As a runner of a certain age, I’ve learned to accept that my times aren’t what they used to be, comforting myself that the real victory is still being out there. That belief held firm until I saw Hendrina Lawrens competing in the SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge on Cape Town’s Sea Point Promenade....on her 90th birthday.

Whilst doing a training run for Two Oceans on the Seapoint Prom, I got caught up in the Spar 10km Women’s Challenge and wow, what an experience – the atmosphere was electric. Whilst trying to avoid the runners I could not help getting swept up in the jubilant vibe.

At one point I heard cheering and clapping, not only by spectators, coffee merchants and passers-by, but also by the runners themselves. Intrigued to see what was going on, I finally saw what was causing the commotion – 90 year old Hendrina Lawrens competing in the SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge with a birthday banner saying: “90 years old today”.

I was completely overcome by the moment – one of those rare, beautiful instances when people come together to celebrate something truly extraordinary.

Believe it or not, Hendrina Lawrens is not the only 90 year old to have run the Spar Women’s 10km Challenge. Deidre Larkin who turned 90 on Heritage Day in 2021, finished the race that year in a “blistering” 70 minutes – an incredible time, not only for a 90 year old, but for many much younger runners as well.

To give you an idea of how extraordinary her time was, in this year’s Spar Women’s Challenge in Cape Town, only the top 26% of the field beat her time. What makes Larkin more amazing is that she only started running in her 70s, putting to rest the familiar excuse: “I am too old to start now”.

Larkin, a former concert pianist, went on to run several half marathons in her 70s and 80s, including the very tough Two Oceans Half Marathon and the Geneva Half Marathon, where she broke the world record for her age group. According to Larkin, she is a vegetarian who eats a lot of protein and avoids sugar, salt and white pasta. One can’t help wonder if her success in later life could possibly be attributed to her healthy eating habits...

And then of course there is the legendary Wally Hayward, who completed the Comrades Marathon at age 80 (1989 Down Run). Hayward, unlike Lawrens, ran from the time he was young. He is best known for his extraordinary performances in the Comrades Marathon, which he won multiple times in the mid-20th century. His running career spanned decades, and remarkably, he continued competing at an elite level well into his later years.

Then at the venerable age of 80, he became the oldest person ever to finish the Comrades Marathon, completing the gruelling 90 km course within the official cut-off and astonishing the running world. What makes the story even more remarkable is that he returned again at age 81 (1990). Sadly this time he was not able to finish the course but still defied expectations of what ageing athletes are capable of.

Hayward’s late-career Comrades runs helped cement his legacy as a pioneer of lifelong endurance sport, and he is still frequently referenced whenever conversations turn to older athletes pushing boundaries in ultra-distance running.

So, if age is what’s holding you back from getting out there and pushing your boundaries, let these three age-defying athletes be a reminder that age is just a number.

For this year’s Two Oceans Half Marathon, my long-suffering husband agreed to come and second me ... and three other people. Now this might seem easy, but the four of us were all in different starting batches, and his task was made even more complicated by an hour-and-half difference in running times.

Where to be at what time was a complex mathematical problem. This is where the Sport Splits Tracker app proved to be invaluable.

FinishTime administers the Sport Splits Tracker app in South Africa, bringing world-class tracking to iconic events like Comrades, Two Oceans and the Cape Town Marathon. Easily downloadable to your smart phone via the Apple and Google Play stores, the app has tracking of athletes for spectators and participants through predictive and live timing data. With real-time push notifications as your chosen athletes or the race leaders hit key timing points, following the race has never been easier.

The Sport Splits Tracker app is a game-changer for spectators. My husband relied on it to track our progress along the route, making sure he was in the right place at the right time. He even came to the rescue of a stressed-out dad with two kids, helping him download the app so the harassed father could dash off to fulfil his promise of ice cream and still be ready to see his wife on course.

So if you have an important race coming up and want some happy (or at least happier) seconds, then make sure you have coached them on the Sport Splits app.

The FinishTime sporting calendars below come with a warning to check with the event organisers to ensure events have not been postponed or cancelled.

More event information, a regularly updated events calendar and results of all events timed by FinishTime can be found at www.finishtime.co.za and all results of events timed by FinishTime at results.finishtime.co.za

THE SANLAM CAPE TOWN  MARATHON: May 24,  2026

Held annually in Cape Town, the Cape Town Marathon features a fast, mostly flat 42.2 km route that starts and finishes near the Cape Town Stadium. It winds through the city with views of Table Mountain and the Atlantic coastline. It attracts both elite international athletes and thousands of recreational participants, and is actively in the candidacy process to become an Abbott World Marathon Major, aiming to be the first in Africa.

IRONMAN 70.3 DURBAN June 7, 2026

Durban, situated in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is a natural paradise known for its sun-kissed beaches and subtropical climate. Easily accessible from all the main airports of South Africa, Durban is a multi-cultural showpiece international destination. The IRONMAN 70.3 Durban is the perfect peak-season race for international athletes, and mid to late season race for South Africans. A fairly flat and fast course, this race is a first-timer and club favourite.

THE COMRADES MARATHON: June 14, 2026

The Comrades Marathon is the world's oldest and largest ultramarathon, held annually in South Africa. The 89km race alternates between "up" and "down" runs between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, requiring a strict 12-hour cut-off. The 2026 race is scheduled for June 14 as an up-run, with 22,000 entries selling out in record time due to its immense popularity.