'You're not young anymore': These two women in their 50s just raced at the Hyrox World Championships

For seasoned gym-goers, getting a 152kg sled to budge a few centimetres would be tough. Yet Margaret Lim, 51, and Seah Seow Ping, 54, pushed one across 50m at the Puma Hyrox World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, last month. They were competing in the Women’s Pro Doubles category for those between 50 and 54 years.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s toughest functional fitness races, Hyrox combines 8km of running with eight gruelling workout stations.

Standing at 157cm and 150cm tall respectively, Lim and Seah also powered through other stations, including a 103kg sled pull, lunges with 20kg sandbags on their shoulders, and 100 repetitions of 6kg wall balls, which involved squatting and throwing a medicine ball to strike a target.

In the Women’s Pro division, the weights used are equivalent to those in the Men’s Open category.

The women, both Singaporeans, secured their spot at the international level after competing in AIA Hyrox Singapore 2025, last November, where they placed second.

Competing against women from the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, some young enough to be their children, the pair said they wanted to challenge assumptions about what women in their 50s are capable of.

“We had the privilege to compete on this world stage, and we trained incredibly hard for it. We may not be the fastest, the fittest, or the strongest athletes out there, but we didn’t give up,” Lim told CNA Women.

Seah added: “I think many women underestimate what they are still capable of in their 50s. I never saw myself as an athlete, so qualifying for the World Championships felt surreal. It reminded me that growth and new possibilities don’t stop with age.”

FROM AGEING WELL TO FITNESS RACES

When they first started their fitness journey, neither imagined they would compete at a world championship.

Both are working mothers. Seah, a marketing and training consultant, has two adult daughters while Lim, a pilates instructor, has two teenage sons. Like many women in midlife, they were focused on ageing well.

They met last year at F45 Novena, where they took up functional training at the fitness franchise to become fitter and sort out niggling health issues common among middle-aged women.

Seah has a long-standing knee problem and was concerned about her metabolic health, having experienced gestational diabetes in the past.

Her long working hours meant she led a largely inactive lifestyle until the age of 45. She started training for a marathon then as a personal challenge, completing her first full marathon in 4 hours and 42 minutes.

“It made me realise with consistency, we are capable of much more than we think, regardless of age,” said Seah.

For Lim, the turning point came after a routine health screening in 2024. It revealed that her bone mass was “on the low side”, despite an active lifestyle that included pilates, running, and board sports like wakeboarding, surfing and snowboarding.

“No one knew my bone mass was going downhill until that health screen. It was a rude shock as I’ve always been active,” Lim said. “I realised that if I wanted to age well, I had to shift from being ‘active’ to intentionally increasing more muscle and skeletal density.”

The women initially signed up for their first Hyrox race with other partners. When the November 2025 race came around, they decided to team up for the Women’s Doubles after learning they were around the same age and shared the same training mindset – steady, repeated efforts, partner commitment and team progress.

“We took part to prove a point to ourselves. Even though we lack the physical advantage, we can strategise and take a tactical approach towards the race,” Lim said.

TRAINING WHILE JUGGLING LIFE

Preparing for Hyrox required discipline. Their typical training week consists of strength training, running and mobility exercises.

In the lead-up to the race in Stockholm, Lim clocked around six to eight hours of training over four days. Seah trained around nine hours weekly, mostly in the mornings before work.

They trained separately because of their schedules, meeting on weekends to do what they call “mini Hyrox” simulations and check in on each other’s progress.

To cope with training while running physically demanding pilates classes, Lim paid close attention to her sleep, diet, hydration and recovery.

For Seah, balancing work and training was challenging. She travels extensively for work and struggles to get sufficient sleep on workdays.

“There are times when, physically and mentally, I can’t take it and will have to forego a planned training session,” she admitted.

She also struggled with self-doubt. “There are moments when I’m so bogged down with work, and mentally and physically tired, where I ask myself, ‘Why am I doing this?’,” Seah said.

