Sarah Roberts, a remarkable 75-year-old athlete from the United Kingdom, has made headlines as the fastest woman in her age group, shattering world records across multiple track distances. In the time since her birthday last October, Roberts has crushed the competition on the track. She’s broken insane records from 800m to 10,000m, on the track and cross-country courses and road races at 5km and 10km.
Roberts became a serious competitive runner when he was 67 years old. His relatively late start at age 40 defies the conventional wisdom that aging is a barrier to elite athletic success. Despite her talent, she keeps a pretty low-key training schedule. It features a track session on Monday, interval training on Tuesday, and a typical Saturday morning parkrun. Each summer, she gets better and better, setting new personal bests. Her remarkable achievements led her to become a double British champion in the 70-74 age category by 2023.
Roberts holds the following personal best times:
- 800m outdoor: 2min 58.12sec
- 800m indoor: 2min 57.32sec
- 1,500m outdoor: 6min 6.20sec
- 1,500m indoor: 5min 58.15sec
- Mile outdoor: 6min 40.32sec
- 3,000m indoor: 12min 28.82sec
- 5,000m outdoor: 22min 40.15sec
- 5km road: 21min 33sec
- 10,000m outdoor: 45min 59.81sec
- 10km road: 44min 33sec
Speed isn’t all that Roberts has achieved over the years, as she’s discovered an entire cabinet filled with medals and awards in honor of her athletic achievements. At her gym, she used to have the record for longest plank. Body and mind strong, she stunned the crowd by holding the plank for a record-breaking 10 minutes and 15 seconds!
Her contributions to the game have made waves across the sport’s landscape. While competing in Florida, researchers never failed to be impressed by Roberts’ fitness level. Fascinated by her atypical physiology, they sought her out to run tests. Her resting heart rate goes to an astounding low of 38 BPM. With a VO2 max of 54, she’s the gold standard of human cardiovascular fitness.
Roberts is grounded when thinking about how far she’s come. She inspires people to stop playing it safe at any age.
“I’d like people to think that they should always try something,” – Sarah Roberts
She is passionate about encouraging you that age should not stop you from achieving what has been placed on your heart.
“You never know what you can do until you try it. Never think you’re too old. Give it a go. You will surprise yourself at what you can do if you really try to do something,” – Sarah Roberts
Judging by Roberts’ commitment to her craft, that work ethic and discipline carry over into her home life as well. A grandmother of five, she has been married to her husband George for almost 54 years. These unwavering networks of support have played a huge role in equipping her with breathtaking resilience and tenacity.
Roberts went on to recently break world records in the mile and 10,000 meters, doing so in under 90 minutes. Her incredible path as a trailblazer continues to light the way for all those who follow her.
“I feel fitter than I’ve ever felt before, which is fantastic,” – Sarah Roberts
Her words have found a powerful audience among those who think they are too old or too young or too whatever. Roberts is a shining example of the idea that anything is possible with hard work and grit.
As she looks forward to future competitions, Sarah Roberts remains a beacon of hope and inspiration for both young and old athletes alike. Her amazing story is a testament to the strength of determination. It truly demonstrates that, as one of our fellows put it, it’s never too late to challenge yourself.