From Marathons to Ironmans: The Girls Over 50 Redefining Athletic Growing old

In April 2025, I accomplished my first half marathon at age 44. It was a comparatively small race, with simply 91 finishers. Whereas the racers skewed towards individuals of their 30s and 40s, there have been almost as many of their 50s and 60s. Distance working tends to swimsuit older runners for quite a lot of causes: extra expertise, better consistency in coaching, stronger psychological resilience for pacing, smarter injury-prevention methods, and the flexibility to study from previous errors.

In reality, the girl who completed simply 4 minutes after me was 70 years outdated. The one two individuals of their 70s who ran the half marathon had been each ladies.

Watching her cross the end line—wanting robust and exhilarated—impressed me. I began to surprise about different ladies, older than I’m, who’re persevering with to pursue athletic achievements.

Girls Over 50 Are Nonetheless Attaining Unimaginable Bodily Feats

In my analysis, I found that there are such a lot of ladies over 50 who’re persevering with to problem their our bodies and do unimaginable issues as they age.

The message right here isn’t that each one ladies ought to embrace elite athleticism as they become old. As a substitute, what all of those ladies have in widespread is a want to not go quietly into outdated age, as tradition has lengthy anticipated and most popular of ladies. It’s much less about acting at a global athletic occasion, just like the Olympics or the Boston Marathon, and extra about persevering with to do what you’re keen on for so long as you’ll be able to. When interviewed, many of those ladies say one thing alongside the traces of, “Why would I cease doing one thing I like simply because I’m getting older?”

Their achievements are additionally a reminder that age doesn’t have to carry us again from making an attempt new issues, studying new expertise, difficult our our bodies, and doing what brings us pleasure.

The Oldest Lady to Run a Marathon

Mathea Allansmith

Mathea Allansmith was 92 years outdated when she grew to become the oldest lady on the planet to run and end a marathon in 2022. Two years later, she grew to become the oldest lady to run and end a half marathon at 94, in 2024.

Allansmith didn’t begin working till she was 46, however she was immediately hooked and ran her first marathon—the Boston Marathon—5 years later.

In interviews, Allansmith has mentioned that working was by no means nearly bodily health; it was about feeling extra alive.

Even into her 90s, she says that staying lively by way of working has dramatically improved the standard of her life.

“I’m dwelling independently, driving, collaborating in lots of lively social circles, engaged on my religious program, studying new issues akin to making use of new know-how to trace my runs, and doing journey journey.”

Learn more about Mathea Allansmith here

The Oldest Lady to Full the Kona Ironman Triathlon

Natalie Grabow

Natalie Grabow made headlines in October 2025 for changing into the oldest lady to finish the Kona Ironman Triathlon at age 80. Finishing an Ironman triathlon is already an unimaginable feat, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, adopted by 112 miles on a motorbike and a 26.2-mile run. Kona is taken into account significantly difficult due to its intense situations: saltwater and uneven waves throughout the swim, excessive winds on the bike, and a brutal run by way of lava fields that replicate warmth and make racers really feel as if they’re in an oven.

However at 80 years outdated, Grabow completed in 16 hours and 45 minutes.

What’s wild about her accomplishment is that she didn’t even know swim till she determined to study at age 60.

Her recommendation to different ladies about making an attempt new issues later in life is that this: “In case you are motivated and prepared to work arduous, it’s by no means too late to tackle a brand new problem.”

Grabow says she was pretty lively all through her childhood and younger maturity, regardless of restricted sports activities alternatives for women. She began working in her 40s and taking health lessons, and her aggressive spirit finally led her to racing and dash triathlons as soon as she discovered to swim.

For fellow athletes of all ages, she affords this knowledge: “Hearken to your physique, take day without work when it’s good to, and most significantly, benefit from the journey. The day-to-day coaching is what I like probably the most.”

She plans to compete in Ironman triathlons for so long as she’s in a position and shorter races for the remainder of her life. “Triathlons profit my thoughts and physique. I’m very targeted throughout a race and really feel an enormous sense of satisfaction after I cross the end line. After an excellent exercise, I do know that I’m getting stronger every time. Motion is a vital a part of life if you wish to keep away from well being issues as you age.”

Learn more about Natalie Grabow here.

The Oldest Lady to Hike the Appalachian Path

Betty Kellenberger

In 2025, Betty Kellenberger accomplished her thru-hike of the Appalachian Path, making her the oldest lady ever to perform this unimaginable feat of bodily endurance.

The Appalachian Path spans 2,190 miles throughout 14 states and traverses troublesome, typically rocky terrain. Sometimes, it takes 5 to 6 months of each day climbing to go from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. As a result of giant sections of the path had been broken by Hurricane Helene in 2024, Kellenberger hiked a part of the path that 12 months and accomplished the rest in 2025.

