At 82, Eileen Hieron is still lacing up her trainers, heading out into the Gloucestershire countryside and, until recently, lining up at the marathon start line. She didn’t grow up sporty. In fact, she didn’t join a running club until she was 72. But a decade on, she has completed almost 10 marathons, claimed first place in her age group at the London Marathon, and is gently proving that movement, not medals, is the real secret to ageing well.
“You’ve only got one chance,” she tells me. “Once that chance is gone, you’re not going to have another one.” It’s a simple philosophy, but it’s carried her across finish lines in pouring Welsh rain, through cross-country fields at 75, and into what she describes as the “biggest accolade of my life” – a gold medal presentation after placing first in the over-80s category in the London Marathon.
