Running News Daily

Age is often described as the greatest opponent in athletics. For most runners, the battle is not against rivals on the track but against the relentless passage of time. Yet this spring, one remarkable athlete delivered a performance that challenged everything we think we know about aging and endurance.

At a track meeting in Wimbledon, 62-year-old Clare Elms produced a run for the history books, clocking 4:56.77 for 1500 metres despite battling a stiff easterly wind. The performance not only lowered her own W60 world record but also made her the oldest woman ever to break the five-minute barrier for the distance.

The achievement becomes even more extraordinary when viewed in context. In her race, eight of the ten competitors were young enough to be her grandchildren. While many athletes spend their careers chasing youthful promise, Elms lined up wearing bib number 62—a simple reflection of her age, yet a powerful reminder of how far beyond conventional expectations she continues to compete.

What separates Elms from many masters athletes is that her journey to elite running success began relatively late. She did not commit seriously to training until her early forties, following the birth of her triplets. At an age when many athletes are retiring from competitive sport, she was only beginning to discover her potential.

Over the next two decades, she steadily transformed herself into one of the most accomplished age-group runners in history. Rather than slowing down, she continued to redefine what was possible, collecting world records and national marks across multiple age categories.

Her latest milestone adds another chapter to an already extraordinary résumé. Elms currently holds sixteen British records across the 1500 metres and mile events, spanning categories from W45 through W60. Earlier this year, she also set world-best performances over both 5 kilometres and 5 miles, further cementing her status as one of the most dominant masters runners of her generation.

The significance of her sub-five-minute run extends beyond statistics and record books. It serves as a powerful statement that athletic excellence is not confined to youth. While conventional wisdom suggests that peak performance has an expiration date, Elms continues to challenge those assumptions with every race she enters.

In a sport obsessed with the pursuit of personal bests, Clare Elms has accomplished something even rarer—she has shifted the boundaries of what is believed to be possible. Most athletes spend their careers trying to hold on to their prime years. Clare Elms has spent hers proving that a prime can be redefined.

At 62, she is not merely setting records. She is reshaping the narrative of aging in sport, one remarkable lap at a time.

Joseph Njoroge (blue jersey) from Ngong Athletics Club was the overall winner of the Second edition of the Double 15k race held in Thika on Wednesday morning.

The 18-year-old Nyandarua-born Njoroge clocked 29:56.17 in 10Km before caping the event with 14:43.93 to emerged top in 44:40.10 in the new race that is gaining ground in Kenya.

Local ace Zakariah Kirika, 21, who trains with the host Kenyan Athletics Training Academy (KATA) in Thika, combined 45:25.31 to finish second splitting 30:28.54 in 10Km and 14:56.77 after the break.

For the women, Newcomer Caren Chepkemoi from the Thika based Training Academy won the lady’s category in 59:50.76. She timed 40:14.97 in 10km and 19:35.79 followed by training mate Susan Njeriwho fished second in combined 1:00.01.68 in the race organized by Kenyan Athletics Training Academy.

62-year-old Charles Ndirangu who trains at KATA smashed the 60-69 world best clocking 55:11 for the two legs.  His splits were 37:04 for 10k and 18:07 for 5k.  

“The double Race tests athletes’ endurance. They must do 15Km split into 10Km and 5Km. This is separated by 1hr 45min break from the start of the 10Km race and beginning of the 5Km leg.  Times are added together for scoring.  The leaders after the first leg wears the yellow jersey so everyone knows who is leading going into the second leg," explained Bob Anderson, the creator of Double Racing in 2010 and the chairman  of the Double Road Race Federation based in Mountain View California USA. 

This was the second Double Race after the first was held in September last year during the official opening of the KATA that now hosts 15 athletes.

The KATA 10Km monthly Time-Trial resumes on October 15th in Thika.