Helen Yeo is defying the stereotype of people slowing down as they get older, as she gets ready for her first marathon just months after turning 60.
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And even though most people would be daunted at the thought of running 42.2 kilometres in less than six hours, Helen is expecting to “be on a high” as she crossed the finish line.
It was actually reaching the milestone age that motivated her to sign up for the longest race at Sunday’s Dubbo Stampede.
“I turned 60 this year and I set myself the goals of running in the City2Surf and doing the half marathon at the Dubbo Stampede,” she said.
“Then Bonnie Tratt [leader of the Dubbo running group, the Vixens and Kits] said she would support anyone who wanted to do the marathon at the Stampede so I put the City2Surf on the backburner and focused on this.”
And like so many people who are competing at this year’s Dubbo Stampede, Helen said she wouldn’t have predicted five years ago that she would be taking part.
“Up until a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have thought I would have run five kays, let alone a marathon,” she said.
“I was a smoker, I battled and overcame Krones Disease and running just wasn’t on my agenda.
“Then I decided I wanted to try and get into fitness and I started by going to gym and just broadened it from there. Now they have taken me off all of my medications.”
She has completed two five kilometre and one 10 kilometre races at the Stampede.
Along with her running partner Toni Fernando, Helen has been training regularly for the last four months to ensure she is ready.
“We have done a lot of training. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Toni’s help, she has spurred me on,” she said.
“The longest run we have done is 38 kilometres so we have done the hard yards, we know we can do it. Now we are into the fun part.”
And Helen has enjoyed it so much, that a planned one-off may become something more.
“I said I was doing two marathons in one day, my first one and my last one. But I have really enjoyed it so I am keeping my options open.”