Age is no barrier, says marathonrunning 73 year old Elizabeth!
73 year old Elizabeth Letzer has no plans to slow down!
The thing about running is it doesn’t matter what you look like, your age, anything,” says 73-year-old Elizabeth Letzer from Alby, Norfolk. “We know little about each other’s backgrounds – we’re all just runners and thoroughly enjoy the company, supporting each other to achieve whatever we want.”
Elizabeth – one of five siblings – had a childhood as a bit of a tomboy, travelling in the UK and Germany where her father, a doctor in the RAF, was stationed. She remembers her dad was always keen for his children to have the chance to enjoy fresh air and exercise.
“I think attitudes were different when I was a child,” she says. “I recall being out and about all the time, and just having the freedom to roam and ride bikes and ponies.”
Although Elizabeth enjoyed school sports and particularly the 100m sprint, she never saw herself as a runner and certainly not a distance one.
“All through Art College and my photography job when the boys were growing up, I did try and keep myself fit by eating well, playing badminton and cycling,” says Elizabeth. Her son, Ben, went on to become a keen serious runner, but what made her take the leap herself was seven years ago, when she decided to join a neighbour attending the beginner’s course at a local running club, which “sounded like a lot of fun.”
The course they went on was organised by local running group the North Norfolk Beach Runners. It eases in those daunted by exercising in front of others and involved jogging, running round a tennis court, and then around the local town of Cromer.
“The Beginner’s Course was a great way to overcome fears about not being good