HEATHER Lee has always been a keen walker, but it was some inspirational words from her late husband that motivated her to take the next step.
The competitive walker and multiple record holder was named the 2019 NSW Senior Australian of the Year on November 12 and will represent the state at the national awards on January 25 next year.
The 92 year-old Richmond resident took up competitive walking in her late 70s following her husband Leonard’s death from lung cancer.
“Before he died, he said now is the time to show your mettle,” she said.
“At the time I was living in Queensland and spending a lot of time walking along the sand with my friend’s dogs – it was all training for what i was about to do.”
She has completed the Hawkesbury Relay for Life every year since 2003 – being one of the few competitors to regularly walk for the full 24 hours.
It was in 2011 while competing at the Australian Masters Games in Adelaide that she first realised she had record breaking potential.
She ended up winning four gold medals and after the event, it was pointed out to her she was completing walks in times that were so fast she had potential to break world records.
The following year, she broke Australian records in the 5km twice as well as records in the 10km and 1500m events.
She currently holds eight Australian records and five world records, having broken a number of her own records on numerous occasions – most recently breaking her 10km record with a time of 1:24:21 on November 11.
In addition to breaking records, she also uses her profile to support cancer groups and charities – she is a member of the Hawkesbury Cancer Support Group and was the Cancer Council’s ambassador for its 2018 March Charge event.
Heather takes her training very seriously – completing interval training, a 10km walk and a 3-5km race walk each week.
“I don’t drive anymore, so I walk everywhere, which is all training too,” she said.
She said she hoped her accomplishments would motivate others and encourage them to think about their quality of life as they grew older.
Heather said she was “gobsmacked” to win the award and had now set her sights on representing NSW at the national awards and her next competitive event, the Victorian Championships next April.
While she said she enjoyed breaking records, the thing she enjoyed most about competing was the bonds forged with fellow walkers.
“They don’t define me by my age, they see me as just another competitor and a jolly good one,” she said.
For more information on the Australian of the Year, click here.
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