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Fitness 'adds years to life' says Hyrox grandma

Tom Jackson/BBC Celia Duff is smiling at the camera and wears a light green hoodie and small gold hooped earrings. She has light grey short hair and a side fringe.Tom Jackson/BBC
Celia Duff is also known as the 'Badass Gran' to her Instagram followers

A 70-year-old grandma has encouraged more people to get into fitness after she became a double world Hyrox champion.

Celia Duff, a retired doctor from Cambridgeshire, said fitness "adds years to your life", after she started training for Hyrox indoor fitness competitions aged 68.

Hyrox sees participants take on 8km (about five miles) of running, interspersed with several workout stations including rowing, sandbag lunges and sled pullling.

"It's about resilience, not giving up and understanding the benefits of keeping fit and being kind to everyone else on racetrack," Ms Duff said.

Tom Jackson/BBC Celia Duff is in a gym and is squatting while holding a 6kg black ball. She has Pink and grey trainers, patterned pink, grey, yellow and blue gym leggings and a light blue hoodie with Ovrload written in the center. She has studded earrings and short grey hair with a side fringe. Watching her workout with his hands clasped in front of him is personal Trainer Mike Creamer. He wears black gym pants, a black sweatshirt with Overload in the centre and has short dark hair and facial hair. Tom Jackson/BBC
Although Ms Duff had been a member of a gym, she said Hyrox made her focus on certain movements and realise all the underlying strength and endurance she needed

Ms Duff started training after her daughter suggested she "give it a go" and went into her first race "just trying to survive it".

"It's a very gruelling test and when I completed it I realised I could do it better if I refined some of my training and it built from there," the double world Hyrox champion told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"Even going for a walk, swim or bike - just doing something will add years to your life."

The word Hyrox itself does not actually mean anything but it all started back in 2017 as a race.

Christian Toetzke, alongside Olympic champion hockey player Moritz Fürste, set up the first race in their home country of Germany.

At the 2023 World Championships in Manchester, Ms Duff secured the top rank in her age group, placing her in the top 9% of 11 athletes in the 65 to 69 category.

Tom Jackson/ BBC Mike is smiling at the camera and wears black gym pants, a black sweatshirt with Overload in the centre and has short dark hair and facial hair. He has brown eyes and is stood in front of weights and gym equipment. Tom Jackson/ BBC
Mike Creamer said exercise should be about improving health above all else

Mike Creamer, personal trainer and founder of Ovrload gym in Meldreth, said Hydrox was "not for the faint hearted," but "never out of reach" as he trained people from ages 20 to 75.

With regards to Ms Duff, Mr Creamer said: "She is very focused and knows what she wants.

"Everyone should be trying to lift and get stronger especially as you get older it's important to look after the body and carry what you do in the gym to the rest of your life.

"Hyrox is growing very quickly. It's a big physical demand and you put your body through a lot. It's not easy...but never out of reach."

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