val Murray doing step exercises

Why leave exercise to the young? Val Murray, an inspiring 79-year-old marathon runner, tells Holly Willis how keeping fit has changed her life

Val Murray wearing medals for completing the London Marathon

It’s never too late to start exercising, and enjoying the benefits, if Val Murray from Sawston is anything to go by. This trim and bubbly septuagenarian regularly keeps up with the twenty-somethings in advanced aerobics classes and has even completed three marathons.

Val was bitten by the fitness bug later in life, only taking up running after a career in music and raising her son. ‘I did no formal exercise at all in my 30s,’ she says. ‘I’ve always been a quick walker but in my day there was no jogging or anything like that. We didn’t have cars so I used to run for the bus and that sort of thing, but not thinking about it as exercise.

Running through the generations

It was Val’s son Alan, a graduate of Jesus College and amateur marathon runner, who inspired her. Sadly, Alan died of cancer aged just 37, but not before encouraging his mother to take up running. They used to train together, Alan planning a circuit, leaving energy drinks at five mile intervals along the route, before running it with Val.

‘Alan wanted me to try running, he thought 
 I could handle it and I could,’ says Val. ‘Then in 2001 he decided to see if I could manage a marathon. We went to La Santa, a marvellous sports club in Lanzarote where top athletes go. The head runner there tested me and said I was a natural!’

Sporting ability clearly runs in the family (no pun intended).Three generations have taken up the sport, with Alan’s eight-year-old son, Will, keen on athletics and already able to run a mile.

Val has turned what might be thought of as a chore into a pleasure – exercising for fun and friendship not just fitness. ‘It’s a routine, part of my life now, part of what I live for,’ she says.

Mentally tough

Running the London Marathon three years in a row, several half-marathons and various 10Ks would put a strain on anyone, let alone a woman of retirement age, so Val took advice from health experts to ensure she didn’t push herself too hard.

‘I built up my fitness gradually and had health checks to make sure my breathing and lungs were all right. Before I did my first marathon I made sure I could run 20 miles easily. I used to do a 10 mile loop around Duxford. That was mentally tough more than anything because you reached the end of the circuit and realised that you had to run round it all over again.'

Val still does an outdoor run once a week and visits Kelsey Kerridge sports centre most days to do aerobics, step, circuits and the rather fierce sounding ‘crunch & core’ classes. ‘Everyone is so friendly at Kelsey Kerridge,’ she says. ‘It’s like a second home, I love it. I have lunch or coffee with other gym members and some of the staff. I’ve even been on holiday with one of the teachers – it’s a real social life for me.’

And she is an inspiration to some of the younger class participants. ‘If I take anything on I stick at it and concentrate on that one subject. A lot people say they like me going to the exercise classes because if keep going there’s no excuse for them not to,’ she says.

The health benefits of exercise are already well-documented, from lower blood pressure to reduced risk of diabetes, but Val has noticed a few extra perks. ‘I find everything easier since getting fit, even housework. I sleep really well, I’m very flexible now, I don’t get many colds and I believe it has helped my memory. Exercise relaxes me and keeps me going, not just physically but mentally as well. I feel very young in myself and I think being active gives you confidence.’

There’s no denying that Val has a natural aptitude and a drive that make it possible for her to achieve such a high level of fitness but she is humble about her ability and believes being active in later life is achievable for others as well. ‘I don’t feel as if I’m doing anything special,’ she says with a wry smile.

Kelsey Kerridge and Outlooks Gym, Queen Anne Terrace, 01223 462226, kelseykerridge.co.uk