How to interpret your age-graded result

The TruePace Run calculator gives you several numbers at once. The useful trick is to read them in the right order, without turning any single output into the whole story.

A good result reading starts with the official clock time, adds pace, then uses the age-graded percentage and age-adjusted equivalent time as context. The source note tells you what data the estimate is based on.

Raw finish time

The raw finish time is still the race result. Age grading does not change the official clock, finishing order or published event result. If the race says 55:00, your result is 55:00.

That matters because age grading is context layered on top of the result, not a replacement for the result.

Pace per kilometre and mile

Pace helps make the result easier to understand across distances. A runner may know what 5:30 per kilometre feels like even if they are less sure how to compare a 10K with a half marathon.

Use pace for training and race-memory context. Use age grading for age-group comparison. They answer different questions.

Age-graded percentage

The age-graded percentage compares your result with a sourced standard for that distance, age and gender. A higher percentage generally means a stronger age-group performance.

The percentage is useful because it gives one comparable number across supported distances and age groups. It is also easy to misuse. A decimal point does not mean the calculator knows the weather, terrain or how close you were to your best effort.

Age-adjusted equivalent time

The age-adjusted equivalent time translates the performance into an open-standard equivalent. Many runners find this more intuitive than a percentage because it looks like a familiar race time.

Treat it as a comparison aid, not a fantasy PB. It is saying roughly what the performance lines up with under the calculator's age-grading method, not what you definitely would have run in another body, another decade or another pair of shoes.

Source note

The source note matters. TruePace Run currently uses sourced 2025 road-running standards from Alan Lytton Jones' Age-Grade-Tables project. The calculator keeps that note visible so the result is not a mysterious number with a nice font.

Why the same number can mean different things

Two runners can have the same age-graded percentage but very different race stories. One might have run a cool, flat 5K after a focused training block. Another might have run a windy, rolling 10K while carrying fatigue. The calculator sees inputs, not the full lived drama.

What to do next

• Compare like with like where possible: same distance, similar course and similar conditions.
• Use old PB comparisons carefully, especially if courses and training were very different.
• Read the methodology when you want to understand the data source.
• Use examples to see how common race times change across age groups.

The best use of age grading is honest encouragement. It can show that a result is stronger than the raw clock suggests, while still leaving room for judgement, course context and ordinary runner humility.