Still on the move at 99

As she approaches her 100th birthday this year, Heather Lee is still setting goals, raising money for charity, and clocking up kilometres on her exercise bike – a routine she credits with keeping both her body and her outlook strong.

Heather’s extraordinary late-life athletic career began with a deeply personal moment: the death of her husband in 1996. 

“When he died, I had a compulsion to walk,” she said. “One thing led to another, and I joined a walking group and then did fun runs – every sort of fun run I could do.” 

Before long she had discovered an unexpected talent. A physiotherapist suggested she try race walking with Masters athletics. 

“As soon as I went there and race walked, I realised how natural it was for me,” she said. “I’ve never been disqualified.” 

Heather was nearly 85 when she began competing, but she embraced it wholeheartedly. 

“Now I look back, I think I could have probably been an athlete earlier in my life,” she said. “But I never considered it.” 

Today, Heather remains active despite living with macular degeneration, which has made outdoor walking difficult because of the need to dodge obstacles on uneven footpaths. 

“I still walk, but only to the shop,” she said. “Now that I have macular degeneration, my walking has been greatly impacted.” 

Instead, she rides a stationary exercise bike, often for an hour or more at a time. 

“My bike’s used every day,” she said. “It keeps me fit and it keeps me active.” 

She continues to set ambitious goals. Recently she signed up for a challenge to ride 200 kilometres to raise money for cancer research. 

Last November, when she turned 99, she went even further to help a charity supporting premature babies. 

“I designated to do 300 kilometres for the month, which I did,” she said proudly. “I did 328 altogether.” 

The cause is close to her heart. Heather’s birthday, 17 November, falls on World Prematurity Day, and she supports the charity Running for Premature Babies, founded by a friend who lost triplets.