Whilst most of us will count our blessings if we reach old age without any health issues, for one 71-year-old only optimum fitness will do—and a weekly dip in the North Sea.
Carole Munro, from Aberdeenshire, has always led a very active lifestyle, playing squash, competing in triathlons and practicing karate, in which she has a black belt.
And her physical challenges don’t just take place on land.
Ms Munroe has been a regular sea swimmer since 2017, taking the plunge in the icy waters of the North Sea at least once a week, where she immerses herself in the raging waves with a group of ladies who call themselves the Sea Birds.
She said: ‘I still go in and think “whose idea was this?”.
‘But see, once you go in, it just gives you a boost. I can’t explain it… it’s one of the best therapies.’
Cold therapy, which is when you immerse yourself in sub-zero temperatures wither in an icy plunge pool or a specialised cryotherapy chamber, is a favourite longevity treatment with biohackers.
Studies have found that putting the body into a colder environment can reduce inflammation, speed up recovery, and stimulate fat-burning. Furthermore, devotees say it’s a real mood booster, and floods your mind with the happy hormone, dopamine.
Carole had always been sporty, but only started competing in Hyrox competitions in 2023
Inspired by her son Stuart, Carole is determined to continue competing until she is 76 when she can do it alongside her granddaughter
‘I’ve kind of always been a sporty person,’ she said.
In 2023, the grandmother turned her attention to Hyrox, a fitness competition which combines running and functional workouts, where participants run 1km between gruelling activity stations, repeating the circuit eight times.
The workout stations focus on strength-based exercises such as sled pulling, sandbag lunges and burpees—which have been shown to reduce the signs and symptoms of many age-related diseases such as osteoporosis and arthritis.
She first got into the ‘immersive and electrifying race’ after her son Stuart Amroy, a personal trainer, suggested she give it a try.
Since then the dynamic duo—dubbed ‘super dad’ and ‘super gran’—have competed in their first doubles race, completing the circuit in an impressive 1 hour 30 minutes.
Ms Munro went on to do the Hyrox singles competition in November 2024, held at ExCel, London. Whilst there, she qualified for the 2025 Hyrox World Championships which took place in June, where she claimed third place in her age category.
The former army driver says she will carry on competing until she turns 76, when one of her four grandchildren will be old enough to compete with her—and she’ll keep up with the icy dips which she thinks gives her an edge in the competition.
‘Every time I went down to my son’s to babysit the grandchildren, or on holiday, I always trained with him.
Whilst low-impact exercises, including swimming walking and cycling are considered the first line of treatment, Carole was still experiencing pain
HYROX combines both running and functional workout stations and is hosted in expansive exhibition halls where spectators can look on
‘He phoned me up one day and said “Mum, do you fancy doing a competition?”
‘I said, “Yeah, whatever” and then I Googled it. I thought it was High Rock – I thought it’s climbing. When I finally found out what it was, I went, “Oh, great.”.’
‘Stuart then taught me how to lift weight properly, which I hadn’t been doing correctly before. Because he is a personal trainer, I decided to get my own up in Scotland, which I never thought I would do but have benefited immensely from.’
And despite her other son’s concerns, the mother-of-three and grandmother-of-four is determined to keep competing until her granddaughter turns 16.
She said: ‘The people coming up now in the 60s age group—they are fit. I think there’s only six in my age group, from 70 to 74. There’s very few.
‘I think I’m the oldest one in Scotland. There’s a couple in England.’
Ms Munro said one of the best part about competing is meeting other athletes from all walks of life—most of which tell here that if they are still competing at her age they will be ecstatic.
‘I was training with the top,’ she recalled. ‘It was amazing to be with these athletes, and people kept saying: “You’re an inspiration, because you’re still going.”‘
The NHS recommends 150 minutes of exercise a week
Despite always being sporty and having a competitive streak, the grandmother faced a setback when she started experiencing hip pain and stiffness which culminated in a hip replacement
After getting her hips done, she fell in love with exercise again and now is on a mission to inspire other athletes of all ages
She added: ‘I’ve realised the most important thing is inspiring others. I think people look at me and think i’m completely nuts.’
Her favourite way to recover after a competition is by the sea—either swimming in it or walking by it.
Before her love affair with Hyrox began, Ms Munroe completed the Etape Loch Ness cycle event, a 66-mile race starting a the famous loch and finishing in Inverness.
However, her love of exercise and competitive streak came to an abrupt halt after she began suffering from hip problems a few years ago.
‘After my hips went I got really depressed,’ she said. ‘I sold my motorbike. I sold my kayak. I really was low, but then I got my hip done and I picked up again.’
It has previously been shown that lifting weights regularly may help turn back a person’s biological age by up to eight years.
The NHS recommends that adults should undertake 150 minutes of moderately intense or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week.
It also recommends strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups, including the legs, back and abdomen, on at least two days a week.
But a recent study found those who did an hour of strength training three times a week had the body of a person significantly younger.
Every ten minutes a week of weight training was linked to around a five month reduction in biological age, with the benefits seen in both men and women as well as people of all ages.