Having competed in multiple triathlons, marathons, and Ironman races, one might think that Edwina Brocklesby, 83, known as Eddie, had been an athlete her entire life.
However, she only started running at 50 years old and took up swimming even later. After her husband died in 1994 following a short illness, staying active took on a new importance for her.
“There was an element of keep going, keep active — and I have,” Brocklesby told Business Insider.
Two years after his death, she ran her first London Marathon, and five years later, at 58, competed in her first triathlon.
Brocklesby completed her first Ironman in 2009 at age 65, swimming, cycling, and running a total of 140.6 miles across the Spanish island of Lanzarote. She went on to complete five more, including Ironman Vichy in 2015, becoming Britain’s oldest woman to complete the triathlon at 72. She beat her record completing the Ironman Cozumel in 2017 at age 74.
Brocklesby has also found a charity, Silverfit, that promotes active, happier aging. When Business Insider met Brocklesby in London, she was still monitoring her health after a serious injury last year, but that hadn’t dampened her enthusiasm for exercise. That evening, she had planned to join her running club.
“Contrary to most beliefs, it’s never too late to take the opportunity to get fitter,” she said. “I think there has been a misconception about 50-plus not being suitable, whereas I think it’s almost the reverse of that.”
Making exercise fun and social has kept her going
Brocklesby believes one word is often overlooked in discussions about fitness motivation: Fun.
She recalls giving a lecture at a conference, being the first to mention the need for fun, and receiving a standing ovation for it.
“So, I think it’s not used enough,” Brocklesby said. “Because I found the activities that I do to be fun and sociable, I think that’s the key factor [to staying active],” she added.
Courtesy of Edwina Brocklesby
At 56, she joined Serpentine Running and Triathlon Club, which she said has been vital to her fitness journey and a source of many friendships. In 2008, 2010, and 2019, she competed in Race Across America as part of a four-woman team with fellow Serpentine members.
“I think [group exercise] is giving you a purpose, you know, to get out in the morning and do something, particularly with other people,” Brocklesby said. “It’s the social element that gets people out of an isolating lifestyle when they’re living at home on their own.”
With the internet and AI, Brocklesby believes finding local fitness clubs for older adults is easier now than it was when she first started. She recommends that older adults reach out to family or neighbors for help finding activities online.
Staying active means adapting when circumstances change
Brocklesby is no stranger to adapting.
Throughout her years as an endurance athlete, she’s suffered from injuries and underwent hip replacement surgery in 2021. She said that in September 2025, someone using a walker fell backward onto her, fracturing her left leg and arm, and that she hadn’t yet cycled outdoors again.
“I think it is distressing,” Brocklesby said. “You do have to come to terms with the difference.”
Courtesy of Edwina Brocklesby
Since the injury, she has adapted her exercise routine with her coach’s help. While she still exercises for 20 to 23 hours a week, her routine includes low-impact workouts such as walking, Zwift-based indoor cycling, strength training, Pilates, and swimming.
Brocklesby’s belief in the importance of socializing has extended to her recovery, too. During her recovery, she stayed at Loveday, a residential senior care and rehabilitation facility that operates The 1150 Club, a post-operative rehabilitation facility, which enabled her to recover around others.
“The social element there was really vital,” Brocklesby said. “It is motivational.”
Healthy aging doesn’t have to mean optimizing everything
Self-optimization — the idea that every aspect of one’s life should be tracked in pursuit of better health — has become a prominent theme in wellness and fitness circles, especially on social media.
British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, for example, went viral for saying that having three glasses of wine one night heavily affected his performance for the next few days.
When asked about what she thinks of the self-optimization trend, Brocklesby laughed and said: “I think if that was the theory, I’ve failed dramatically because I very often have one glass of wine at night.”
Courtesy of Edwina Brocklesby
Nonetheless, she said she usually sleeps well, is not overly concerned about whether the score is consistently good or excellent, and eats “relatively healthily.”
Brocklesby said she focuses on incorporating protein in her diet. While she said she doesn’t eat a lot of meat, she eats an egg every morning and includes lots of fish and vegetables in her meals.
Brocklesby may no longer be running long distances, but she hasn’t stopped setting goals. She’s considering taking part in the 2027 London Marathon, provided she can walk the course without requiring volunteers to work longer than necessary.
