Athlete's Guide to Australian Masters Athletics Track and Field Ages 30+ 2026/27

Australian Masters Athletics governs athletics for men and women aged 30 and over. Its championships cater for all athletes, male and female, including Para athletes, in five-year age groups starting at thirty (30-34, 35-39 and so on). Your age group is decided by your age on the first day of competition, and in individual events athletes may only compete within their own age group.

WMA's 2026 Rules of Competition (amended 5 December 2025) set the international groups from age 35: M35/W35 (35-39), M40/W40 (40-44) up to M95/W95 (95-99), and M100+/W100+, with groups over 100 still run in five-year steps. For WMA competition the age group is set by date of birth on the first day of competition, and for records by date of birth on the day of the record.

Para athletes can compete in any event as long as it does not lead to unreasonable disruption of the programme (for example, seated throws are unlikely to be accommodated), but there is no separate award or record category for Para athletes.

From AMA's throwing implement specifications (and repeated in the Championships Manual, July 2026):

Women

Men

The Single Arm Weight event (formerly Weight for Distance, renamed in 2022) is thrown from a discus circle, using any technique but with only one hand. The AMA sheet also lists separate weights for Single Arm Weight and Super Weight, and implements for the Throws Pentathlon (hammer, shot, discus, javelin, weight throw, in that order, with three throws of each) and the Heavy Weight Pentathlon.

AMA's National Championships Manual (July 2026) sets out these hurdle specifications as applying from 1 January 2026. Each entry is race distance, hurdle height and number of hurdles (outdoor races).

Women, short: 30-39: 100m, 0.840m, 10 hurdles. 40-49: 80m, 0.762m, 8. 50-59: 80m, 0.762m, 8. 60-69: 80m, 0.686m, 8. 70+: 80m, 0.686m, 8 (11m to the first hurdle, 6m between, 27m to the finish).
Women, long: 30-49: 400m, 0.762m, 10. 50-59: 300m, 0.762m, 7. 60-69: 300m, 0.686m, 7. 70+: 200m, 0.686m, 5.
Men, short: 30-49: 110m, 0.991m, 10. 50-59: 100m, 0.914m, 10. 60-69: 100m, 0.840m, 10. 70-79: 80m, 0.762m, 8. 80+: 80m, 0.686m, 8 (11m, 6m, 27m).
Men, long: 30-49: 400m, 0.914m, 10. 50-59: 400m, 0.840m, 10. 60-69: 300m, 0.762m, 7. 70-79: 300m, 0.686m, 7. 80+: 200m, 0.686m, 5.

The manual also lists 60m indoor hurdle races with 5 hurdles for each age group.

Steeplechase: women 30+ run 2000m with 0.762m barriers. Men 30-59 run 3000m with 0.914m barriers, and men 60+ run 2000m with 0.762m barriers. A 2000m steeple has 18 barriers and 5 water jumps, and a 3000m has 28 barriers and 7 water jumps. AMA's hurdles and steeplechase specification sheet adds that the barrier height for the 3000m shall be 0.838m, and that 0.914m is acceptable for competition and records.

WMA publishes "Age Factors and Parameters for Scoring Combined Events and One Year Age Factors", 2023 Edition, effective 1 January 2023. AMA links it on its Rules and Technical Info page alongside the WMA Combined Events Scoring appendix (2023) and an AMA Combined Events Scoring Calculator (2023 version, AMA edition dated 29 July 2026).

The document has two sets of tables, separately for women and men:

• Combined events age factors at five-year steps from age 35, for 60m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1000m, 1500m, 60m hurdles, short hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, shot put, discus, hammer, javelin and weight throw.
• One-year age factors for each single age from 30, covering track distances from 60m to 10,000m, hurdles, steeplechase, jumps, throws, race walks and the half marathon. For example, the women's one-year factor for the 100m is 1.0000 at age 37 and 0.9810 at age 40.

Competition at AMA Championships is by five-year age groups, with separate results, records and awards for each age group of men and women (WMA Technical Rule 9.1).

• Heats: competitors in track events up to and including 800m should check whether heats are required (a Local Organising Committee can require sign-in for all track events). Everyone in a scheduled heat must sign in at least one hour before the advertised heat time or cannot take part. Sign-in sheets are removed one hour before the event. Sign-in is not required for finals. Where there are too few entrants for heats, the event is run as a final.
• Reporting: all competitors must report to their event marshal 20 minutes before the advertised start time. Pole vault entrants report 30 minutes before. For events of 800m and above (including the last runner in the 4 x 400m), collect a hip number. Use of a call room is at the Local Organising Committee's discretion.
• Field events: if an athlete is not there 20 minutes before the start, their name stays on the list until the start of the fourth round, by which time they must have had at least one throw or jump.
• Clashes: track events take precedence over field events. Officials will try to meet the needs of athletes in conflicting events but events are not held up.
• Warming up: use the adjoining warm-up track for all warming up before the call room if there is one. If only the competition track is available, warm up on the back straight, taking care to avoid events.