She first grew to become enamored with the thought of climbing the AT as a younger youngster, but it surely took surviving COVID and reflecting on how a lot time she had left to lastly take the leap and start coaching. She says:

“I believe we had been made for motion. We had been made to assume. We had been made as religious beings. It doesn’t imply they should exit and hike the Appalachian Path, however they’ve to maneuver… Make use of the time that you’ve got been given.”

It’s additionally price mentioning Grandma Gatewood, the primary lady to solo-hike the AT at age 67 in 1955. A survivor of home violence and a mom of 11 and grandmother of 23, Emma Rowena Gatewood hiked in Keds with a selfmade sack over her shoulder. She accomplished the path 3 times and have become a pioneer of ultralight backpacking.

Learn more about Grandma Gatewood here.

The Oldest Lady to Bike Throughout america

Lynn Salvo

Lynn Salvo didn’t begin driving a motorbike till her early 50s, after working and swimming each left her injured. On a motorbike, she discovered each neighborhood and fervour.

She rode coast to coast in 2016 at age 67, creating a brand new Guinness World Report class, then went on to bike throughout Canada and Europe as effectively. When her U.S. document was damaged, she went again seven years later and reclaimed it—simply six days shy of her 74th birthday.

“It’s wonderful what the human physique is able to,” she says. “It’s wonderful how the physique can adapt when you begin.”

Learn more about Lynn Salvo here.

The Oldest Girls to Compete within the Olympics

In 1972, Lorna Johnstone competed for Nice Britain in equestrian dressage. She was 5 days previous her seventieth birthday on the time. She first competed within the 1956 Olympics and was a 13 time British nationwide dressage champion, previous to showing within the 1972 Olympics.

49 years later, an Australian lady named Mary Hanna, additionally an equestrian competitor, competed within the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

In 2022, Claudia Pechstein grew to become the oldest lady ever to compete within the Winter Olympics, representing Germany within the 3000 meter pace skating race, simply shy of her fiftieth birthday. She didn’t win any medals, coming in lifeless final in her race, however she was thrilled nonetheless. “I used to be not too quick, however I smiled [after crossing the finish line] as a result of in the present day I acquired my purpose to race in my eighth Olympic Video games,” she informed reporters on the time.

In competing in her eighth Olympics, she additionally tied the document for many appearances within the Winter Olympics – which in of itself is an unimaginable feat.

Lastly, Oksana Chusovitina made historical past showing in her eighth Olympic Video games when she represented Uzbekistan on the vault throughout the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Chusovitina participated in each Summer season Olympics since 1992 on the age of 17 and was 46 when she competed in Tokyo.

Whereas not over 50 on the time of her participation, I believe her accomplishment is noteworthy as a result of gymnastics will not be a sport that rewards age. Nonetheless, Chusovitina was ok at 46 to compete in opposition to ladies considerably youthful than her.

At age 49, she certified for the Paris Olympics, however declined to take part because of an harm. The next 12 months, the day after her fiftieth birthday, she received the silver medal for the vault on the Gymnastics World Problem Cup in Tashkent, coming in 2nd to a girl 32 years youthful.

When requested why she continued to take part in gymnastics, a notoriously demanding sport, she replied, “I may have stopped at 25, 19, or 30, however I didn’t. I noticed with age I didn’t worsen, I solely acquired higher, like a tremendous wine.” She added, “I simply realized, I felt that I can do that. Why ought to I depart the game if it brings me pleasure.”

She can be 53 for the Summer season Olympics in Los Angeles and isn’t ruling out a ninth journey to the video games.

The Oldest Feminine Aggressive Powerlifter

Edith Murway-Traina

At 91, Edith Murway-Traina tried weightlifting after a good friend from dance class inspired her. She went on to turn into a aggressive powerlifter and was acknowledged by Guinness simply earlier than her a hundredth birthday because the oldest aggressive powerlifter on the planet.

“I used to be having fun with it, and I used to be difficult myself to get somewhat bit higher and somewhat bit higher,” she mentioned.

Murway-Traina remained lively till her demise at 101, abandoning a strong reminder that energy will not be outlined by age.

Learn more about Edith Murway-Traina here.

What These Girls Over 50 Have in Widespread

Apart from the Olympians, most of those ladies weren’t elite athletes their total lives. Many picked up swimming, weightlifting, biking, or distance climbing later in life.

What unites them is a want to problem themselves at a time when ladies are sometimes inspired to decelerate. They show that age doesn’t routinely point out weak point and that we will nonetheless do unimaginable issues with our our bodies, if we select to, as we become old.

And most particularly they present that staying lively could make getting older rather a lot simpler on our our bodies and much more enjoyable. —Naomi