Ed Whitlock (born March 6, 1931) is a Canadian long-distance runner, and the first person over 70 years old to run a marathon in less than three hours with a time of 2:59:10 in 2003.
Whitlock, who ran as a teenager and took the sport back up again in his 40s, first became the oldest person to run a marathon in less than 3 hours in 2000 at age 69 with a time of 2:52:47. Since then, he has continued to extend this record, most recently to age 74 with a time of 2:58:40. His best time since turning 70 was 2:54:48 at age 73, the world record for men 70 to 74. According to The New York Times, if age-graded this time is equivalent to a 20-year-old running 2:03.57 and is the fastest marathon ever run.[1] For an explanation of age graded tables see masters athletics#Age-graded tables. To date (2010) he is still the only person over 70 to run a marathon in less than 3 hours.
In 2006 he set the world record for the 75 to 79 age group with a time of 3:08:35 at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon,[2] and in the Rotterdam Marathon on April 15, 2007, Ed lowered that mark to 3:04:54.
On September 26, 2010, Whitlock ran the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon in 1:34:23.4.[3]
After turning 80, Whitlock improved the Marathon world record for his age category by almost 15 minutes to 3:25:43 at the 2011 Rotterdam Marathon on April 10, 2011.[4] He then further improved on his age category world record at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 16, 2011, lowering the record to 3:15:54[5].
Whitlock also competes on the track, he currently (2010) holds 10 world age group records ranging in distances from 1500m to 10,000m and age groups 65+, 70+ and 75+. as well as the 3 age group marathon records 70+, 75+ and 80+ [6]
Whitlock was born in London, England, and later moved to Canada to pursue an engineering career following graduation from Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, England. He now resides in Milton, Ontario.
Outdoor - Track
| Distance | Age Group | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500m | Men 80-84 | 5:48.93 | |
| Mile: | Men 75-79 | 5:41.80 | |
| 3000m | Men 75-79 | 11:10.43 | |
| 3000m | Men 80-84 | 12:13.56 | pending |
| 5000m | Men 75-79 | 19:07.02 | |
| 5000m | Men 80-84 | 21:32.87 | |
| 5000m | Men 80-84 | 20:58.12 | pending |
| 10000m | Men 70-74 | 38:04.13 | |
| 10000m | Men 75-79 | 39:25.16 | |
| 10000m | Men 80-84 | 42:39.95 |
Indoor - Track
| Distance | Age Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1500m | Men 75-79 | 5:20.04 |
| 1500m | Men 80-84 | 5:48.47 |
| 3000m | Men 65-69 | 10:11.60 |
| 3000m | Men 70-74 | 10:52.40 |
| 3000m | Men 75-79 | 11:17.21 |
| 3000m | Men 80-84 | 12:00.88 |
Outdoor - Road
| Distance | Age Group | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon | Men 70-74 | 2:54:48 | |
| Marathon | Men 75-79 | 3:04:54 | |
| Marathon | Men 80-84 | 3:25:43 | |
| Marathon | Men 80-84 | 3:15:54 | pending |
In addition to the records above recognised by World Masters Athletics the Association of Road Race Statisticians keeps single and group age road records. Whitlock's age group records recognized by ARRS follow.
Outdoor - Road
| Distance | Age Group | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10K | Men 70-74 | 37:33 |
| 10K | Men 75-79 | 40:10 |
| 15K | Men 65-69 | 55:04 |
| 15K | Men 70-74 | 58:19 |
| 15K | Men 75-79 | 1:00:19 |
| Half Marathon | Men 70-74 | 1:22:23 |
| Half Marathon | Men 75-79 | 1:29:26 |
| Marathon | Men 70-74 | 2:54:48 |
| Marathon | Men 75-79 | 3:04:54 |
| Marathon | Men 80-84 | 3:15:54 |
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