MEET IRON GRAN
Pride of Sport winner Eddie on keeping fit, whatever your age
IT’S no wonder they call her Iron Gran. At the age of 76, she’s the UK’s oldest female Ironman triathlete and is the driving force behind a revolution of silver-haired athletes. Just as incredible is the fact that Edwina Brocklesby or ‘Eddie’ as she’s known only took up running in her 50s. With her boundless energy, trademark wild locks and infectious grin she inspires everyone she meets. As well as her personal feats, the twinkle-eyed super-granny also launched the charity SilverFit in 2013. It promotes sport for older people and started by running events in London’s parks but has since grown organically to 2,000 members at 17 venues across nine boroughs. SilverFit offers a range of activities to the over-45s including Nordic walking, tai chi, pilates and cheerleading. To make sure no-one is excluded due to cost, membership costs £12 per year and sessions no more than £3. As Eddie says: “Our core message is that it’s never too late to start exercising.” Her phenomenal efforts saw her win the TSB Community Partner award at the 2019 Pride of Sport Awards last week. World-famous athletes came together to celebrate the achievements of the nation’s unsung sporting heroes at a glittering event held at London’s Grosvenor House. Eddie explains: “We go into areas of economic deprivation, where we know we can make a difference. Currently, we run activities in 17 venues in nine London boroughs. Last year we had nearly 23,000 attendances and 60% of our members tell us they now exercise for at least 90 minutes each week.” Eddie’s personal drive to get fit was spurred by her husband’s sudden death in his fifties. Now she has completed at least 12 marathons. “I didn’t do any exercise at all until I was 50 but then realised its many benefits in terms of health and alleviating social isolation. “Being active and running with friends helped me dramatically after I lost my
When people help people it’s a good thing for all of us Matt Cottam, Greater London
husband, at such a relatively young age. “When I started swimming, at 56, I couldn’t do crawl at all and swam breaststroke with my head above water like most women of my age. When I could swim properly I started doing triathlons and then began entering Ironman competitions.” Eddie has now undertaken 10 Ironman challenges – a 3.8km swim, followed by a 180km bike ride and then a marathon – and finished six of them. “I am known as Iron Gran, although my fantastic children and grandchildren think a more apt name would be Mad Gran. My advice would be to make the best of your life – and have fun.”
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