Age grade calculator
Age grading scores your race time against the world best for your exact age and sex, so a runner of 60 and a runner of 25 can be compared fairly. A grade above 90 percent is world-class, 80 percent national, 70 percent regional and 60 percent a solid club standard. FitCalcs estimates your age grade with a smooth curve fitted to the World Masters Athletics tables, which extends our race predictor. For the official figure, check the current WMA tables. This is general information for runners.
How this is worked out
Age grading compares your time to the world-best time for your exact age and sex, so a 60-year-old and a 25-year-old can compare performances fairly:
age factor = (age-graded standard ÷ open standard)
age grade % = (open-standard time ÷ your adjusted time) x 100
FitCalcs approximates the World Masters Athletics age factors with a smooth curve fitted to their published tables. Above about 90% is world-class, 80% national, 70% regional, 60% local club standard. For the official figure, look up the current WMA tables.
An estimate using fitted age factors, not the exact WMA lookup. Editorially reviewed by FitCalcs, with each figure citing its source.
Common questions
What is age grading in running?
Age grading scores your race time against the world best for your exact age and sex, expressed as a percentage. It lets a runner of 60 and a runner of 25 be compared fairly, because it adjusts for the fact that times naturally slow with age. FitCalcs works it out from your distance, time, age and sex.
What is a good age grade percentage?
As a rough guide, above 90 percent is world-class, around 80 percent is national standard, 70 percent is regional, and 60 percent is a solid club-runner level. Most recreational runners sit below those and can watch the figure climb as they train, which is part of what makes age grading motivating.
How does FitCalcs work out my age grade?
It estimates your age grade using a smooth curve fitted to the World Masters Athletics age-factor tables, the same standard basis parkrun and other events use. This extends the FitCalcs race predictor. For the exact official figure, check the current WMA tables, as they are updated periodically.
Where do the official age-grading figures come from?
They come from the World Masters Athletics tables, which set age and sex standards based on the best recorded performances. FitCalcs fits a curve to those tables to give a fast estimate, so treat the result as a close guide rather than the official number, which the current WMA tables provide.
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Editor, FitCalcs
Oliver Mackman is the named editor of FitCalcs and a director of Best Business Loans Ltd (Companies House 16833937), the company that operates the site. He is accountable for its editorial standards, sourcing and corrections, and requires every result to cite the underlying equation and the named UK source behind it, with health tools carrying the appropriate not-medical-advice caveats.
Last reviewed: 12 June 2026