What are 'good' PB's for club runners?

The question is almost meaningless, not the least because the times are so out of kilter, a 52min 10 is way better than the 5/10k ones. But every club is different so what are we to compare it with? And what era? Even a 52min 10 was hardly exceptional in the early 80s when I started. And sub-33min 10k wouldn't even have got you in the 12-stage road relay team.

Joe Volcano wrote (see)

The question is almost meaningless, not the least because the times are so out of kilter, a 52min 10 is way better than the 5/10k ones. But every club is different so what are we to compare it with? And what era? Even a 52min 10 was hardly exceptional in the early 80s when I started. And sub-33min 10k wouldn't even have got you in the 12-stage road relay team.

God I feel like a slow runner now

Big_G - If we add another stat for number of UK runners that have achieved these times in the whole of 2012 so far in any marathon across the globe then the picture is pretty clear:

Sub 2:30:
2012 - 55 Finishers
1985 - 264 Finishers
2012 (any marathon anywhere) - 61 Finishers

Sub 2:45:
2012 - 364 Finishers
1985 - 1,110 Finishers
2012 (any marathon anywhere) - 517 Finishers

Sub 3:00:
2012 - 1232 Finishers
1985 - 2761 Finishers
2012 (any marathon anywhere) - 1962 Finishers

Big_G wrote (see)

Interesting stats but has the make up of the race changed? I.E., more charity runners, more of the fairer sex etc? I don't know, but maybe factors like this have an impact as well?

Probably down to there being loads of better things for the youth of today to do, than blindly thrash out 100miles a week every week.

Wouldn't imagine many kids dream is to be the next marathon champ, compared to being a Premier league footballer.

Think about it, you'd have to be one of the 5 or so best in the country to even get funding in running, whereas even a youth team Premier league player can be on £10k a week.

kittenkat wrote (see)

No is the answer. I would say that a good club runner in a big established club (like mine) would be slightly more than that. If he's telling the truth he would the best club runner.

My best times come from the late 80's - sub 15:30 5k / 32 10k / sub 51:30 10m / sub 69 1/2 sub 2:30 marathon - and I struggled to make our club 6 stage relay team - I'm guessing today I'd be winning a lot of races with those times - it's a question of era as someone else pointed out - the late 80's was a bit of a boom time for running - today's average good club runner would still achieve those times - there's just not the strength in depth that there use to be!

Back in the day I was running 17 min for 5K, 36 min for 10K, 58 mins for 10 miles, never went any longer BUT the point is I was nowhere hear good enough to make the club A team, whereas if I could run those times today I would be a shoe in.

When I was at school in the 80s I was running 3miles in under 21mins at age 15. That was just three runs a week in the evening to top up two rugby training sessions and a few squash sessions. I'm fairly sure that we would often run 2laps cross country for a warm up at the start of PE lessons (especially if it was raining - we had one of those type of PE teachers). I usually came in near the back of the field. The last few used to have to run another lap. I've just used map-my-run to measure the distance at 1.25miles per lap.

I'll ask my daughter how often they run.

Still remember a guy called Trevor Hawes who started up running after seven years off. Eleven months later he ran 2:17 for a marathon and was disappointed.

Still considered to be just a club runner.

when i was 20 years younger, I'd regularly do 50mins for 10mile training runs whilst smoking a pipe and singing "gotta get up, got to feel good"

These whipper snappers don't know how pathetically mediocre they are these days. Grump grump.

Well I can beat that. I joined a club 6 weeks ago and have already set club records over 4 distances. Not only that, I am running 2 minutes a mile slower than I was back in the 80's and back then I was not considered a fast runner.

This is what I tell them when standing outside the pub and it is true.

( I could also maybe tell them that I am the only one in my age category there but I dont think they would fully understand running age categories and I dont want to confuse them.)

Derek, I did a 10miler the other week, and was slightly shocked to be beaten by a 60+.

He did run sub 57 though

well i did google (eventually) the fella in question as was suggested earlier in the thread and it appears his claims may be correct. i didn't find all of his pb times as only looked down the first 5-6 links but he has a very recent sub 56min 10M  and a park run of 16:01. Given he said he has slowed down a bit in recent years his times are 'probably' legit.

What's a good PB for a non-club runner?  Are they different?

Non club runners can easily be very good too, but there's not that many of them. Very hard to judge.

Its just at the moment, today's 'good club runners' have times that would have been average / good 15 years ago. It may change again...

I think the only good PB is the one you are happy with, if there is such a thing