I'm not passing judgement on you TurboTom, but when I was 16 I was a bit of an idiot; I would probably have killed myself on the longer races by not making sensible decisions in poor weather conditions and the like.
I know that not every youth is going to make poor decisions in these circumstances, but event organisers have certain responsibilities, especially where under 18s are concerned.
All I can say is have patience; My 16 to 18 years passed in a blur, so I'm sure yours will too. You'll soon be wishing the time back!
As for these 80 year olds, I think that probably everyone on this forum finds their tenacity highly commendable. Besides, they ought to be allowed to have lots of running practice to enable them to outrun the grim reaper!