Besides having Númenorean blood, I've always thought Tolkien let special and/or particularly good people live longer, Aragorn and Faramir who both had longer lifespans than their average countrymen being cases in point in my mind. I didn't remember Elendil's age, but the theory works with it too.
Anyway, here's an essay complete with graphs:
Decline of the Lifespan of the Númenoreans. It's written by an (inactive) Downer called
Alcuin, whose awesome website I consult whenever I need information about the (lifespans of the) Stewards of Gondor or the Princes of Dol Amroth for RPGing purposes.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Alcuin
Tolkien noted that the long lifespan of the Númenóreans was “brought about by assimilation of their mode of life to that of the Eldar … ‘Clinging to life’, and so in the end dying perforce and involuntarily, was one of the changes brought about by the Shadow and the rebellion of the Númenóreans; it was also accompanied by a shrinking of their natural life-span.”
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