No. It is not compulsory in masters athletics to use crouch starts or starting blocks, or to have both hands in contact with the track (WMA Technical Rule 15). If you do use blocks at an AMA Championship, personal blocks may not be used; blocks are supplied.

Commands: for races below 800m the start is "On your marks; Set; Gun". For events of 800m and over it is "On your marks; Gun".

False starts: an athlete charged with a false start by the Chief Starter is warned, and all athletes are allowed one false start. An athlete charged with a second false start in the same race is disqualified (this includes combined events). In the outdoor pentathlon sprints, a second break means disqualification.

An athlete protesting a disqualification after two false starts may not compete under protest.

• Trials: in throws, long jump and triple jump, the best eight competitors after three rounds are eligible for a further three trials. When there are eight or fewer competitors in an age group, all are eligible for six trials. Order is reversed by ranking for the final three trials, with no further reordering for the final round.
• Late arrivals: no competitor may enter the competition after the fourth round begins. A competitor who leaves during an event may compete out of turn for that round.
• Warm-up: all athletes are entitled to a minimum of two official warm-up trials in competition order.
• 60 second rule: for all throws and horizontal jumps, once called the competitor has 60 seconds to start the attempt. At 15 seconds a yellow flag is raised to show how much time is left, and running out of time is a no throw or jump. The clock does not start until the competitor has their preferred implement.
• High jump and pole vault: the bar normally rises by 3cm in high jump and 5cm in pole vault, unless all competitors agree to a higher figure. When one competitor is left in an age group, that athlete decides the height, while other age groups continue the normal progression. Masters competitors may touch the landing area before clearing the bar but may not use it to any advantage.
• Hammer and weight throws: the throwing motion must be done with two hands on the handle, and one-handed release is not allowed.
• Personal equipment: must be submitted to the Technical Officer for inspection between two and three hours before the event (the previous day if the event starts before 10am), and must be available to all competitors.

The maximum spike length is 7mm for track events and 9mm for field events. Only Christmas tree or pyramid spikes may be used, and needle spikes are not permitted. Call room staff, chiefs and referees check spikes on athletes' shoes, and the Local Organising Committee should give the spike length and type suitable for the track in the entry form and programme.

Under WMA Competition Rule 5.13.3, any shoe used in competition must have a sole no thicker than 40mm, except that a shoe containing spikes must have a sole no thicker than 30mm.

Australian athletes must wear their approved state or territory uniform at AMA Championships. A competitor using a host state or territory's temporary membership must wear that state or territory uniform too.

Bibs: attach bibs front and back, except in field events where only one bib is required. Do not fold or crease a bib so that it hides the number or sponsor details. The number should ideally be at least 70mm high (preferably 90mm), and the bib is recommended to be no larger than 210mm x 150mm with the writing in a bold colour.

At WMA Championships (the world masters championships) all competitors must wear a competition top approved by their national WMA Member, and bibs must clearly identify the athlete's sex and age group.

• 4 x 100m is conducted for state-based teams. 4 x 400m is conducted for state-based teams and can alternate between mixed gender one year (M, F, M, F) and age-based the next.
• Relay age groups for women and men are 120-179, 180-239 and 240+. Age is worked out by adding together the age group of each athlete, not their actual ages.
• A state team cannot combine women and men.
• A state may enter more than one team in an age group, but only its highest placed team is eligible for medals (unless two or fewer states compete in that relay age group, in which case additional teams become eligible for the remaining medals). If there are not enough lanes for second teams, the Competition Director draws them from a hat.
• Composite teams of the same gender can be entered at the Competition Director's discretion if there are enough lanes, and are eligible for medals.
• Teams, with their members and up to two reserves, must be submitted to the Competition Director at least two hours before the event.
• An athlete can be nominated for more than one age division but can only compete in one. Athletes must run in the order on the entry form, and substitutions can be made up until the final marshalling call.
• Athlete-based teams may have a 4 x 800m relay if the Local Organising Committee approves.

Medals: the first three Australians in each event receive a medal. Masters athletes from other countries may compete and, if placed, receive their appropriate medal, while the first three Australians still receive gold, silver and bronze.

Protests: a protest about an athlete's right to compete must go to the Technical Delegate before the start of the relevant event. If it is not promptly resolved, the athlete competes "under protest". A protest arising from the competition goes to the Referee no later than 30 minutes after the event finishes. An appeal against the Referee's decision must be in writing to the Jury of Appeal with a $50 deposit, which is forfeited if the appeal is considered frivolous, returned if upheld and otherwise at the jury's discretion. WMA rules add that an athlete protesting a disqualification after two false starts may not compete under protest.

Doping: AMA subscribes to the anti-doping policy advocated by WMA and testing may take place.

Honest effort: athletes are expected to compete honestly and with bona fide effort.