The age of peak performance in Ironman triathlon: a cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis For the planning of a career as an endurance athlete, it is important to know what age is the best performance to be expected. So far, triathlets were examined when the age-related drop in performance occurs, but the age in which the fastest ironescence time is to be expected has not yet been determined.In a first analysis, we have determined the age of the top ten finishers of all Ironman competitions in 2010 and examined in a further analysis based on a qualifier, whether over the years the age of top ten athletes shifts. In 2010, we were able to raise numbers of 20 competitions, in 19 competitions was the age of the top ten finishers for men at 33.0 ± 1.6 years and for women at 32.2 ± 1.5 years, with men and women not distinguished.Only on the ‘Ironman Canada’ were the men a bit older than the women. When looking at the course over the years, the age of the top ten men was at 31.5 ± 1.7 years between 1995 and 2010 and at 31.4 ± 1.7 years without a change over the years.
The bottom line may be assumed that Ironman triathlets will achieve peak performance regardless of gender at the age of 32-33 years. All numbers can be found under https://extremephysiolmed.biomedCentral.com/Articles/10.1186/2046-7648-2-27