He takes no potions or vitamin pills. And no special diet–”I eat what my wife puts in front of me”, he says, although he reportedly has ice cream for dessert every night. He doesn’t stretch regularly, and doesn’t lift weights, cross-train, or carbohydrate load. He has no coach, training partner, massage therapist, sports psychologist, shoe contract or high-altitude simulation tent.1,2 He ran as a teenager but quit after moving to Canada in 1952 to pursue his engineering career, and didn’t run again until his early 40’s in 1972. But here are some of Ed Whitlock’s astonishing statistics:
- 5,000 meters Time: 18:22 Age: 73
- 10,000 meters Time: 37:33 Age: 73
- 15,000 meters Time: 58:19 Age: 72
- Half-marathon Time: 1:22:23 Age: 70
- Marathon Time: 2:59:10 Age: 72
- Marathon Time: 2:54:49 Age: 73
- Marathon Time: 2:58:40 Age: 73
- Marathon (April ‘07) Time: 3:04:53 Age: 76
Ed Whitlock’s accomplishment of being the first and only septuagenarian to break 3 hours in the marathon has been compared to Roger Bannister’s sub-four minute mile. On recognized scales of comparative, age-graded performances, Ed’s 2:54 marathon ranks as a greater performance than Paula Radcliffe’s remarkable women’s world record of 2:15:25.
Consider just how far Ed usually gaps the field: At the Toronto Track and Field Centre last winter, at age 76, he sliced nearly a full minute off the previous M75-79 world indoor 3000 meter record of 12:12.72 (Great Britain’s James Todd, 1997) by running 11:17.21. In the 2004 Toronto Waterfront marathon (2:54), Ed’s next closest 70+ competitor finished over 4 miles behind. Compare his 3:04:53 world M75-79 marathon mark set in Rotterdam 2007 to the legendary Warren Ute’s top American M75-79 performance of 3:18:10.
The modest, unassuming Whitlock attributes his success to “good genes”. Indeed, his mother lived to age 93 and his father’s brother lived to 107. It seems likely that Ed Whitlock is one of those fortunate individuals who age very slowly.
There must be more to it than that, however. One aspect that stands out is his aerobic training volume and consistency. He runs 2 to 3 hours every morning around the same 1/3-mile paved loop in a cemetery in Milton, Ontario. He eschews speed-work, preferring instead to use local races to hone his fitness. Even at 5′7″ and 112 pounds, he must have exceptional biomechanics to be able to run upwards of 20 miles per day —indeed his stride reminds me of Frank Shorter’s in his heyday.
His unorthodox training regime might not be ideal for most of us. It is noteworthy, however, that he has stuck to a simple training system that works well for him despite the elaborate “formulas” in textbooks or running magazines that would have him train quite differently.
Taking an extended mid-life break from running probably helps his running today. There are undoubtedly other nuances. For example, he reportedly keeps 10 pairs of running shoes in rotation. (Indeed there is anecdotal evidence that having several different pairs/brands of shoes, wearing a different pair from the day before, helps to stave off overuse injuries).
As pointed out by Marc Bloom1, recent studies have shed light on how Whitlock, WPTC’s Lou Lodovico, and the “Flying Dutchman” Joop Ruter (who at age 71 ran a marathon in 3:02) are achieving what was previously thought impossible. Elite endurance athletes in their 60’s and 70’s have hearts and blood vessels lacking the stiffening that usually occurs with advanced age.5
To quote Ed Whitlock, “Who knows, maybe 70 year-olds should be running a hell of a lot better than they are.”
In one of his closer contests, Ed Whitlock (73), beating M70 800m World record-holder Earl Fee (74) in the 1500m event at the Ontario Masters Indoors in 5:18:39, two weeks after Ed set the World M70 1500m Indoor Record of 5:12:22.
Sources:
1. Marc Bloom Running, “ED WHITLOCK- 74-year- old Marathoner is Sub-3 Hero”.
2. Tulloh B and Tulloh S. Running Over Forty, Tulloh Books, Wiltshire, UK, 2001, p. 26.
3. Masters Track and News Muse,
www.masterstrack.com/blog/archives/000335.html
4. Cool Running :: Rematch of the Ageless
Titans. Ed Whitlock vs. Joop Ruter confirmed at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. (25 July, 2005).
5. Arbab-Zadeh A, et al. Circulation.
2004;110:1799-1805.
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