When Sarah agreed to join a friend for a parkrun in Cape Town in 2017, she had no idea how much it would change her life.
At 67, she discovered a passion for running and quickly became a fixture at her local event in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
Her 5K times kept improving and encouraged by this she joined Dacorum Athletics Club just before her 70th birthday.
Now aged 75, Sarah is a British Masters athlete redefining what’s possible in her age group, with world records in the W75 category for 800m, 1,500m, one mile, 3,000m, 5,000m and 10,000m (all outdoor track), plus world-best performances in the 5K, 8K and 10K on the road.
She also holds indoor track world records for 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m, and the British record for the 400m – indoors and outdoors. She has competed at Masters Championships in the US, Finland, Sweden and, most recently, Madeira.
Sarah had always gone to the gym and still enjoys weekly classes, which meant she started her running with a good base of fitness but had never run any distance.
“People seem to think that you slow down, and obviously you do slow down a bit, but I don’t think as much as people think they do if they would keep exercise up,” says Sarah, speaking after her latest gym class, which she attends five days a week – focusing on strength and conditioning including sit-ups and squats.
“I think one thing helps another; my gym work does help my running, and my running just helps me to keep healthy. My breathing has improved tremendously, and I have got faster.
“If I don’t do anything for a while, I feel like I am getting stiff, so I have to keep it up!”
If you’re looking to get started in the gym, it’s important to follow a well-structured plan – ideally designed with a coach and a therapist (osteopath, physiotherapist or sports therapist) – that will increase the load gradually.
Find your community
Alongside the physical benefits, Sarah – who is retired – made new friends by joining Dacorum. She believes club running and parkruns are the best way to get started.
“Anybody can run and at my club there is all abilities,” she says.
“It does depend a bit on what your friends do; you’ve got to get into a community where people go running to actually get the benefit of it and that’s why joining a running club is good because everybody does it and it’s part of your social life as well.”
In Madeira, Sarah was reunited with a runner in his 90s who she first met while competing at the 2024 World Masters Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.
“It was the first time he had a passport,” Sarah says. “Up until that time he had only ever done parkruns and now he is on the track in the Masters events.”
Sarah returned from Madeira with a suitcase full of medals – eight golds and four silvers – and is always striving to improve her times.
She’s grateful for the happiness and health benefits running provides and encourages everyone her age to give it a go. Who knows, you could be a record-breaker too.
