A “Veteran” is a global term for veteran endurance athletes, equivalent to the US’s “Masters.” Males are referred to as veterans as early as 40 and females as early as 35 years of age by World Athletics (previously the IAAF). They tend to participate in half their own age group events which rate their performance on the basis of their age rather than ranking.
Veterans’ categories enable older athletes to remain active and participate in endurance activities as they age. The vast majority of national and international endurance competitions, such as marathon running, triathlons, and cycling competitions, provide only veteran or masters’ prizes and rankings. Veterans’ categories enable all to participate and demonstrate respect for enduring commitment to sport and both performance and participation regardless of age. Older athletes tend to continue to train and compete competitively and also support younger athletes by mentoring them and maintaining friendships in endurance sport.
