Proving age is no barrier, 68-year-old Temuka woman Glenda Cameron has run more than 2023km this year.
Mrs Cameron originally aimed to run 1023km, but when she accomplished that goal by mid July she realised she was still going to be running anyway, so she ‘‘might as well’’ aim for the larger goal.
Kept honest by an app on her phone, which tracked her kilometres and speed, she received a medal to mark her accomplishment.
Despite accomplishing the challenge she had not stopped running, even going on to complete a half marathon a month later.
It was all a far cry from when she was a child, as she had not liked running at school.
‘‘I didn’t like exercise.’’
She started at 50, but when she began exercising she walked at nighttime so no-one could see her because she was so body conscious.
There were no ‘‘couch to 5k’’ apps to download on her phone to help her start running.
She had walked with intermittent runs in between, building up to run longer distances.
When a girlfriend talked her into doing a duathlon with her, she upped the ante.
Joining running clubs and running with people had made a huge difference, although there were some things she refused to do.
While other people chatted while they ran, she remained silent.
‘‘I tell people before we run that I don’t talk, otherwise I get too puffed to keep up with them.’’
She had lost 17kg over the years, and despite running more than 2000km this year, she still had the energy to swim and attend a weekly boot camp.
With ‘‘plenty’’ of women running in her age category in races, any able-bodied person could run, no matter their diet, religion or lifestyle, Mrs Cameron said.
She has been vegan for four years.
Next year’s goal was to trim down her time so she could run 10km in one hour.
It was always a ‘‘bit of a thrill’’ when she beat younger people.
‘‘Especially people I know.’’
But she always made sure she did not push herself too much.
‘‘If I feel like walking, I walk.’’
She did not think her success was anything special, and there were ‘‘bound to be’’ other 68 year olds out there who were doing more than she was.
She felt most able-bodied people in their 60s could benefit from running.
‘‘You meet other people, it’s better for your mental health and feeling healthy.’’
It was a lot of fun, she said. ‘‘I’ll do it all again next week.’’
