Meet the super OAPs who took up running in their 70s and 80s – and who have now run an 8,000 miles each in the past four years.
Super gran Eileen, 79, and Super grandad John Hieron, 85, fell in love with running when Eileen started pounding the pavements in 2014, with John soon following in 2016, and now they clock up around 20 miles each a week.
The sporty pair - who have been married 58 years - train together three times a week and their schedule includes two 4-5 mile runs, and one long run of up to 12 miles, and they also enjoy leisurely walks at the weekend.
Eileen also does weight training sessions with a personal trainer twice a week to improve strength, flexibility and balance.
The couple run alongside other runners at the Dursley Running Club, some of whom are 40 years their junior. However, the pair revealed they are always welcomed and treated equally.
Eileen and John consider their hobby to be a great benefit to their physical and mental well-being, as well as their social lives and admit that many of their contemporaries think they are ‘crazy’.
Gran-of-six Eileen first took up the sport in 2014, aged 72, when she started running with a friend who was training for a marathon - and it wasn’t long before John, a retired grain merchant, started the NHS ‘Couch to 5K’ when he noticed Eileen was getting fitter and winning medals in competitions.
Eileen, a retired health practitioner, from Dursley, Gloucestershire, said: “I decided to give running a go in my 70s and I haven’t looked back.
“It didn’t take long to rope my husband into it too - now we both love it.
“I started running the local Parkrun every Saturday, I met new friends through that and then I joined my local running club.
“It certainly did me good, not just the running but the friendship aspect, and it’s a good de-stresser.
“A year later, John got the running bug himself, aged 79. Now there’s no stopping us.”
Since 2018, Eileen has participated in four marathons with a personal best of 5 hours 21 minutes at the 2021 London Marathon, and was awarded sixth place at the Wanda Age Group World Championships in the 75-79 category at the London Marathon which she considers her ‘greatest achievement in running.’
Eileen and John were the oldest man and woman to participate at the London Landmarks Half Marathon on 3rd April 2022.
The pair were made VIP guest runners and completed the 13.1 mile race in 2hr 43:11, having set a target of 2 hours 50 minutes.
The grandparents are raising money for Parkinson’s UK, a cause close to the couple’s heart as John’s sister, Joan, 79, has lived with the condition for 20 years.
John said: “There were crowds all the way around and they all sang ‘Come on Eileen’, even the drumband burst out singing the song to her.
“They all found it so funny.”
Since taking up running, the pair have both been presented with gold medals by Gloucestershire AAA for winning their age categories in a series of races held in the county.
The couple - who are parents to Paul, 51, and Sarah, 50, and have six granddaughters ranging from 15 to 22 - consider their ability to stay active into their 70s and 80s a blessing.
Eileen said: “John and I realise that we are lucky to still be able to run and keep active and hope to be able to do so for years to come.”
The couple, who met at a rugby club dance in Bristol in 1962, revealed that sport has always played an important role in their lives.
John said: “Meeting Eileen at that dance and asking her to dance with me were the most important three seconds of my life.”
To donate to Eileen and John’s JustGiving page, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Eileen-Hieron.
