Question: If Elders are maxed out at 50, then how can there be people on the leaderboard with 51-53 elders?
Barbara's post above explains how it is theoretically possible to get 51 villagers as elders after an event. Maybe they have had the same event more than once? Alternatively, and I realise this may be a radical idea, is it possible that those at the top of the leaderboard have been cheating?