Singaporean Golden Girls and athletic duo Priscilla Chan and Ruby Tan defy the odds at Hyrox Singapore

In a sea of crowd made up of mainly 30s and 40s gym-goers at the recent Hyrox Singapore, a duo of 60-something women participants turned heads and invited curious chatter. The fitness race, which was held at the Singapore Expo on 1st September, drew over 6,000 competitors who aimed to cross the finishing line with stride.

Among them were retirees Priscilla Chan, 62, and Ruby Tan, 64, who participated in the race following encouragement from their gym trainer, who felt that it would be a good experience to give it a go. The duo paired up to take on the race in the 60 to 69 age group relay to test their endurance and functional strengths. 

Hyrox is fast becoming a worldwide phenomenon where gym-goers can compete with others in a series of functional workouts broken down into eight cycles of movements like one-kilometre of running, sled pushes, sandbag lunges and burpees. Founded by Christian Toetzke in 2017, the entrepreneur started to expand the idea when he saw a gap in the market for “marathons for fitness” for gym-goers.

To find out more about Priscilla’s and Ruby’s accomplishments (yes, they did finish the race), we caught up with the amazing duo who are breaking the ceiling here in Singapore.

When did your love for fitness first begin?

Priscilla Chan: I used to work out in my twenties as I needed to pass my physical fitness test at work. Eventually, I stopped in my fifties. As age caught up, I realised I was getting fatter and started to have knee pains. At age 57, two years after I retired, my weight was 65kg. I was then invited by a friend to join a group workout known as “pay as you wish” hosted by my trainer, Madeleine Png. In short, we call her Shifu Mad. Under her guidance and teaching, my love for fitness rekindled.

Ruby Tan: I was very active during my younger days and was in the National Hockey Team for 16 years but I had to hang up my stick due to injuries. I started feeling pains and aches five years ago and thought that I needed to do something to stay fit and strong once again. Many thanks to my dear friend, Wang Lily, who introduced me to Madeleine (Mad) who has been training me for the past five years. Due to the COVID lockdown in 2020, I couldn’t travel and instead, I turned to fitness training. I bought my dumbbells, kettlebells and gym mats to set up my home gym, after receiving advice from Mad.

What were some of the mental hurdles you had to overcome?

Priscilla: Initially, I had the fear of not being able to catch up with those in their 30s to 40s in the group workouts for cardio or strength training. I also had to overcome my fear of having leg pain.

Ruby: The kickstart [to fitness regimen] once again was tough. When I first started my training with Mad, I was breathless in a very short time. Mentally and physically, I was weak.

What are some of the misconceptions or stereotypes about exercising at your age? 

Priscilla: Many people would say, “Old already, don’t do too strenuous exercise (e.g. HIIT)”; “Old already, bone not strong, will get injuries”; and “Women shouldn’t lift too heavy, muscles will bulk out and will not look nice for a lady!” The stereotypical exercises for old folks are tai ji, yoga, pilates, brisk walking, etc. To overcome what others had to say, I learned to listen to my own body, know my condition and persevere to do what is beneficial for my body. Each time I attend my personal training or group exercise, I will pray for strength and God will see me through. As time passed, I started to lose weight and the pain in my left leg subsided. That motivated me to continue to eat right and continue to pursue my fitness regimen.

Ruby: Many felt that one should not exert if they feel pain in certain areas especially when age is catching up on them. That’s when I feel the more you should be working on the muscles around it to strengthen and manage the pain areas. You should not allow age to be a hindrance in keeping your body and mind fit and strong. I must admit that it was tough in the initial stage but I was determined to lose some weight and get rid of my love handles. My mind and determination to change have helped me overcome the situation.

A study found that those in their 60s, 70s, and 80s were calmer, more optimistic, more cheerful and full of life than those who were 20, 30 or 40 years old. What is your take on that? 

Priscilla: To me, that is true because those in their 60s are usually retirees and they have more time for themselves. They have less stress and thus, are able to pursue their dreams of yesteryear. Once they find what they enjoy doing, they will feel cheerful and full of life.

Ruby: Being of a later age, you have gained loads of experience that the younger ones may not have. You will be more relaxed, and receptive and understand that allowing yourself to be unhappy will eventually lead to self-stress and that’s harmful to our mind and body.

What made you both join Hyrox Singapore for the first time? And why did you both join as a duo?

Priscilla: We’ve been training three times per week as a group for the past five years. Pairing with Ruby was great, as we could complement each other in terms of our weaknesses and strengths. 

What were your preparations like, in place of the coming competition?

Priscilla: One month before Hyrox, Shifu Mad crafted training programs to equip us for it. We started to do a similar format of training and trained in categories like burpees, ball throw, farmers’ walk, lunges and a one-kilometre race after each station. We added various training classes to familiarise ourselves with the stations. As for diet preparation, I made sure to load up with carbohydrates (brown or white rice) and ate more protein like chicken breast or fish. Nearer to date, I made sure to drink plenty of water, have enough sleep, and avoid fried food so that I wouldn’t fall sick leading up to the actual day. I told myself to be cheerful no matter what happens and have belief in the Christian faith that the joy of the Lord will strengthen me and help me to complete the challenge.

Ruby: Mad has carved out a training regime to prepare us for the different stations we need to go through in Hyrox. She has also guided us through the entire process to have a feel of how it’s going to be. We trained four times a week for the month leading to the race under her guidance and continued to go to the gym on our own for the remaining days to get ourselves ready. As for my diet, I piled on protein but ate carbs in moderation.

How did you feel after completing the race? Would you join other similar races in the future?

Priscilla: After completing the race, I felt joyful. I was happy to see so many supporters from the Mad family, my own family and even strangers. It felt like a family outing. I was most joyful to hear my daughter, Tabitha, and my hubby, Sidney, cheering us at every station. Hearing my daughter cheering by calling me “mummy” at every station - that joy surpasses all soreness. I will definitely want to join similar races in future.

Ruby: It was indeed a great joy when we were hand-in-hand [running] towards the finishing line. We were happy with our timing of two hours and three minutes on our first attempt. I would love to do it again and challenge myself to get better timing.

In addition to fitness, do you have a list of things you’re crossing out or experimenting with for the first time? 

Priscilla: I would like to experience indoor rock climbing or participate in a 21-kilometre run. 

Ruby: Trekking different mountains each year. Travelling around the world.

Do you have any advice for younger counterparts who are risk-averse?

Priscilla: Nothing is too difficult to achieve if we set our heart and determination on it. Perseverance will help you to reap the harvest. Go for it!

Ruby: I would say if you don’t try, you’ll never know. Don’t limit your limitations. Train and just go for it. Anyone can make it happen as long as you want it to happen.