USATF Masters Nationals qualifying standards for women's 100m hurdles by age group. Hurdle heights and spacings are adjusted for masters age groups.
Standards shown by 5-year age group. You compete in the age group matching your age on the first day of competition.
| Age Group | Qualifying Standard |
|---|---|
| M35 | — |
| M40 | — |
| M45 | — |
| M50 | — |
| M55 | — |
| M60 | — |
| M65 | — |
| M70 | — |
| Age Group | Qualifying Standard |
|---|---|
| W35 | 14.00 |
| W40 | 14.80 |
| W45 | 15.80 |
| W50 | 17.00 |
| W55 | 18.50 |
| W60 | 20.50 |
| W65 | 22.50 |
| W70 | 25.00 |
| Age Group | Hurdle Height | Hurdle Spacing | # Hurdles |
|---|---|---|---|
| W35 | 33" (83.8cm) | 8.50m | 10 |
| W40 | 33" (83.8cm) | 8.50m | 10 |
| W45 | 30" (76.2cm) | 8.50m | 10 |
| W50 | 30" (76.2cm) | 8.50m | 10 |
| W55 | 27" (68.6cm) | 8.50m | 10 |
| W60 | 24" (60.9cm) | 8.50m | 10 |
| W65 | 24" (60.9cm) | 8.50m | 10 |
| W70 | 21" (53.3cm) | 8.50m | 10 |
| Athlete | Age Group | Mark | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joanna Hayes | W40 | 13.07 | 2011 | Masters World Best |
| Ginka Zagorcheva | W45 | 13.84 | 2005 | |
| Brigita Bukovec | W40 | 13.24 | 2007 | |
| Sharon Couch-Jewell | W55 | 15.42 | 2012 | WMA World Record |
Women's 100m hurdle heights decrease from 33 inches (W35–W44) through 21 inches (W70+). Adjusting your clearance mechanics as you move into new age groups with lower hurdles is key to maximizing performance without over-clearing.
The 100m hurdles is primarily a speed event. Maintaining sprint speed with age through short sprint training (30–60m accelerations, block starts) is the most important training priority for masters hurdlers.
Daily hurdle-specific drills — walking lead leg swings, trail leg rotations, and 3-step hurdle drills — maintain the neuromuscular patterns needed for fast hurdle clearance. These take only 10–15 minutes and pay large dividends.
Hip flexor and external hip rotator flexibility is the most critical physical quality for masters women's hurdlers. A daily 10-minute hip mobility routine dramatically reduces injury risk and improves clearance mechanics.
Achieving a consistent 8-step approach to the first hurdle is essential. Practice starts and approach runs regularly so the stride pattern becomes automatic, allowing you to focus on hurdle mechanics rather than counting steps.
In masters hurdles, the athletes who maintain the smoothest technique through all 10 hurdles — rather than those who clear the first few fastest — typically win. Practice full-flight 100m hurdle runs in training to build race endurance.
Female masters athletes aged 50–54 (W50 age group) use 30-inch (76.2cm) hurdles for the 100m hurdles. This is reduced from the 33-inch standard used by W35–W44 athletes.
No. Men compete in the 110m hurdles at masters level, not the 100m hurdles. The 100m hurdles is exclusively a women's event at masters level. Men's masters hurdle standards can be found on the 110m hurdles page.
You must be at least 35 years old to compete in the masters division. The W35 age group covers athletes aged 35–39 and uses the same 33-inch hurdles as the standard women's event.
The number of hurdles (10) and the spacing (8.50m between hurdles) remain the same across all women's masters age groups for the 100m hurdles. Only the hurdle height changes as athletes move into older age groups.
Use TrackThletics to monitor your 100m Hurdles performances and track progress toward USATF Masters qualifying standards
Download Free on App Store