“We are not superwomen – we still struggle with fatigue, self-doubt and balancing responsibilities like everyone else,” she added.

What kept her going, Seah said, was a sense of responsibility and accountability, and a desire to give her best for the World Championships.

“I also want to set a good example to my daughters and family about continuing to challenge ourselves and grow at any age,” she said.

OVERCOMING SCEPTICISM

While their families have been supportive, the pair encountered their fair share of scepticism. Lim admitted she was initially a sceptic herself, when a colleague first suggested Hyrox. Looking at the race format, she recalled thinking: “That looks quite intense. I don’t think it’s for me.”

Seah has received comments like, “You’re not young anymore. If you break a bone, it’ll take a long time to heal” from well-meaning people.

She added: “In the beginning, many people told me: ‘You better take care, don’t chiong (Singlish term that loosely means to put in intense effort) so much. You’re already so old’.”

Over time, Seah noticed their doubts faded.

“There came a point where the sceptics became very encouraging. They started saying things like ‘Hey, well done’, after seeing my consistency, that I wasn’t getting major injuries, and that I could lift heavier and looked fitter. That’s when they realised that something must be done right somewhere,” added Seah.

Her 78-year-old mother, she added with a laugh, remains sceptical and still feels she is exerting herself too much.

TRUSTING EACH OTHER

Competing in the Hyrox doubles category requires not only strength and endurance but also trust and knowing how to play up their strengths.

Both teammates run every 1km side by side, followed by a workout station where the partners can divide the workload, until they complete 8km of running and eight workout stations.

The pair said they learnt to divide stations according to their strengths. At the SkiErg station, for instance, which simulates the full-body motion of skiing, Seah’s more efficient and consistent strokes allowed her to shoulder more of the workload.

Meanwhile, Lim took on more wall-ball training while Seah managed a shoulder injury ahead of the competition.

“Generally, the person who is stronger in a particular station will do more of the work,” Lim explained.

Success also depends on trust, they said. “We are constantly looking out for each other during the race. Sometimes, it’s not even spoken. You can sense when your partner needs more support or needs you to take over,” said Seah.

The trust also extends beyond race day. Despite demanding jobs and family commitments, both women train consistently because they do not want to let their partner down.

“I think that mutual effort and responsibility is what builds trust between us,” said Seah.

WHAT AGEING WELL MEANS TO THEM

For the women, competing in Stockholm had little to do with rankings, though Lim admitted she has always dreamt of being a professional athlete since childhood.

Competing alongside athletes, many of whom were younger, taller and more athletically built, and crossing the finish line knowing they gave their best, was a win.

“Even though we missed our target, the experience was invaluable,” said Lim. “We’re walking away with a plan to train even more structurally to better this race next time.”

More importantly, the experience showed them what the body is capable of, even after 50. For example, Lim feels she is now a better runner due to her training than when she was back in school.

“I realise the body is really amazing: Give it the right dose of stimulus and it responds,” she said.

“A lot of people tend to put the blame on age for their decline, but research shows that it’s mostly due to lack of movement. You can be 50 but you need not move like a typical 50-year-old.”

Lim views her Hyrox milestone as the “start of a chapter called Ageing Well”. In her work as a pilates instructor, many of her clients are older adults or people undergoing rehabilitation.

“Being able to move and exercise is a real privilege,” she said.

To Seah, her fitness journey taught her how small consistent steps can open unexpected possibilities in life. Ageing well, to her, means staying as curious as a child, being adventurous like a teenager, and being wiser in the choices she makes.

“I want to keep learning, trying new things and fully participating in life for as long as possible,” she said.

Their message to women is simple: Never let age define what you can or cannot do.

“I hope women stop limiting themselves before life even does. Show up consistently, don’t do it alone, get proper guidance and join a community. Sometimes, one small step can lead to things we never imagined possible,” said Seah.

CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.

Source: CNA/pc