Meet Shropshire fitness fanatic Ted Hoy. He has proved age is no barrier to success after scooping five national gold swimming medals at the age of 80.
Ted, from Ellesmere, beat others in his age category – 80 to 84 years – in the Amateur Swimming Associations National Short Course championships in Sheffield.
The grandfather won prizes for the 50m backstroke and 800m swim, which he completed in 16 minutes six seconds, as well as the 200m, 100m freestyle and 100m race, in the competitions which took place last month.
Mr Hoy, who swims with the Shrewsbury Masters club puts his success down to having swam for a London club for ten years in his teens and early 20s, although he has only started to enjoy national recognition since he took up the sport again 20 years ago.
The retired scientific researcher also competes in triathlons and runs, having three marathons under his belt and completed countless half marathons and triathlons.
He is also a member of OOTriathlon club in Oswestry and the Shropshire Shufflers running club in Shrewsbury.
“From the age of 14 to about 25 I swam regularly for Plaistow United swimming club in London and I swam at county level, although I didn’t have that much success,” he said.
“Then I didn’t do anything until I retired because I moved around quite a bit with my job, although I took up running at 50 to get fit again when colleagues my age starting having heart attacks and things.”
Mr Hoy and wife Brenda, 75, who has completed six marathons, follow a healthy diet of low fat, low salt food with only a couple of glasses of wine with meals.
Each week, Ted runs up to four miles three or four times a week, swims 1,500m four times and, in the summer months, four cycle rides of 40 miles in total. He added: “I think this is something everyone can do. When you get older you need little and often in the way of exercise, you need to get out and do something every day.”
By Abigail Bates
SECRET OF TED’S SUCCESS
- Ted’s weekly training schedule involves: Three or four swims of 1,500 metres each (almost a mile), four runs of three to four miles, three or four cycles rides of 40 miles in total.
- His diet includes: Two portions of fish per week, low fat, low salt, one or two glasses of wine per week with meals.
- Ted has enjoyed a number of successes: He won his age category at the National Sprint Triathlon at Strathclyde in Glasgow in August this year; was fourth twice in the Midland Masters Running Club championships in the 10-kilometre race; completed marathons in Abingdon in 1986, Gosport in 1983 and London in 1989; competed in the Ellesmere Triathlon 10 times.
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