observer, these Olympian efforts resembled an emerging trend, with runners young and old bursting through a narrow age boundary. The youth movement included 19-year-old Kim Kum-Ok, a North Korean who finished 12th in the women's race. And on the other side

're competitive non-elites like Tarnopolsky or world-class performers like Dita, Master runners who perform well past 35 share one trait – they've turned their experience into an advantage. They have learned to recognise the types of training their bodies respond

. Make sure you train at race pace If you want to be able to run faster, you need to teach your body and brain what that feels like before the race, Dugas says. Whether you're training for a 5K or 26.2-miler, running mile repeats at that pace helps