{"id":401219,"date":"2026-04-28T08:10:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T08:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/401219\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T08:10:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T08:10:12","slug":"im-a-77-year-old-champion-athlete-but-fitness-brands-are-completely-ignoring-over-50-like-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/401219\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m a 77-year-old champion athlete \u2013 but fitness brands are completely ignoring over 50 like me"},"content":{"rendered":"

I run a lot, but I\u2019ve never actually done a marathon<\/a>, so I\u2019ve decided to do my first one this year<\/a>,\u201d Anne Dockery from Bristol tells me. <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t doubt her success, given her recent athletic endeavours: conquering a triathlon totalling 70.3 miles and amassing an impressive medal collection.<\/p>\n

From this introduction, it might surprise you to learn that she is 77 years old and only started running in her fifties after a relatively sport-light life. \u201dI played a little squash when I was younger,\u201d she explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the old days I thought life was over at 40<\/a>,\u201d Dockery recalls. \u201cPeople in my age group were brought up to think we should be sitting down on sofas and doing nothing by now. But I remember being 40, going for a swim and thinking, \u2018Actually, I don\u2019t feel any different. I feel fine. I still have plenty of energy.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

This message persists. If anything, it has evolved. New polling from Age Without Limits<\/a> \u2013 a campaign Dockery is working with, aiming to challenge and change stereotypes around ageing \u2013 found that almost half of 55- to 64-year-olds believe no fitness brands fairly represent their age group. \u201cFitness brands can have every shape, size and colour, but there\u2019s not a single wrinkle in their advertising,\u201d Dockery says. <\/p>\n

When older people are featured in adverts, they tend to be linked to products such as funeral plans and stairlifts, campaign co-head Harriet Bailiss says. <\/p>\n

Dockery believes this representation, or lack thereof, acts as a gatekeeper to exercise, excluding those aged 45 and above \u2013 a demographic which, according to a raft of recent research<\/a>, can enjoy significant physical and mental health perks from staying active. <\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re so used to being ignored that we accept it\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all getting older; that\u2019s the one universal truth,\u201d Bailiss says. \u201cYet ageism is one of the most widespread forms of discrimination in this country, and it\u2019s really overlooked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dockery agrees, adding: \u201cThe sad thing is that when I talk to people, particularly in my 70-plus age group, they\u2019re so used to being invisible in these adverts that they no longer look for it. This just perpetuates the idea that older people shouldn\u2019t be exercising or doing sports. If we don\u2019t see it, we won’t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a change in representation, the opposite could be true, she argues. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust look at the effect the Lionesses had. You had lots of young women suddenly feeling it was good and positive for women to be seen being active.\u201d<\/p>\n

There may be the argument that consumers vote with their feet and advertisers adapt accordingly. But, Bailiss counters, \u201cwe know that collectively, the 50-plus age group has huge spending power\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cBrands must know this too,\u201d she continues. \u201cSo it is absurd that the majority still acts as if this huge collection of consumers does not exist and are not worthy of their efforts to reach them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: After 50 you need to train smarter \u2013 the eight rules for strength training in midlife, according to experts<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AnneAnne Dockery started running in her fifties and says she now can\u2019t imagine life without it (Alex Rotas\/Rotas Photography)<\/p>\n

The exercise effect<\/p>\n

Exercise is good for you. Any hurdle to exercise is likely to damage the nation\u2019s health. By alienating older exercisers, fitness brands and advertisers are forging a significant barrier, particularly because exercise is not always an easy sell. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think people are put off exercise because it is hard to start with,\u201d Dockery says. \u201cIt takes a little bit of time to get into.\u201d <\/p>\n

She started running at 52 as a way to strengthen her lungs and counter a diagnosis of bronchiectasis \u2013 a chronic lung disease. But it was not all plain sailing. \u201cI thought it was so boring to begin with,\u201d she admits.<\/p>\n

The thing that hooked her was community. She joined a group of fellow runners spanning all ages and soon fell in love with the sport. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as you join any club, everybody is so supportive,\u201d Dockery says. \u201cA lot of people are put off joining clubs because they think, if they\u2019re not really good at something, other people will look down on them in some way. But it\u2019s quite the opposite. People want you to join. They want to encourage you.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s much more fun running with people. Then, gradually, I started more competitive running.\u201d<\/p>\n

