The "Cooper Test", conceived by Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper as a test for aerobic fitness, involves measuring the maximum distance an individual can run (or walk or crawl) in twelve minutes. Outside the laboratory, it is one of the best methods to examine one's heart/lung efficiency.
I have estimated population percentiles for all possible Cooper Test results: These are based on study of performance in Cooper Tests and other types of running events of various levels I have observed in my life, combined with some educated guessing. The below table applies to males from age 15 to 38; females in that age group should add 10% to their performance before consulting the table. For younger and older persons the percentiles may not be accurate, but informative still.
| Distance (× 100 m) | %ile | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | <.0001 | Disabled |
| 1 | .001 | |
| 2 | .003 | |
| 3 | .008 | |
| 4 | .018 | |
| 5 | .05 | |
| 6 | .08 | |
| 7 | .1 | |
| 8 | .2 | |
| 9 | .6 | |
| 10 | 1 | |
| 11 | 2 | |
| 12 | 4 | Poor shape |
| 13 | 6 | |
| 14 | 10 | |
| 15 | 14 | |
| 16 | 20 | |
| 17 | 25 | |
| 18 | 34 | Acceptable |
| 19 | 42 | |
| 20 | 50 | |
| 21 | 58 | |
| 22 | 66 | |
| 23 | 75 | |
| 24 | 80 | Good |
| 25 | 86 | |
| 26 | 90 | |
| 27 | 94 | |
| 28 | 96 | Excellent |
| 29 | 98 | |
| 30 | 99 | |
| 31 | 99.4 | |
| 32 | 99.8 | Athletic |
| 33 | 99.9 | |
| 34 | 99.92 | |
| 35 | 99.95 | |
| 36 | 99.982 | |
| 37 | 99.992 | |
| 38 | 99.997 | Competitive |
| 39 | 99.999 | |
| 40 | 99.9991 | |
| 41 | 99.99985 | |
| 42 | 99.99995 | |
| 43 | 99.999986 | World class |
| 44 | 99.999996 | |
| 45 | 99.9999986 | |
| 46 | 99.9999995 | |
| 47 | 99.9999999 | The best |
| 48 | 99.99999997 | |
| 49 | 99.999999992 | |
| 50 | 99.999999999 |
I have devised a variant of the (mainly aerobic) Cooper Test, the Anaerobic Running Test, that measures ability to run (or walk) at so high a pace that the oxygen supplied by heart and lungs is no longer sufficient for the muscles to work ("anaerobic"). This ability is relevant with respect to activities that last not longer than several minutes, like middle distance running. The ART is strictly individual and involves running for 127 seconds and measuring the covered distance in metres. The world's best runners will then end up close to 1000, so that the ART can be felt as a scale to 1000. I estimated percentiles for the ART again (again, table is valid for males of 15-38 - same as the other one):
| Distance (m) | %ile |
|---|---|
| 0 | <.00015 |
| 50 | .00015 |
| 100 | .002 |
| 150 | .02 |
| 200 | .2 |
| 250 | 1 |
| 300 | 4 |
| 350 | 12 |
| 400 | 28 |
| 450 | 50 |
| 500 | 72 |
| 550 | 88 |
| 600 | 96 |
| 650 | 99 |
| 700 | 99.8 |
| 750 | 99.98 |
| 800 | 99.998 |
| 850 | 99.99985 |
| 900 | 99.999994 |
| 950 | 99.9999997 |
| 1000 | 99.999999993 |