Running races

Layna and Themba are the real runners

"Mosley Crushes Opposition in Pittsboro"
http://www.runnc.com/exec/young/pdf/reindeer05.txt

"Mosley wins Kidney Kare 5k"
http://www.offnrunningsports.com/results/2006/2006_04_01_kidneyag.htm

but she (and the chocolate dog) drag me round the trails of Chapel Hill huffing and puffing behind them. Now I have entered the track and field circuit I am competing against other old people due to the glorious invention of "age groups." My age group is 35-39 and over the last three races (8k Carrboro, 5k in Meadowmont, and 5k at UNC) I have managed to win that age group -- which sounds good but then you realise that the 35-39 year olds are the slow pokes of the running world. The early 30s are faster (no surprise there) but so are the 40 year olds! What's the deal? Why should men in the second half of their 30s be slower than everyone else?

Evidence:

Kidney Kare - 8k Run (April 1, 2006)

30-34 Group

Place    Name                    City              Age   Overall       Time      Pace
 1    Patrick Archdeacon      Chapel Hill  NC     34        2     29:23.10    5:55/M
 2    Andrew Fedoriw          Durham  NC          30       11     34:05.00    6:51/M
 
35-39 Group
1    Andrew Reynolds        Chapel Hill  NC       38       13     34:27.10     6:56/M
2   Howie Kashefsky                               36       17     35:56.30     7:14/M

40-44 Group:
1    David Holmes                        NC       42        8     33:45.00     6:47/M

Girls on the Run 5k Meadowmont (April 22, 2006)

30-34 Group:

1    Brian Smith             Durham  NC          34        2        17:53    5:46/M
2    Ronnie Weed             Chapel Hill  NC     31        4        18:19    5:55/M
3    Josh Edwards                                31        7        18:43    6:02/M

35-39 Group:

1    Andrew Reynolds         Chapel Hill  NC     38       25        20:33    6:38/M
2    Jared Resnick           Chapel Hill  NC     38       47        21:46    7:01/M
3    Joe Deehan                                  37       51        21:49    7:02/M

40-44 Group:

1    Bob Callanan                                41       18        20:02    6:28/M
2    Robert Vonalten                             40       84        23:13    7:29/M

This inequity troubles me.