From fresser to fitness at 50
Now I help other men who have let the years creep up on them
V LONDONER SIMON Marks took up triathlon in 2014 when he was “40, overweight and incredibly unfit”. On Sunday, he represented Britain at the World Triathlon Championships in Montreal.
Triathlon is a gruelling mix of swimming, cycling and running. Mr Marks had originally qualified in the 45-49 age category back in 2019 but the championships were then postponed because of the pandemic. He has since moved up to the 50-54 category (he turns 50 shortly).
He finished 49th out of 68 and was proud to “race for his country”. He will be back on the circuit next month at the European Championships in Munich, contesting the “sprint challenge”.
Looking back, Mr Marks said he was motivated to take up the sport by a number of factors.
“A close friend of mine had a heart attack, which thankfully he survived. I took my then five- and eight-year-old boys to the Maccabi Community Fun Run and struggled to keep up with them over a kilometre.”
There was also the inspiration of his mother Linda, who entered her first triathlon at the age of 69.
He has since given up his job in technology marketing and become a personal trainer.
“Now I help other middle-aged Jewish men like me who have let the years creep up on them while they built a career and started families.”
And Mr Marks won’t be the only family member racing in Munich. His son Jonah, 16, who has just completed his GCSEs at JFS, will compete in the under-20 age group, having finished second in the British championships in Cardiff on Sunday.
“He is hoping to become a professional triathlete,” his father said.
Communally active, Mr Marks helps to lead the recently formed JFS Combined
Cadet Force and coaches a running club at Sacks Morasha Primary.
Also preparing for Munich is Ivan Green, who turns 82 next week and is an executive member of the Beth Hamidrash Hagadol Synagogue in Leeds. He will be part of the GB team in the 80-84 age category.
After a pandemic-enforced interlude, he was “a little rusty” when completing his first triathlon for more than two years in Leeds last month. But he still managed to top the over-65 category.
He was 63 when he did his first triathlon, having been encouraged to try the sport through a chance conversation with a fellow passenger on the way back from competing in the New York Marathon.
“All the triathlon events were on Sunday so I had no conflict with Shabbat. I found a trainer and had some swimming coaching. I bought a bike so I could compete. Since that time I’ve completed probably 25 triathlons.”
He picked up a silver in the European championships in Eilat — though much to the GB manager’s chagrin, he missed the medal ceremony because he had gone to daven minchah — and a bronze in Turkey.
“I think triathlons are a perfect sport for an older person. I jokingly describe it as lying down for half an hour, sitting down for an hour and then going for a jog,” he said. “But seriously, it is not a weight-bearing exercise like marathon running so your joints are protected.”
After lockdown, he launched a twiceweekly Zoom exercise class “as I was concerned that those older people out walking might be vulnerable to a trip and fall. I call it Pep, which stands for physical exercise with a purpose.”