Starting Fitness After 50, 60, or 70: 13 Real Late Starters (Running, Lifting, Pickleball, Hyrox)

"Too old to start" is one of the most common reasons people give for not starting at all. The 13 people below began — or began competing — in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Several set world records. Their stories are grouped by sport.

Can you build muscle after 60? Bodybuilding and powerlifting

Renee Landers took up weight training after 60 and entered her first bodybuilding competition at 69; she earned a pro card and has competed in more than a dozen shows since. Evelyn Foulkner had lifted for years but never competed — at 72 she hired a trainer and, eight months later, won two bronze medals at her first show. Bette Vargas, 71, won her age-category bikini championship at the 2024 Natural Bodybuilding contests.

In powerlifting, Rudy Kadlub started competing at 55 and at 71 set three world records in one meet: a 430-pound squat, 303-pound bench, and 518-pound deadlift. Dave Overholt deadlifted 424 pounds at 65 — about triple his body weight — for a non-drug-tested world record.

Catherine Plomp's goal was smaller but just as concrete: one unassisted pull-up before she turned 50. She made it, and says the confidence carried well beyond the gym.

Running after 50

Carlos Sanchez didn't start running until 50. He went on to finish 37 marathons, and at 67 qualified for the Boston Marathon in 3:50:49 — nearly 15 minutes under his age-group standard — in the same race where his granddaughter qualified on her debut.

Pickleball for beginners — to nationals in a year

Tanya Ford's daughter introduced her to pickleball. She took YMCA classes and practiced at a local park, and about a year later won medals at a regional championship and silver at the 2025 US Senior Pickleball National Championships.

Hyrox over 60, rowing, and swimming

Peter Kelly watched a YouTube video about Hyrox in 2021 and raced four weeks later at 63; two years on he placed third in his age group at the World Championships. Bill Nurge set 44 age-group indoor rowing records within eight months of turning 60, then broke the all-ages 10K record at 61. In the pool, surgeon Ellen Reynolds returned near 40 and has set 87 US Masters records; George Brunstad swam the English Channel at 70; and Natalie Grabow, who learned to swim at 59, finished the Ironman World Championship at 80.

These are exceptional athletes, not typical outcomes. If you're starting a new sport later in life, a check-up with your doctor and a gradual build-up are the safest way in.