Though marathons are long, races often come down to seconds—seconds that separate runners, personal bests, or, in this case, a national age-group record. Calgary’s Ken Young has twice come heartbreakingly close to setting a Canadian masters marathon record, only to be hindered by the handicap of starting in a crowded corral—costing him the most precious thing in a marathon, time.
Earlier this month, at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon, Young set his sights on two ambitious goals: winning his men’s 65+ age category at an Abbott World Marathon Major and breaking the 2:55 mark—a solid time for anyone, let alone a runner over 60. Not only did he achieve both, but he came agonizingly close to an even bigger milestone: Ed Whitlock’s men’s 65-69 Canadian age group record of 2:51:03.
In the end, Young fell short of the record by just 21 seconds—the exact amount of time it took him to cross the start line after the gun went off on Staten Island. Under Canadian Masters Athletics (CMA) rules, only gun time—not chip time—is considered for record purposes, making his near-record effort ineligible.
When Whitlock set his record at the 1999 Columbus Marathon, he started at the front of the race, ensuring his gun time and chip time were identical. While Whitlock didn’t face a delay getting to the start line, he also lacked the technological advantage of today’s carbon-plated running shoes (which Young took advantage of)—but that’s another story.
New York City marked the second time CMA’s gun-time rule has dashed Young’s record aspirations. At the 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, he finished two seconds ahead of the men’s 60+ record of 2:47:02 on chip time, only to fall short by 12 seconds on gun time, rendering the performance invalid from a records point of view. Similarly, the previous record holder, Herb Phillips, had started at the front of the Victoria Marathon in 2004, ensuring his chip and gun times were (again) identical.
On both occasions, Young submitted a request to the CMA, advocating for a rule change. “I’m not asking for it to be retroactive, but I don’t think the gun-time rule makes much sense,” Young said. “I understand [using gun time] for the open category, but for age-group records, it doesn’t matter. Penalizing a runner from the start because of their position—it’s not rational.”
The CMA is not alone in adhering to this rule, which dates back to the establishment of World Masters Athletics (the World Association of Veteran Athletes at the time) in the late 1970s. While chip-timing technology has since become the standard for getting into events like the Boston Marathon and other Abbott World Marathon Majors, the CMA, WMA, and USATF continue to rely on gun time to validate age-group records.
Yes, Young could’ve chosen a smaller marathon to chase Whitlock’s time, but the 2024 New York City Marathon presented him with an opportunity to run while being cheered by his daughter, who lives in the city. However, big-city marathons bring challenges, including the large mass fields that come with it—in New York’s case, 55,000+ participants. “Unless you’re willing to elbow your way to the front—which is tough as a 65-year-old man—and make a lot of enemies, there’s no way to have your gun time match your chip time,” Young said.
Starting farther back also meant dealing with the chaos of jostling and finding his rhythm during the first kilometre—issues less common in smaller marathons. These challenges underscore the disparity between elite runners, who start at the front, and top age groupers, who are relegated to assigned corrals.
The CMA board recognized the issue of chip time versus gun time and met to discuss changing the rule for road race records. They decided to accept chip time for national road race records starting in January 2025. A representative for World Masters Athletics said they have no plans to change their use of gun time for world road race records.
