Since she started running in her mid-50s, 72-year-old Judith Porter has been to many places around the world. What are some of the best times in her life? She ran the Manchester Half Marathon for England in her age group, the Thunder Dragon Half Marathon in Bhutan in the Himalayas, and the Tokyo Marathon after falling on her chin at mile 16. Judith says to Women’s Health that crossing every finish line, no matter how fast or slow you have run, is a reason to celebrate’.
Judith says that before she turned 55, she didn’t do much on purpose to stay fit. She only started running to help a coworker who had been diagnosed with a rare type of arthritis. Judith didn’t think she would keep running after the Great North Run to raise money. But it didn’t take long for her to join a running club and get completely hooked. She has now finished all six World Marathon Majors and four of the six SuperHalfs. She ran all of them for charity through the global charity running network realbuzz. She is also a dedicated parkrunner and has walked the Inca Trail.
Judith still really wants to win: “I try to go as fast as I can so I can be the first lady over 70.” She also talks about how important it is to keep running, which means that you need to train in a way that takes everything into account. So, what does that mean? Here are her best tips for making a running schedule that is realistic and can be followed.
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Photos of the marathon by Judith Porter
Judith is starting off 2026 in a good way by running the First Light Half Marathon in New Zealand.
She has been making steady progress.
Judith says that she has always known about her body and its limits, and she still does. She does work hard, but she does believe in making progress in a way that makes sense and keeping her schedule balanced. “When I first started at 55, I could only run 100 yards before I had to stop. She says, “It took me a whole month on a running machine to get to the point where I could run one mile at a steady pace.” People always say, “Whoa, I couldn’t run,” and I say, “Well, you just have to do it in very small steps.”
She says you should get some cheap running shoes and start with run-walks, like Couch to 5k or walking and running at the same time as you pass lamp posts. “You have to learn how to breathe,” Judith says. “That’s not easy.” “I think the first three miles of a marathon are the hardest for that reason. You need to find a good rhythm for your breathing.
She gets the most out of her low mileage.
Judith also says that when you’re building up slowly, it’s often about making the most of what you have. She doesn’t run more than 16 miles a week right now—”I have to be happy with doing the best training I can for the least amount of mileage and just staying generally fit”—but her training is balanced, so she could still run a half marathon. Judith says, “It would be a waste of time for me to try to run 30 miles a week.” I would just hurt myself.
She puts variety first.
What does her training look like? Judith says it’s a mix. She does speed work with friends or at her local running club, as well as longer runs and workouts on hills. She also says that running with younger people keeps her interested and motivated.
She works out in other ways.
Judith says that getting the most out of minimal mileage also means staying fit in other ways. Judith says she could do more strength training, but she likes rebounding (jumping on a mini trampoline) and social circuit training because they don’t hurt her hips as much. Two of her best results have come when she was doing a lot of strength and conditioning work.
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Judith says, “Sometimes a neighbour comes over and we work out together for an hour. For example, she might be doing squats with weights while I jog on the trampoline.” “Then we switch and do a new set of exercises.” We’ll do that three times. It’s a lot of fun when you have someone else to do it with.