Competition, an element of exercise most people leave at school, only stoked the fire in her belly. \u201cDoing that first race, where I actually got a medal for coming second in the 50-60 age group \u2013 that was the point where the spark came and I decided to carry on running,\u201d Dockery says. \u201cThat was wonderful. I\u2019d never had a medal before. Before then, I [wasn\u2019t the sort of person who] got things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisers and broadcasters could have a similar impact on others by showcasing older people exercising and being competitive, she says. But most currently don\u2019t. <\/p>\n

Read more: I couldn\u2019t hold a plank at 59 \u2013 now I can do pull-ups at 76<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AdvertisersAdvertisers turning a blind eye to the representation of older fitness enthusiasts is a missed marketing opportunity (Getty\/iStock)<\/p>\n

The many benefits that are being missed <\/p>\n

Exercise offers a plethora of physical benefits. Most people could list the main ones at a moment\u2019s notice: improving heart health, combatting chronic diseases, building a more capable body, protecting against injury. But the perks don\u2019t end there \u2013 far from it. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t imagine what would have happened to me if I hadn\u2019t started running,\u201d says Dockery. \u201cIt opens up so many opportunities \u2013 I\u2019ve met so many people, I\u2019ve challenged myself and I can\u2019t imagine life without it now. <\/p>\n

\u201cFrom starting at 52, I gradually built up and built up and built up. I joined a group that ran on Sunday mornings and eventually I was running 15 miles, then 18 miles, and just loving running. And then I got competitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it was through running that I met people; it was through running that I ended up doing a triathlon; it was through running that all these avenues opened up to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her seventies, Dockery moved to Bristol to be nearer her daughter and grandchildren, having spent 15 years stateside. Exercise again proved to be a valuable social tool. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a difficult time,\u201d she admits. \u201cI\u2019d never been to Bristol before, and when you\u2019re older it\u2019s sometimes quite difficult to meet people. But through running I met lots of people from a wide range of ages. <\/p>\n

\u201cRunning and triathlon provide a wonderful cross-section of society \u2013 you aren\u2019t just restricted to your own age group. And that\u2019s just lovely because, as much as I like older people, it\u2019s nice to spend time with a mixture of ages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: The great posture myth \u2013 and why slouching might not be as bad as you think<\/a><\/p>\n

\"DespiteDespite exercise offering a wealth of health benefits, many older people are discouraged from exercising and told to slow down, Age Without Limits co-head Harriet Bailiss says (Alamy\/PA)<\/p>\n

An antidote to loneliness<\/p>\n

At a time when social isolation is a growing concern, group exercise seems to offer an effective remedy. But many people over the age of 45 believe it is too late for them to start. <\/p>\n

\u201cI meet lots of people and I tell them what I do,\u201d Dockery says. \u201cI don\u2019t boast, but I do tell people, because people need to know that it\u2019s possible. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not expecting anybody to be as mad as I am about it because I\u2019m an adrenaline junkie. But if people don\u2019t know you can do it, they don\u2019t see other people like them doing it and they don\u2019t see older people in active clothes, they aren\u2019t going to start. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople need courage. As you get older, you do begin to worry what people will think \u2013 you shouldn\u2019t, but it does happen. And in my age group, people haven\u2019t really encouraged us in later life.\u201d<\/p>\n

After talking about her triathlon escapades on the radio, she received a message from a woman in her 50s who thought she would never exercise again. Dockery\u2019s story persuaded her to dust off her trainers. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of people have their children and their life alters,\u201d Dockery says. \u201cWhen you have children, you can\u2019t do all of the things you want to do and it\u2019s easy to think, \u2018Oh gosh, I\u2019m never going to exercise again\u2019. But there are so many of us out there who can prove otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I think it\u2019s so sad that there\u2019s no media representation [of older people exercising], both in advertising and also on television to inspire people. We shouldn\u2019t be invisible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: I did goblet squats every day for a month \u2013 the results surprised me<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I run a lot, but I\u2019ve never actually done a marathon, so I\u2019ve decided to do my first…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[565,134,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-401219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/401220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}