Masters Running

Results of the questionnaire

As part of the research for my next book, The Runner's World Guide to Masters Running, I posted a questionnaire on my website and also included it as an ad in National Masters News. The response was much more than I had anticipated. Nearly five hundred runners took the time to fill out what admittedly was a long and detailed questionnaire. I am impressed with all of you. Thanks for your time and effort.

I won't complete the book until the spring of 2004, and it won't be available for sale until the spring of 2005, but in the meantime I didn't want you to wait to learn the results of my survey. I had posed thirty-four questions, and some of them were designed to obtain "good quotes" for the book. Others were designed to uncover interesting anecdotes about runners over the age of 35 (the current international designation of when you become a "masters runner"). Still others were designed to provide us with some statistical information about you as a master.

Rather than doing all the analysis myself, I hired my grandson Kyle (age 15) to do the work along with his younger brother Wesley (age 13) and younger sister Holly (age 10). They all run cross-country, play soccer, take piano lessons and still find time to get good grades. But they did the job. Here are some of the preliminary results from our survey.

Note: Not all questions lend themselves to a statistical breakdown, so not all questions are listed below. In the breakdown, percentages do not add up to 100%, because people had the opportunity to check more than box in any given category. Also, the results are somewhat skewed because of the much higher response I got from my website on the Internet. Because my website features training programs for marathons and other races, most of the people visiting it (and responding) are long distance runners. So while the information gathered may relate to the typical master "runner" (that being the subject of my book), it may not be exactly the same as for the typical master "athlete."

What events do you participate in?

Does the term "Masters Running" apply to all events or only running?

What age did people start running, and how long have they been running?

What is important to you about running?

Are you interested in world or national competition?

How long has it been since you had your last physical examination?     

Among those who had physicals, what percentage had a stress test?

In your training, how many days a week do you:        

If you are a runner, do you do speedwork?

How many days do you do strength training?

(The percentage of those who did no strength training was 27%)

Do you include stretching in your training?

What injuries have you suffered as a masters runner?

Do you take supplements to improve your health?

Do you take supplements to improve performance?

Do you have a coach?

Thanks to all of you who participated. The Runner's World Guide to Masters Running is scheduled for publication in the spring of 2005.

--Hal Higdon