age-grading factors: WMA (World Masters Athletics) 2020 road standards, compiled by Alan Jones and approved by WMA/USATF, used under CC BY 4.0.
This estimate uses a generic formula. Connect your Strava/Whoop/Garmin data for a version personalised to your actual training.
Get early accessWhat age grading is
Age grading expresses a running performance as a percentage of the best time ever run for your age and gender at that distance. A higher percentage means a performance closer to the age and gender adjusted world standard, which makes it possible to compare runners of different ages and genders on the same scale.
How it is calculated
This calculator uses the WMA (World Masters Athletics) 2020 age-grading tables, which hold separate open-class standard times and age factors for men and women, across ages 5 to 100 and a wide range of distances. For a distance that falls between two entries in the table, the calculator linearly interpolates between them. The formula is: Age-standard time = Open standard time ÷ Age factor, then Age grade % = (Age-standard time ÷ Actual time) × 100. A score of 100% means a performance equal to the age- and gender-adjusted world standard for that distance.
Why runners use it
Age grading lets you judge a performance on its own merits rather than only against a raw finish time or age group placing. It is a useful way to see how a result compares to your own best performances as you get older, or to compare performances across age groups at a race.
Sources and limitations: see our methodology.
Worked example
Take a 45-year-old woman who runs a 10K in 52:00.
A 52:00 10K at age 45 scores 61.59% against the WMA standard for a 45-year-old woman at that distance. By the rule-of-thumb bands below, that sits just inside "local class", a solid, consistent recreational performance, with the 70% "regional class" band as the next target to chase.
FAQ
What is age grading in running?
Age grading expresses a running performance as a percentage of the best time ever run for your age and gender at that distance, using WMA (World Masters Athletics) standards. It lets you compare performances across different ages, genders, and distances on one scale.
How is age grade percentage calculated?
Age grade % = (Age-standard time ÷ Actual time) × 100, where Age-standard time = Open standard time ÷ Age factor for your age, gender, and distance. A higher percentage means a performance closer to the age- and gender-adjusted world standard.
What is a good age-graded percentage?
As a widely used rule of thumb: above 90% is considered world class, above 80% national class, above 70% regional class, and above 60% local class. Most competitive recreational runners score somewhere in the 50-70% range.
Does age grading account for both men and women?
Yes. This calculator uses separate WMA (World Masters Athletics) standard times and age factors for men and women, since the open-class world standards differ by gender at every distance. Enter your own gender along with your age to get the correct comparison.
How does age grading compare across different distances?
It compares on a single percentage scale. WMA publishes open standards and age factors across a wide range of distances, so a 70% age-graded 5K and a 70% age-graded marathon represent a similarly strong performance relative to the world standard for your age and gender, even though the raw finish times look completely different.