Will a 70-year-old win the Salzburg Marathon?

A 70-year-old marathon enthusiast showing the limits of another generation of elite African runners? A passionate amateur runner ranks ahead of the national champion in the ranking? What sounds completely absurd could become reality at the Salzburg Marathon 2016. Because for the first time, the running festival in the city of Mozart offers not only the proven and official lists of results but also an "age-graded" rating, which according to defined criteria of the World Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA) and the World Masters Athletics (WMA) includes the age factor and the Gender is taken into account in the performance and thus offers biological equal opportunities for all participants. The "age-graded" rating is recognized by the World Athletics Federation (IAAF).

Outstanding achievements in various age groups are rewarded

“The chances of winning an international running event like the Salzburg Marathon are predetermined by biological conditions. The 'age-graded' rating incorporates the criteria of age and gender into the bare running times and creates a ranking that offers equal opportunities. In addition, the participants get a new and internationally recognized perspective of comparing performance with their fellow campaigners,” explains organizer Johannes Langer. "We decided to conduct an "age-graded" evaluation with our own official award ceremony for the first time at the Salzburg Marathon, because many runners in their age groups, the so-called masters, deliver excellent performances for their age and this in the overall view often goes under,” Langer emphasizes.

Pioneering role in European running

Although age-graded has been officially recognized for a decade, very few non-championship running events around the world use the age-graded factor. The Salzburg Marathon plays a pioneering role in European running and is the first marathon event in Austria to offer its own "age-graded" rating including an award ceremony.