How old must my child be to run road races?

Question

Accepted Answer

ASA Rule 23.4 sets minimum ages for road races, the same for boys and girls, based on age on race day:

Distance	Minimum age
2-5km	9
6-10km	14
11-15km	15
16-21.1km (half marathon)	16
22-32km	19
33-42.2km (marathon) and ultras	20

So a 13-year-old can run a 5km but not a 10km, and a half marathon is open from 16. Fun runs of 8km or less fall outside this table. In cross country, U16s race 4km, U18 boys 6km and girls 4km, and U20 men 8km and women 6km.