The Golden Girls

By Louise Logue of Jog Scotland North Knapdale

With a combined age of 221, the Golden Girls from Tayvallich completed the Mid Argyll Sprint Triathlon on 25 September, in an amazing display of fitness. Our swimmer Fiona was denied her swim because of a problem at the pool but she courageously walked the two mile running route that was introduced in its place.

I completed the cycle in well under an hour, and our runner, Anne, completed the run in just over 50 minutes. Thank you to the Mid Argyll Triathlon and Cycle Club for organising such a welcoming event for all ages and abilities. It was so much fun.

It was just the latest adventure for us all after several years of getting active together.

I’m 70, and started running with the Lochgilphead jogscotland group in 2013 to get fit for retirement. When I was told: “If you can’t chat and run at the same time, you’re running too hard” I was hooked!

Anne and I live in the same village, though we didn’t know each other well until we started running together. She had seen me practising during the week and had been inspired to try it herself, she says “in order to stay out of the nursing home”.

After I retired I was much less inclined to travel to Lochgilphead to run in the dark so I didn’t do as much. Anne, now 78, then started running past my house during the day and called out to me to join her. Eventually, I’m so glad I did and we have been firm friends ever since. Fiona, 73, lives in Edinburgh and has a caravan on one of our village sites - Anne encouraged her to join us - she’s very persuasive. Fiona has been cycling and swimming from childhood, and started running with the group in order to train for the Tarbert 5K in 2017.

At the Tarbert 5K in 2017, we were so impressed by ourselves - we ran all the way, no walking, and crossed the line hand in hand. What a buzz!

At Tarbert 5K

We then became the inaugural members of Jog Scotland North Knapdale, where I’m now the jog leader - beginners always welcome!

We went on to complete the Great Scottish Run 10K in Glasgow in 2018 and the Taynish 10K in 2019.

Looking for another challenge, Fiona and I entered the 2019 individual Mid Argyll sprint triathlon, where Fiona won the super vintage category. Fiona suggested we enter this year’s triathlon as a septuagenarian team and the “Golden Girls” were born. We were delighted to come in 5th in our category. We look forward to next year’s event!

We are a small village of about 200 residents so a club with 10 runners is quite a high percentage of the population. There are currently about six regulars, the majority of whom are in their seventies. Our youngest member is in her fifties. We love to run together, catch up on each others’ news and chew over concerns about our various family members. It helps to have time to talk in a “side by side” setting - so good for our mental health. To know we are heard.

We often have an inspirational phrase to meditate on and as a topic for chatting about. We started with Bible verses (eg Hebrews 12v1 - And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”) and widened out to include more general phrases such as “A goal without a plan is just a wish” Everyone is invited to contribute.

We usually do about 4K walk/run, always with some hilly bits and the occasional steep challenge. We enjoy the fresh air, even when it rains, the company, and the chat. We always feel better mentally and invigorated physically. When we chat we don’t notice if our bodies complain. We’ve come to realise that age is no impediment, the only limits are those you place on yourself.

Anne completes the triathlon run