87-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Sets Triathlon Age Record

Barbara Royle couldn't believe it when someone told her she was the oldest participant ever in Maine's Tri for a Cure triathlon. "87 doesn't seem that old to me," the Pennsylvania grandmother said with a laugh.

Each summer, Royle travels from the Poconos to Maine to spend time with her family. She caps off every visit by walking the 5K as part of Team Sandpiper, a relay team that includes her daughters Abby and Lucky.

The race day routine is simple but meaningful. The family checks on each other throughout the course, grabbing water and Gatorade to stay cool. "It's such a fun, really happy day," Royle said.

But this isn't just about fitness. Both Royle and her daughter Lucky are cancer survivors, though Lucky continues to battle a metastatic diagnosis. "I think about my own survivorship in relationship to you, just hoping that you too will have the same end result that I did, that it just goes away," Royle told her daughter.

For daughter Abigail, who bikes on the relay team, watching her mom and sister compete means everything. "To be there to support my mom and sister in their cancer journey is everything to me," she said.

The energy at Tri for a Cure creates something powerful. "When everyone is together, so many people are in that situation and giving each other energy to just go on, to keep going," Royle explained.

Why This Inspires

Royle's motivation comes from an honest place. "It sounds silly, but I don't want to be a nuisance to my family," she said. So she stays active year-round, crediting her 12-year-old dog Popchick for getting her out the door every day.

Her message to others proves you don't need to be an elite athlete to make a difference. "Anybody who walks around and walks a dog or is moderately active can do a 5K," she said. "I just hope people get involved because it's such a good thing."

At 87, Barbara Royle proves that age is just a number when you have purpose, family, and a mantra worth living by: keep going.