A woman who started triathlons in her late 50s has won the title of age group world champion.
On October 19, Judy Orme, 70, of Portishead, won the 2024 World Triathlon Championships in the 70–74 age group at Torremolinos, Spain.
She finished the triathlon, which consisted of a 1,500-meter swim, a 40-kilometer bike ride, and a 10-kilometer run, in three hours and thirteen minutes while competing on behalf of Great Britain.
“I never thought I’d win,” Ms. Orme stated. I still find it hard to believe.
The 70-year-old said she had “always enjoyed being active” but that she had only begun running competitively in her 40s.
She told BBC Radio Bristol, “I used to play tennis and squash and go mountain walking before running slowly made an appearance.”
After that, Ms. Orme decided to run a full marathon while returning home from the Bath Half, pushing her running to the next level by competing in 5km, 10km, and half-marathons.
“I met somebody on the train and I said ‘oh I think I want to try a marathon’,” she explained.
She replied, ‘I can help you achieve that,’ and it was fortunate that she was a personal trainer.
“I sort of haven’t looked back from there.”
In addition to running marathons in Chicago, Boston, New York, London, and Tokyo, Ms. Orme ran her first marathon in Edinburgh in 2012 at the age of 58.
Since then, she has adopted triathlon as a cross-training method.
“I never thought that I’d ever end up where I am now,” she stated.
“Inspiration to persevere”
According to Ms. Orme, she adores every facet of triathlons.
“You need to put in more time and more effort because muscle mass as you get older does decrease and you have to keep working at it a bit harder but I love all that,” she stated.
Being “a part of these very large events” and the “camaraderie around meeting other people” are what matter most to Ms. Orme, even though “there’s always been this little bit” of her that is competitive.
“I’ve met some incredible people and I suppose that’s my inspiration to keep on going,” she stated.
“You have to believe in yourself,” Ms. Orme advised anyone who wished to participate in the sport. You must be resolute.
Ms. Orme expressed her desire to participate in the 2025 World Marathon Championships in New York.
